At least according to the coaches who were polled at Big 12 Media Day by the On3 Sports Network. The result was BYU on top, followed by defending champion Texas Tech, Utah and then Houston.

It’s quite the remarkable spot to be in considering the Cougar’s foray into a so-called ‘Big Boy’ conference is in just its fourth year. And it’s a credit to the work BYU has accomplished over that four year stretch, which didn’t exactly have a promising start back in 2023 when Cougar Coach Kalani Sitake’s team very much took it on the chin when going up against most conference opponents during that inauspicious season.

But here we are, and after greatly exceeding expectations in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the expectations could not be higher for the Cougars as they head into the coming season.

It all begs the question: Can BYU live up to the hype and is the auspicious preseason designation a good thing?

As for the first part of the question, a study of BYU’s roster relative to what its returning mixed with some promising additions certainly justifies top billing beginning with the return of Bear Bachmeier who is coming off of an enormously successful 2025 season. The sophomore dual-threat quarterback should be that much better this season, even when considering he lost his three top targets from a season ago with the departures of receivers Chase Roberts, Parker Kingston along with tight end Carsen Ryan.

But LJ Martin is returning at running back along with some notable offensive linemen while the Cougars added some promising transfers at tight end (Oregon transfer Roger Saleapaga and USC transfer Walker Lyons) and at receiver (Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper.)

And that’s just the offensive side of the football.

On defense the Cougars return just about everyone save standouts such as linebacker Jack Kelly, defensive end Logan Lutui and safety Tanner Wall. Even so, the return of such players as linebacker Isaiah Glasker, cornerback Evan Johnson, defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa and safety Faletau Satuala should suffice for perhaps even improved play for the defense.

So it’s all set to go and BYU will live up to the hype, walk away as Big 12 champions and enter the College Football Playoff where it hopes to improve on the Red Raider’s rather rude dismissal in the quarterfinal round by Oregon last season.

It’s never that simple, as most fans fully understand and there’s several potential pitfalls that could arise, although I’ll focus on just a couple here.

Tighter than you’d like, and probably even forgot.

Remember when the Cougars needed a leap into the endzone from Bachmeier in the second overtime period to defeat Arizona back in October of last season? I do, and I also recall quite well a similar run that had to be made by Bachmeier just to send the game into overtime. Oh yeah, and there was also a miraculous fumble recovery by offensive lineman Kyle Sfarcioc just prior to the aforementioned touchdown that easily could have (and probably should have) ended up in Wildcat hands while serving up a BYU loss.

The point is that last season’s game versus Arizona was extremely close, and it wasn’t just that win. The Cougars had to forge comebacks versus both Colorado and Iowa State in securing a spot in the Big 12 championship where it had Texas Tech serve up a second rather humiliating loss.

It all worked to show that the margin for error for BYU last season was still relatively thin despite its gleaming 12-2 final mark, and without some very fortunate bounces going its way, that record easily could have been 9-4 or even 8-5 at season’s end.

Whether BYU will again have enough to come out on top of those thin margins this season remains to be seen and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Over the top

I sometimes think of perfect player nicknames only after said players graduate, and that can certainly be said of Tanner Wall. This one isn’t all that good, and not very creative, admittedly, although it’s very descriptive to what Wall was in providing the ultimate security blanket. So yeah, that’s my nickname, ‘The security blanket.’

I was often mesmerized by Wall’s extremely detailed recaps of key plays during games, and it spoke to just how intelligent and proactive he was in fulfilling his crucial assignment as BYU’s last line of defense at his free safety position. I’m not smart enough to know exactly how often Wall provided the perfect backend defense, but I’m well-advised that he did it on numerous occasions, if not just about every time, thereby preventing that type of gashing big plays that can wreck the course of a game.

So that’s a big concern.

Sure, BYU returns some good talent at safety, namely Satuala, although he plays more like a linebacker than a safety and backend defense certainly isn’t his strength. The onus will likely rest on Raider Damuni and sophomore Tommy Prassas to directly replace what Wall provided last season, and even though I like the prospects of both players, Wall, and all his experience and know-how, should prove extremely difficult to replace.

Oh, and then there’s the departures of defensive coordinator and safeties coach Jay Hill and cornerbacks coach Jenaro Gilford, which makes the challenge of mirroring BYU’s very effective long-pass defense prowess all the more challenging.

And I could go ahead and assign BYU’s ability to blow the top off of an opposing defense as another concern. No, neither Roberts nor Kingston were big deep threats, but they were both certainly threats that warranted a lot of coverage attention. Can BYU replace what they brought? The prospect is a dubious one.

But there’s always concerns with every new season, and the two stated concerns pale in comparison with what is in front of most BYU teams, and hence the lofty expectations.