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BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis throws a pass during the game against Southern Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU junior defensive lineman Tyler Batty celebrates recovering a fumble during the game against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Fousseyni Traore (45) fights for a rebound against San Diego State in a men's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU women's soccer team celebrates a goal scored by Olivia Wade-Katoa (10) during a first round NCAA Tournament match against Utah State at South Field on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU women's cross country team poses for a photo after placing second at the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

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Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Jared Lloyd gives their opinions on the hot BYU sports topics this week.

1. What is the scenario where a BYU football team that has been blown out for three straight weeks upsets No. 7 Oklahoma?

DICKSON: A solar eclipse? Oklahoma’s plane gets delayed? Just kidding.

The Big 12 is pretty crazy this year. UCF lost five games in a row, then beat Cincinnati and routed a ranked Oklahoma State team, for example. So anything can happen.

I keep waiting for some signal or sign from the Cougars that they are going to break loose, but the last three weeks have been pretty brutal, especially offensively. Now the defense is missing five or six starters due to injury and things are looking pretty grim on that side of the ball as well.

So … let’s say Kedon Slovis comes back from injury, throws for 400 yards and five touchdowns and the defense gets a pick-six. Cougars win in a shootout, 45-41.

Do I think that will happen? Not really. But that’s the scenario where I could see an upset would happen.

LLOYD: I think the biggest key to a BYU upset comes down to three simple words: Time. Of. Possession.

What is the best defense against an excellent offensive opponent, one that features a Heisman candidate at quarterback and a host of dangerous weapons? Keep them on the sideline.

With that in mind, I don’t want to see the Cougar offense rushing up to the line and trying to catch the defense napping at all this whole game. Not once, unless it is in the two-minute drill at the end of a half.

Upping the tempo hasn’t been that effective anyway from what I’ve seen, so slow the game down. Huddle up and use every second on the play clock to limit Oklahoma’s opportunities.

It’s easier said than done but at least if BYU could manage a few long, time-consuming scoring drives, it might give the Cougars a shot to win in the end.

2. There are 15 players being honored on BYU football senior day that have eligibility remaining and could come back in 2024. Who is the highest priority of those guys and how many do you think will return?

LLOYD: It’s hard not to play the “what if” game, isn’t it? I think back to the end of 2022 and imagine what this year’s team would look like if it still had Jaren Hall, Puka Nacua, Blake Freeland, the Barrington brothers, Keenan Pili, Logan Fano, Gabe Jeudy-Lally and Dallin Holker.

Some of those guys went pro, others transferred, but all could’ve stayed in Provo and seen how far they could’ve taken the Cougars in their first year in the Big 12.

But this is the world we live in and I suspect of those 15 guys being honored who could come back, half have probably played their last games as Cougars. A few will go pro and a few will transfer, while others may have to retire from football for medical reasons.

I think the highest priority are guys who have proven they can be big-time contributors this season as well as being leaders. College football teams who can have those cornerstones have a much stronger foundation to build on.

DICKSON: Can I say all 15 players?

One of the ancillary effects of the transfer portal is that coaches are going to have to spend a lot more time recruiting their own roster. The portal and NIL make it so easy to bolt for a bigger offer, even if you have a great culture of love and learning like BYU.

You have to find out what will trigger guys who may or may not leave. Is it a bigger NIL cut? An offer of more playing time? A change in position? A car? It can get complicated.

There are some pretty good players who will have to make a decision once the season is over (OL Kingsley Suamataia, Tyler Batty, Aidan Robbins) that should be a priority for coaches.

If I had to guess, I would say at least 10 of the 15 will be back. But really, it’s nearly impossible to guess accurately.

3. The BYU men’s basketball team has improved depth and any number of players could be the team’s leading scorer in a given game. Who do you think eventually leads this team in scoring this year?

DICKSON: I would say Fousseyni Traore will lead the Cougars in scoring, somewhere between 12 and 15 points per game. He’s BYU’s best post option and should get plenty of touches, even with BYU trying to lead the world in 3-point attempts … which will probably result in four or five other players (Dallin Hall, Jaxson Robinson, Spencer Johnson, Trevin Knell and Dawson Baker when he gets healthy) who will likely average double digits, too.

LLOYD: I like Darnell’s call of Traore because I think he will get the most high-percentage looks of anyone on the Cougar roster. I don’t think BYU has another true offensive post presence, so the Cougars will need Traore on the floor to be able to play effective inside-out basketball.

Outside shooters are often somewhat streaky, depending on the quality of the shot selection and the ability to move the ball to the open guy. That mean’s that guys like Robinson, Waterman, Hall and Johnson will probably have games where they go for 20 and others where they are held to six or eight points.

BYU just has to hope they don’t all go cold on the same night, because then it will just about all be on Traore in the post, Hall getting into the paint and the Cougars getting putbacks off the offensive glass.

4. What’s the magic mixture that has kept BYU women’s soccer on top for so many years, even after joining the Big 12?

LLOYD: Let’s start by talking about the atmosphere that the university community has created at South Field. BYU consistently has the top average attendance in the nation and that makes for an electrifying experience. Who wouldn’t want to play for a team that has such passionate support?

Second, Cougar head coach Jennifer Rockwood has done a phenomenal job at getting many of the best athletes who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to join her team, something that has become harder and harder for the BYU football and basketball programs.

Finally, success lays the foundation for more success and that’s how the Cougars have become a consistent elite program. While BYU is still hunting for that elusive national title, the Cougars are almost always ranked and field a dangerous team. Rockwood and her staff deserve all the credit they get for what they have accomplished.

DICKSON: You start with Jennifer Rockwood, the only coach the program has ever known. Her quick-paced, high-pressure style of play and ability to develop players is terrific.

She recruits really well, especially locally. Most of her great players are home-grown and she knows them from an early age because they attend her summer camps.

All of that means the Cougars are a fun team to watch and fans flock to South Field for every game, creating an amazing atmosphere. BYU is home for Round No. 2 of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night and tickets are already sold out. At a school that spends most of its money on football and men’s basketball, that’s impressive.

5. The BYU cross country teams will compete in the NCAA Championships this Saturday. What are their chances of bringing home a trophy?

DICKSON: The BYU men, ranked third, have made the podium in four of the past six years at nationals, never finishing worse than third when it does. The women are also ranked third.

Cross country is a sport where peaking at nationals is the goal, so the Cougars would have to have several athletes peak on Saturday to run their best times and move up into first or second.

It’s possible someone like Casey Clinger could get to the front and win an individual title, but more than likely BYU’s best chance with both teams would be a team title.

Hey, cross country is a sport where if you collapse when you cross the finish line, you’re doing it right. That’s the goal, right? Give everything you have and be completely spent at the end.

LLOYD: One of the things I find so fascinating about elite college cross country competition is that it’s not usually the team’s best runners that determine who wins.

That honor goes to the third, fourth and fifth runners, who are often buried in packs of runners where a second or two can mean being up to a dozen places different in the final scoring.

All of the teams in the country are hoping this Saturday will be their best race of the entire season, and you can be sure that the Northern Arizona and Oklahoma State men’s teams and the Northern Arizona and NC State women’s teams are hoping to do just that.

But these Cougar squads are filled with excellent runners as well and if those final runners can finish ahead of their seed numbers, BYU could surge up the leaderboard — but that can just as easily go the other direction.

It’s one race for the men and one for the women with everything on the line, so the Cougars just have to attack and see how things play out.

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