The preseason AP Top 25 put a spotlight on Utah football before the season even gets rolling, with BYU landing at No. 14 and Utah coming in at No. 21.
For BYU, the ranking reflects a program that already proved it could hang last season. The Cougars reached the Big 12 championship game and bring back several starters, giving them plenty of buzz as they enter the year three spots below their final No. 11 ranking from last season. Second-year starter Bear Bachmeier is set to steer the offense after gaining a full season of experience, and he’ll have LJ Martin back in the backfield after the running back passed on an NFL opportunity to return to Provo.
There’s been one major change on the BYU sideline: defensive coordinator Jay Hill is gone to Michigan, and Kelly Poppinga has taken over the job. Even so, the defense is expected to look familiar.
The bulk of the unit is back, and the Cougars also added Power Four experience through the transfer portal, including linebacker Cade Uluave from Cal. That combination has plenty of preseason observers thinking BYU could make another run to Arlington, Texas, for a shot at the Big 12 title.
Utah enters the season in a different spot, but still in the national conversation. The Utes checked in at No. 21, seven places lower than their final No. 14 ranking last year, and they do it during an offseason marked by change. Still, there’s a sense of continuity in Morgan Scalley’s first season as head coach.
A lot of Utah’s outlook starts with Devon Dampier. The multi-year starter at quarterback is expected to carry a huge load after guiding an 11-2 season behind one of the school’s strongest offensive lines in recent memory. Byrd Ficklin gives the Utes another option at quarterback, while Wayshawn Parker adds punch to the ground game and the receiver room looks much improved.
Defensively, Utah has work to do. Several starters are gone, but the program is banking on transfer-portal additions and a renewed emphasis on stopping the run.
For now, AP voters are willing to buy in. Scalley and his staff still have to prove the Utes belong with the country’s best.
Texas Tech sits atop the Big 12 at No. 12, while Houston also cracked the poll at No. 23, giving the league four ranked teams in all with BYU and Utah included. The Red Raiders enter under a cloud after offseason scrutiny tied to a gambling investigation involving transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who later left the program to pursue an NFL career. Backup quarterback, though not fully recovered from an ACL injury last season, is expected to start.
Texas Tech’s schedule sets up well, and the roster remains loaded enough that a repeat conference title run is very much on the table. Still, the bigger question around the league is whether anyone can separate from the pack.
That’s the larger challenge for the Big 12 as a whole. The conference continues to chase the sport’s center of gravity, with the Big Ten and SEC combining for 17 of the 25 spots in the preseason poll.
The Big 12 has four teams ranked, but the path to real national relevance still runs through the playoff. No Big 12 team has won a national title since Texas in 2005, and Texas is now in the SEC.
Among the league’s current members, Colorado is the last to claim one, back in 1990.
In Other News...
Former BYU Defender Is Suddenly Giving Jets Fans A Reason To Watch
The first full weekend of NFL preseason games gave Utah-connected players a chance to make some noise, and one former BYU defender did exactly that for the Jets. Mory Bamba logged significant snaps on defense and broke up four passes, putting himself in the middle of a crowded competition as New York sorts through roster battles before the regular season.
Bamba was one of roughly 50 players with ties to Utah who took the field over the weekend, but his outing may have been the one that most clearly caught attention in New York. For a Jets team looking for young defensive backs to separate themselves, preseason performances like this can matter, and Bamba now has at least given the fan base a reason to keep an eye on the tape. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Early Lineup Projection Comes With One Clear Camp Concern
BYU is two weeks into camp and less than three weeks away from its season opener against Utah Tech, which makes this a good time to start sketching out where the depth chart appears to be settling. Based on what has been observed so far, the Cougars have a clearer picture on several offensive, defensive and special teams spots, while a few jobs still feel very much up for grabs as camp moves into its final stretch.
The biggest concern hanging over the projected lineup is health, especially up front and in the secondary. The coaching staff has already pointed to some injuries among the offensive linemen, and safety Faletau Satuala remains a player to monitor as the defense sorts through its rotations. Even with some roles looking more defined, BYU still appears to be weighing several combinations on defense, which leaves the final shape of the first-game lineup far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
LJ Martin Is Making BYU Look Dangerous On The National Stage
LJ Martins rise has become one of the more notable offseason developments around Provo, and the attention keeps widening. The BYU running back was recently tabbed by Pro Football Network as a Top 100 NFL Draft prospect, landing third among running backs and 53rd overall, a spotlight that fits with the preseason buzz he has already picked up after being named Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and earning preseason All-America recognition.
For BYU, Martin is only part of a larger national conversation. Pro Football Network also placed seven other Cougars among the top 25 at their positions, a sign that this roster is drawing real respect well beyond the league footprint. For a program trying to prove its place on a bigger stage, that kind of recognition matters, and Martin is one of the names helping make the Cougars look like a team opponents will need to prepare for in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]