ESPN’s analytics are currently favorable for the Cougars, but will it be enough for a conference crown?
Just a few months ago, most BYU fans would have been thrilled just to see the Cougars make it to a bowl game this year.
Following a surprising 7-0 start, however, the ceiling appears much higher for Kalani Sitake’s squad. BYU is ranked No. 11 in the nation and continues to pop up in midseason College Football Playoff projections. Not even fans with the bluest of blue goggles would have predicted such a reality this past summer.
The Cougars may be one of the sport’s most compelling stories of 2024, but the fairy tale could become even more magical before the clock strikes midnight in Provo. If the season ended today, BYU would appear in the Big 12 championship game in Arlington on Dec. 7 against Iowa State. Not too shabby for a team pegged to finish 13th in the league’s preseason poll.
But there’s still plenty of football left to be played before anyone goes to “Jerry World.” Heck, we haven’t even reached Halloween yet, and the Big 12 isn’t exactly the most predictable league out there. They don’t call it the “conference of chaos” for nothing.
With five contests left to play, the Cougars find themselves in a six-way race to the title game. Soon enough the competing schools will separate themselves as true contenders or just pretenders, but until such sifting occurs on the field, we have a useful tool to speculate the results on our own: math.
