BYU football enters its fourth season in Big 12 Conference play with the rare designation as the favorite in the eyes of more than several, which include conference coaches who were polled by On3 Sports during Big 12 Media Days.

So how realistic is the prospect of the Cougars coming out on top of the Big 12 standings and receiving an automatic invite to the College Football Playoff? Here’s three of the best reasons for optimism regarding the prospect of capturing the conference crown.

1. Schedule

I’ll cut to the chase right off the top in stating that BYU’s Big 12 conference schedule is very favorable for one reason, and one bright and gleaming reason; There’s no Texas Tech on the schedule. One year removed from being shellacked by the Red Raiders not once, but twice, the Cougars can go through their conference slate without the prospect of having to face off against the defending Big 12 championsh.

That’s not to say the conference schedule is easy, though, and the difficulty will come into focus immediately when BYU takes on Arizona on September 12. For those who are honest with themselves, the Cougars were downright fortunate to come away from Tucson with a win last year, and probably straight up lucky. Yes, the Wildcats will pose a challenge, along with games at TCU (October 3) and certainly at Utah come November 7.

But still, the schedule is relatively manageable, and the odds are BYU will be one of the two teams advancing to the Big 12 championship game for a second straight season.

2. Quarterback play

What Bear Bachmeier pulled off was nothing short of remarkable. The then-true freshman entered the BYU program just a couple of months prior to the start of last season, yet advanced to the point where he not only established himself was the starter at the position, but rose to become one of the top quarterbacks in the entire conference.

So a lot of progression can be anticipated from Bachmeier this season, and he’s looked very sharp during fall practices.

But the larger point, perhaps, is that BYU’s top foe in-conference, and the team it’s most likely to take on in a rematch in the Big 12 championship game has a lot of questions surrounding the same position. Texas Tech wound up having to fold it’s bet on Cincinnati Brendan Sorsby, leading the most central position on any football team very much in question. At the very least, BYU should hold an advantage at the position should the two teams meet up again, and it could absolutely prove to be the difference this time around.

3. Overall team depth

BYU was very fortunate on the injury front last season, although it’s likely that at least more attrition will occur this season. But that’s not to say the Cougars didn’t suffer at least some injury setbacks, but with solid team depth, they were able to overcome the nicks and bruises that did occur.

But still, the Cougars proved relatively thin at key positions, and perhaps particularly along the defensive front where players like Keanu Tanuvasa and John Taumoepeau had to take on more reps than coaches would have preferred. This season the Cougars look like they can legitimately go 3-deep at every defensive line position, which should aide them considerably along the defensive front throughout the season.

BYU looks relatively deep along the offensive front, too, and will certainly enter the season with more depth at the running back position. All of this may prove to be the best reason why come the end of the season the Cougars will stand on top of the conference standings while receiving a first-ever invite to the College Football Playoff.