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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake takes a selfie with some Cougar fans after a 66-49 victory against Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)

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BYU running back Tyler Allgeier runs the ball during the 66-49 Cougar win over Virginia at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (Marcia Harris, Special to the Daily Herald)

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BYU quarterback Jaren Hall takes the snap during the 66-49 Cougar win over Virginia at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (Marcia Harris, Special to the Daily Herald)

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A BYU fan cheers on the team during the 66-49 Cougar win over Virginia at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (Marcia Harris, Special to the Daily Herald)

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BYU fans storm the court during the Midnight Madness event at the Marriott Center on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)

University Photographer

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BYU sports experts Jared Lloyd and Darnell Dickson tackle five of the big questions facing the Cougars this week:

1. BYU was slotted No. 15 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings. What does it all mean?

DICKSON: First, I have to say I’m really disappointed that this is the best college football can do when it comes to the postseason. Every day on social media I see ideas that make more sense. I do sense that the powers-that-be gave BYU some credit for posting a 5-1 record against P5 competition. It’s been a crazy season and there’s still an outside chance the Cougars could move up to the Top 10. Enough to be considered for a New Year’s Six bowl game? Maybe. I do feel bad for Cincinnati. Despite a win over Notre Dame, the Bearcats don’t have the remaining schedule to move into the top four teams unless they lose one or two. You thought it was tough to break through as an independent?

LLOYD: This was exactly where I predicted the Cougars would be because there have been so many twists and turns to the season already. The simple truth is BYU’s ranking is more evidence that the playoff committee over-inflates the value of Power 5 conferences. Yes, BYU has five wins over teams from those leagues but I don’t think any of those teams are really all that good. They’ve just beaten other mediocre teams. Baylor is more deserving and proved it on the field, but the Cougar loss to a mediocre Boise State team should’ve been weighed more heavily against BYU (just like Oregon’s loss to Stanford and Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M should’ve been treated more harshly). The goal of every team is first and foremost to win and teams that fail that goal should face the consequences. This is a really good Cougar squad but I don’t believe it is a great one, and frankly I have a tough time giving the committee much credence when they blatantly ignore on-field results.

2. Where do you put Tyler Allgeier in a list of great BYU running backs?

LLOYD: I love how a walk-on with almost no college offers at all is now making us ask this question. It’s not an easy question to answer because BYU has had such a diverse group of athletes excel at that position. I would definitely say that Allgeier isn’t the same type of player as Matt Bellini, Luke Staley or Jamaal Williams, although he has elements of their game in how he plays. I compare him to Harvey Unga (his position coach), Lakei Heimuli and Curtis Brown, guys who got the tough yards but still had the balance and explosiveness to be dangerous. I don’t know if I would put Allgeier in my all-time Top 5 at this point but he’s certainly in my Top 10.

DICKSON: My top five right now would be 1. Jamaal Williams, 2. Harvey Unga, 3. Luke Staley, 4. Curtis Brown and 5. Jamal Willis. Certainly Allgeier can move up into the Top 5 with a great finish to 2021 and a strong 2022 season, though he might choose to go pro instead if the opportunity is there. If BYU takes care of business against Idaho State and Georgia Southern I would guess Allgeier isn’t going to get a ton of second half work, so his numbers might slow down a bit. But if he could have a big game against USC and in the bowl game, who knows?

3. What was the biggest surprise in BYU’s 66-49 victory against Virginia last Saturday?

DICKSON: BYU came into the game averaging 26 points per contest and had only scored more than 30 points twice in eight games. I had my doubts that the Cougars could win in a shootout because they hadn’t shown that consistency during the season. Turns out I was wrong. Some of the credit (blame?) has to go to Virginia’s porous defense but BYU was unbelievably efficient offensively. It opens up some interesting possibilities for the rest of the season and beyond with so many playmakers as underclassmen.

LLOYD: There were a few things that others might see as surprising that really didn’t surprise me very much, namely that Virginia put a lot of points on the board, that the much-maligned drop-8 defense was the one that proved to be the most successful for the Cougars and that the BYU offense was able to tally 66 points. I think I would say what surprised me most was how composed the Cougars were, even when things weren’t going their way in the second quarter. I thought BYU allowed one mistake to turn into two or three against Boise State and Baylor, but that wasn’t the case against the Cavaliers. I applaud the Cougar coaches and players for just continuing to make plays on both sides of the ball.

4. In three weeks, if BYU is 9-2 going into the game at USC, how much higher could the Cougars be ranked with a win?

LLOYD: I don’t think beating the Trojans will do much for the Cougars for serious voters or the playoff selection committee, since USC is currently 4-4 with no notable games left on their schedule. Sure, BYU deserves a little credit from getting a sixth win over a Power-5 opponent but this isn’t a Trojan team that will help the Cougars move up in the rankings very much. It’s much more likely that BYU’s fate will be determined by the teams who lose above them in the rankings. Look for the Cougars to be in the No. 12-13 range at the end of the month.

DICKSON: Unfortunately, BYU has already done the bulk of its work. The Cougars won’t get much credit if they beat Idaho State and Georgia Southern as expected. USC is still a talented team but it won’t raise many eyebrows if BYU wins in Los Angeles. BYU has to hope a bunch of teams ahead of them lose. Already, 60 teams ranked in the Top 25 have lost games and that’s never happened before. Relying on other teams, though, is a fool’s game anyway.

5. What do you want to see from the BYU basketball team in Thursday’s exhibition game against Colorado Christian?

DICKSON: Every year I go into the first game of the season with a preconceived idea about what the team will look like and just about every year I’m wrong. It’s important to think of the season as a journey and the end won’t look at all like the beginning. I think this team has the talent to be good but something to remember is that just about everybody has benefited from bonus COVID players and grad transfers. That makes it much easier to get better quickly so it’s had to gauge just how difficult the schedule will be. I’m not sure there are enough really good teams on BYU’s preseason schedule to get them into the Top 25 right away. So in an opener I want to see a lot of guys get in the game and find open shots. I want to see some hard work on defense and rebounding, which will be key this season. And I want to see one alley-oop each to Atiki Ally Atiki, Caleb Lohner and Hunter Erickson.

LLOYD: I don’t think we are going to learn a whole lot against a Division II opponent about whether this BYU team has the pieces to win big games down the road, so I’m going to be looking at the fundamentals that often make or break a team. Are the Cougars spacing the floor well? How well do they box out? Does BYU consistently make the right rotations defensively? Does this squad get lazy if they build a lead? How do different lineups mesh at both ends of the court? Those are the basics that I will analyze, although as long as the Cougars don’t suffer the fate of Pepperdine against Point Loma Nazarene (a 77-50 blowout loss for the Waves), I’ll probably be OK with the outcome.