The 60,389 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon urged the Cougars to an 11-1 record and celebrated the feat of reaching a Power Four conference championship game in just their third season as a Big 12 member.

“It’s huge, it couldn’t be better. We’re beyond excited,” said Dane Nielson, of Orem. “We’re invested in this team because they’re investing in their players and they’re investing in the fan experience. So to watch them go from not in a big conference and now dominating a big conference means the world to us fans.”

BYU will return to the national spotlight in a rematch against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game — a major triumph for the program after going 2-7 in conference play in 2023 and narrowly missing the title game with a 7-2 conference record in 2024.

“We’ve come so far with just being a few seasons in and everything with the Big 12, and we’re showing that we are competitive, that we’re strong and a good team,” said Tyler Bates, of Spokane. “It’ll be a great rematch against Texas Tech, who’s also a great team and playoff-worthy.”

Fresh in fans’ minds was the program’s independence era from 2011 to 2022, which typically involved front-loaded schedules against Power Five opponents followed by low-stakes matchups on the back half against the likes of Savannah State and Massachusetts.

Many believe the product on the field and the stakes of the games have since elevated.

“Games like this matter now,” said Rob Mehl, of Salem. “Before, in independence, sometimes in November we could only get teams to play that weren’t as big. They weren’t as important of a game. No conference championship to play for.”

Fans will check their schedules and travel budgets to see if they can make the trip to Arlington, Texas, next week for a rematch against Texas Tech.

If the home game turnout this season is any indication, though, there will be a strong showing of blue. LaVell Edwards Stadium’s average 2025 attendance was an above-capacity crowd of 63,789 fans, for a combined total of 382,733.

Dane Nielson said his family has been coming to games for 50 years but purchased more tickets than in past years to meet the excitement.

“It’s always fun being a BYU fan, but it seems like we’re getting better athletes, good recruits,” Dane’s brother, Giff Nielson, said. “The competition ratcheted up, and we’re not only keeping pace, but setting the pace.”

Kaylin, a BYU student from Seattle, said it has been amazing to see the engagement and pride from the student body derived from the success.

“Every game has been sold out, just not this one because of Thanksgiving, but even away games, we have such a good fan base, and you can see after the game’s over, you start to see a huge sea of blue,” she said.

Fans are hoping the Cougars continue their winning ways next week versus the Red Raiders.

“They kind of fell on their face the first time. So I’m hoping that they could at least get some redemption and play a little harder,” Mehl said. “It seems like the committee’s not giving them a chance if they don’t win it. So I think they have to win it to go to the playoffs.”