1. After three games, what do you know for a fact about BYU football that gives you belief the program is headed for a College Football Playoff spot?

DICKSON: My fact is that this BYU team owns the offensive line of scrimmage. LJ Martin is terrific at running back, for sure, and quarterback Bear Bachmeier runs the offense very well but this offensive line consistently grades out as one of the best in the country. We all know that Bruce Mitchell might be the nation’s best center but tackle Paki Finau is exceptional and Andrew Gentry (despite some early penalties) has been dominant. Kyle Sfarcioc and Sonny Makasini are quietly getting their jobs done as well. Last week, the Cougars plugged in Trevin Ostler and didn’t miss a beat with Sfacioc sitting out. Then there are a couple of very talented youngsters in Joe Brown and Bott Mulitalo. If the Cougars reach their goals in 2026, these guys will lead the way.

GURNEY: My fact is that the team is loaded with playmakers on both sides of the football. There were a lot of question marks regarding the receiver position prior to the season, but those questions have been answered fairly definitively just three games into the season. Freshman Legend Glasker has certainly shown forth big play ability and it was very apparent last Saturday that teams are well-aware of Kyler Kasper’s unique skill set that was revealed in earnest during BYU’s win over Arizona. Throw in tight end Walker Lyons, who has graded out very well, with the addition of Roger Saleapaga after the bye week, and the Cougars will present true playmaking ability to contend well with most defensive units.

On defense, slot corner Cannon DeVries has been a revelation and has been the Cougar’s top playmaker out of the secondary so far. Edge rusher Tausili Akana has begun to show forth why he was such a highly-rated prospect out of high school and then there’s middle linebacker Cade Uluave, who has shown extraordinary lateral pursuit ability from his position. Couple all that with known commodities like Faletau Satuala, Evan Johnson and Isaiah Glasker, and the defense could be argued to be as well-stoked as the offense with regards to playmaking ability.

2. After three games, what don’t you know that gives you concern the Cougars might miss out on the CFP?

GURNEY: I still think there’s some question marks defensively, and particularly with the secondary. It was a unit that gave up a lot of yards to Arizona prior to the Wildcats losing Giovanni Richardson to injury. The loss of Raider Damuni to injury appears to be a potential problem, although the senior safety may be back midseason. Until then, fill-ins such as Tommy Prassas and Kennan Pula will need to show better in shutting down teams making big gains down the field, whether it be through chunk yardage plays or long drawn-out drives.

DICKSON: I’m still not totally sold on the defense. I mean, I believe it is good but there are a few problem spots with cornerback depth and I would still like to see more out of the defensive line. Seems like this group has starts slowly and eventually gets it figured out. That hasn’t cost them yet but it could be a problem down the road. After giving up 17 points in the first half against Noah Fifita and Arizona, the Cougars shut out the Wildcats in the second half, and that was impressive. After a poor first possession against Colorado State, BYU quickly made adjustments and the ones dominated the Rams. The backups had trouble stopping the CSU passing game even with a third-string quarterback, so that’s bit concerning. I know it’s just three games but we all know there are going to be bigger tests down the road for this group.

3. It seems that everywhere BYU football plays, vulgar cheers from opposing students follow. What are you thoughts on yet another apology from a university (this week, Colorado State)?

DICKSON: This is definitely a “rinse and repeat” situation where the cheers take place, the school issues an apology, and then we start the cycle over again somewhere else. Look, college students are dumb and nothing is going to change that. I’m not so much offended by the chants as I am resigned to the fact that nobody is ever going to do anything about it. What about having staff members monitoring the student section? What about video cameras aimed at the worst offenders? What about fining the universities? It’s a form of hate speech that would never be allowed if it were aimed at the Jewish religion or Muslims, so why is it OK against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? At this point, let’s just move on and be like Kalani says, “confuse them with kindness.”

GURNEY: I’m largely with Darnell on this one in that I really don’t know what can be done to effectively address the problem since we’re talking about largely dumb and naive college students who are largely begging for attention. Well, those same students received it yet again with their actions accompanied by an apology that ultimately means little to nothing. I know I’m supposed to somewhat disagree with Darnell here, but I agree with Kalani’s approach in giving it passing mention and then moving on. I mean, it is just words at this point, and although those words are vulgar and demeaning, BYU can take it and rise above it as it has time and again.

4. The argument between BYU and Utah fans (at least the current one) is who has a better football team. Objectively, what say you?

GURNEY: Give me BYU in that I’m more certain of the particular strengths the Cougars possess than what the Utes have presented. I will say that I’ve been very impressed and even a bit surprised with how efficient Utah has looked during the early season. I thought they’d encounter massive problems in replacing their stellar offensive line from a season ago, but so far that doesn’t appear to be much of a problem. I do think the Utes are still susceptible to the run and that’s probably the primary area where I feel BYU may have a distinct advantage. Utah now heads into Big 12 Conference play which should reveal more about its product in the coming weeks.

DICKSON: The standard argument is that BYU has played a more difficult schedule, making the Cougars the better team. Ute fans would argue that they have been much more dominant in outscoring their first three opponents 142-24. In truth, we don’t really know a lot about either team other than they are both playing well. BYU was expected to be good, the Utes were expected to perhaps struggle with a new coaching staff and a new offensive line. That hasn’t been the case, at least so far. All I know is that the Nov. 7 meeting in Salt Lake is going to be epic.

5. BYU men’s basketball started practice on Monday. The Cougars are a bit of a mystery — the team roster isn’t even updated on the athletic website — so what do you think Kevin Young has to work with this season?

DICKSON: It pretty much all hinges on whether Jaxon Kohler is eligible or not. With him, this is a legit second weekend NCAA team. Without him, we’re probably talking eight or nine seed. There is just too much big man talent in the Big 12 to try and attack it with an undersized front line. Based on numbers this team will be able to make 3-pointers, but how will the Cougars be able to defend? I think BYU fans will love what Kohler has to offer but there are still no guarantees he’s going to be able to play. Chemistry is a big thing in sports and the uncertainty of the offseason has me wondering how that will work out.

GURNEY: Like Darnell pointed out, Jaxon Kohler stands as a season-breaker. I really like BYU’s roster with Kohler, and certainly more than I did last year in that these players seem to fit while last year’s team seemed to be a hodgepodge of talents that really didn’t fit together I feel that Kevin Young learned a lot of last year’s ultimate failures and has done well in forming his roster better this season. But without Kohler that all falls apart. You hate to pin the season on the availability of just one player, but that’s where we are.