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BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier throws a pass against UCF in a Big 12 football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier scores a touchdown against TCU in a Big 12 football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU football coach Kalani Sitake greets fan outside of LaVell Edwards Stadium before a Big 12 game against UCF on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Brandon Gurney, Daily Herald

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Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Brandon Gurney debate and pontificate on the hot BYU sports topics of the week.

1. So BYU was tabbed as the Big 12 Conference favorite by coaches in On3’s poll conducted during Media Day in Frisco, Texas. You buying or selling the Cougars as the conference favorite?

GURNEY: Remember that Seinfeld episode when Jerry tries to return a clothing item, to which the tells the lady working the register that he’s returning it out of ‘spite?’ She then tells Jerry that he can return an item for pretty much any reason, but not out of spite.

Well, you can actually vote for a conference favorite out of spite, however, at least in my humble opinion. To me, Texas Tech is the clear and obvious choice for conference favorite yet again this season. But the Red Raiders also now carry the designation of being the Big 12’s bad boy due to the Brendan Sorsby situation on top of the massive amount of NIL money they spend from year-to-year.

So Big coaches voted BYU as the favorite out of spite for Texas Tech. To me, BYU is clearly the No. 2 team in conference heading into the season, and given that everyone loves BYU Coach Kalani Sitake, it stands to reason why the program carried the vote as the No. 1 team in light of the pure spite coaches carry for the Red Raider program. So no, I’m not buying BYU as conference favorite, and I believe most Big 12 coaches, if they took emotion out of the equation, wouldn’t place the Cougars as the favorite either.

DICKSON: The Big 12 got rid of the official preseason poll last season and I understand why they did it. Why give the national media and the football playoff committee any more reasons to dismiss the accomplishments of conference teams based on a random non-data point in July? I’m pretty much with Gurney on this one. Talent-wise, Texas Tech has the goods. Don’t forget that quarterback Will Hammond directed the Red Raiders to a pretty convincing win at Utah last season as a freshman before an injury took him out of the lineup. Everywhere else, Texas Tech has some of the top players in the league. BYU has talent, no doubt, but that talent wasn’t good enough to give the Red Raiders much of a contest on two occasions last year. The Cougars have to live on creating complementary football that produces lots of wins in close games.

2. I love rankings, so we’re going to keep on the ranking discussion. And hey, it’s mid-July, and it’s pretty much what we do during this time of the year. Anyway, this one is about Bear Bachmeier, and his conference ranking as a returning quarterback. Most services have him pegged anywhere from the No. 3-ranked Big 12 quarterback to No. 5. Where would you place Bachmeier?

DICKSON: As good as Bachmeier was last season, I think the offensive attack was still pretty conservative. It makes sense to pound the run game with LJ Martin and give Bachmeier plenty of chances to test the defense as a runner, too. But I really believe offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick held back when it came to really unleashing his freshman quarterback. This season we should see the offense open up a bit more downfield and I think Bachmeier can do it. When grading him out, the No. 1 thing he does is make the right plays to get the win. Are they better passers in the league? Noah Fifita at Arizona comes to mind. Are there better runners? You might have to go with Utah’s Devon Dampier. But the combination Bachmeier puts on the field, plus what Martin can do as a ball carrier, gets the Cougars to the finish line more often than not. Frankly, I don’t care what he’s ranked as as long as he’s putting BYU in the end zone and in the win column.

GURNEY: The only two quarterbacks I’m placing above Bear heading into the season are Arizona’s Noah Fifita and Houston’s Conner Weigman. Fifita is a very, very good quarterback and unquestionably the best passer in the Big 12. He’s also very short, and as a short guy myself, that earns him bonus points. I’m a Fifita fan. Weigman proved to be a very good duel-threat signal-caller a year ago, and I think he’s going to put up big numbers this coming season.

The two quarterbacks so-called experts consistently rank above Bachmeier are Utah’s Devon Dampier and Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker. Who is Mestemaker, you may ask? Well, that’s exactly my point. He’s a transfer from North Texas who put up big numbers for the Mean Green last season, so big things are anticipated. But come on, he did all of it against patsy opponents, so I’m not buying. As for Dampier, he showed obvious deficiencies last season that I think will again hamper him this coming year. He’s a fun talent, sure, but considering he’ll be operating behind a completely re-tooled offensive line and with a completely new offensive system, his productivity is poised to go down, at least a bit.

3. Okay, another rankings question. The topic is again being broached to do away with preseason rankings heading into the college football season, and the reasoning behind it is intriguing. Good idea or bad idea?

GURNEY: I don’t like it, but I could be persuaded otherwise. The reasoning is sound in that preseason rankings typically carry brand bias, but also perpetuates the tendency to over rank teams throughout the season (see Notre Dame most years), even when they don’t really align with with their preseason prognostications, at least in the minds of some voters.

The reasoning is sound, and again, I can be persuaded and I don’t think it’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.

But still, I’m a traditionalist and I believe one of the big things that carry sports is the discussion and debate, and preseason rankings certainly enhance that. Also, I believe voters are typically well-informed and smart and that the voting throughout the season reflects as much. But again, I can be persuaded with this one and let’s see if Darnell, who I consider to be a very smart individual, can persuade yours truly with his response.

DICKSON: Not sure what I’ve done to persuade Gurney that I’m smart, but I’ll give this a shot. I am also a traditionalist and getting the preseason rankings for the first time is a bookmark to the start of my season. The problem with the rankings is brand bias and conference bias (looking at you, Big Ten and SEC), but more than that, it’s the weight AP voters and members of the playoff committee attach to them. If preseason rankings were taken in the way they should be intended (as David Letterman often said about his Stupid Human Tricks segment, “this is just an exhibition, please, no wagering”) then we wouldn’t have much to worry about. I would be good with waiting until the first couple of games have been played before the first poll is released just to take it out of the hands of incompetent committee members.

4. Okay, a bit of a more serious question here. Parker Kingston remains in limbo regarding the actual prosecution of his alleged sexual assault conviction, although the possibility exists that the case will never see trial. Should his case be cleared should BYU pursue his return to the team to play out his eligibility, all factors considered?

DICKSON: This has been a very difficult case to wrap my head around. If Kingston did commit a crime, why is it taking so long to put the facts before a jury? Just how long is he supposed to cool his heels and put his life on hold? I’m all for making people accountable for their actions, but this whole thing should be over already. If Kingston is completely cleared of this charge he should have an opportunity to be reinstated to BYU and play football. If he doesn’t want to face a school-enforced suspension, then he can go play somewhere else. Seems reasonable to me.

GURNEY: I believe BYU should absolutely pursue the potential return of Kingston should his case be cleared at any time leading up to the coming season. It’s probably too late to do as much this season, sure, although I think his inclusion on the roster would be warranted simply  because he stands as being innocent of the charges. That’s how our legal system works, and that fact avoids the general public point of view way too much, in my opinion. Kingston is innocent until proven guilty, and the burden of proving guilt hasn’t come close to materializing at this stage.

5. Okay, an easy one to end it with. Who is the single-most underrated player on BYU’s football roster heading into the 2026 season?

GURNEY: I’m going with Bruce Mitchell here. First off, his name is, well, ‘Bruce Mitchell.’ Not exactly a star’s name. He’s also from Kamas and he plays a position most fans don’t take notice of throughout most games, if at all.

But Mitchell is really, really good and I could seriously make the argument that he’s the best and most talented player on the entire BYU football team. No, seriously. Sure, fans will gravitate toward safety Faletau Satuala, who is tremendous, and certainly running back LJ Martin, but to me, pound-for-pound, the best player on the entire team could well be argued to be Mitchell. So, considering all that, I still believe he’s being very underrated by most fans when assessing the BYU roster.

DICKSON: I’m not sure he’s underrated, but I feel like there aren’t enough people taking about sophomore defensive end Nusi Taumoepeau. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 240-pounds. His stats were pretty low key from last year: 12 tackles (11 solo), two tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble in nine games. But I think he’s a stunning athlete and he’s going to be a playmaker, a guy who will sack the quarterback, cause a fumble and return it for a touchdown in a heartbeat. Depth on the defensive line is key and I think BYU has it this year, especially on the ends. Taumoepeau probably won’t be an every-down guy but watch him when he’s in the game. No. 5 is going to make some huge plays this season.