College football’s preseason projections may have the usual favorites sitting near the top, but Josh Pate sees a team that could crash the playoff conversation: BYU.
On Josh Pate’s College Football Show, the analyst pointed to the Cougars as a real threat in the Big 12 and said he likes what BYU brings into the season.
“I am betting with this schedule, and that roster, (BYU) is a legitimate playoff threat,” Pate said. “I imagine the vibe out there, too.
Just picture them, regardless of what happened out there with Texas Tech, picture them in isolation, and the only team they couldn’t beat last year was Texas Tech, and otherwise ran the table. Then they kept most of their players, including their quarterback … I’d think the vibes are pretty high.”
That belief isn’t coming out of nowhere. BYU has won at least 11 games in each of the past two seasons, and last year’s run ended with a loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game. The Cougars also enter this year with much of the roster intact, including the quarterback Pate referenced.
The offseason only added to the sense that BYU could be positioned for another push. Kalani Sitake was reportedly a target for multiple major programs in the latest coaching cycle, but he stayed put and will keep leading the Cougars.
There’s also a wrinkle in the Big 12 race that could matter. Texas Tech lost its star quarterback because of a gambling-related issue, which opens the door a bit wider for the rest of the league.
Since joining the Big 12, BYU has gone 17-10 in conference play and is coming off an 8-1 mark in league games last season. If the Cougars can turn that into a Big 12 title, a College Football Playoff berth would almost certainly follow.
So the question hanging over BYU now is simple: can the Cougars knock off Texas Tech and finish the job in 2026?
In Other News...
Boo Carter Just Got Pulled Into A Colorado Ranking Debate
ESPNs latest transfer portal reset created a little more noise around Colorados roster, and it started with the fallout from Texas Tech quarterback Brenen Sorsby being removed from the rankings because of a gambling investigation. In the shuffle, wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. landed at No. 26, a nod to the kind of steady production and SEC-tested profile Colorado was hoping to add when he transferred from Texas.
For the Buffs, the bigger takeaway is how uneven the national view still is. Deion Sanders has made it clear he sees Moore as the real leader in the locker room, even as other Colorado players were left off ESPNs top 100 entirely and former Buffs popped up much higher elsewhere. The ranking debate also adds another layer to Moores move, since he now reunites in Boulder with Brennan Marion, the coach who helped recruit him to Texas. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Just Made An Eye Opening Move For Elite Young Talent
Austn Choates rise is already drawing attention well beyond the usual early-recruiting chatter. The Class of 2030 tight end from Tomball, Texas, picked up a scholarship offer from Texas Tech after showing out at a camp, and the Red Raiders clearly liked enough of what they saw to move quickly on a player still at the very start of his high school journey.
Choates growing list of suitors already includes Arizona, Houston, TCU, Texas and UTEP, which tells you how much buzz he is building around the state and beyond. He also came away impressed with Texas Techs setup and coaching presence, a promising sign for a program trying to get in early with elite young talent before the recruiting race really starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]