After brief pit stop, Cougars eye return to Big 12 title race

Bye weeks can be beautiful things. They are like pit stops for race cars. Football teams, like BYU, get a chance to step off the field, check the engine, refresh the tires and refuel. If done right, the Cougars should be ready to resume the Big 12 race and stay in the chase until the next one on Nov. 2.
In between the two byes, No. 14 BYU (5-0, 2-0) hosts Arizona on Saturday (2 p.m. MDT, Fox), Oklahoma State on Oct. 18 and plays at UCF on Oct. 26. Where their Cinderella story goes from here is anyone’s guess, but the Cougars are familiar with the script.
Last year, BYU also began October with an impressive record (4-1), including a 38-31 victory at Arkansas. However, the Halloween-month triggered more tricks than treats. The Cougars were bedazzled and blown out in four of the next five games by a combined 161-37. Along the way, they lost grad-transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis to injury.
BYU’s 1-6 finish eclipsed the 4-1 start and left them in the dark throughout the bowl season. Lingering residue carried over to 2024, where the Cougars were picked to finish 13th in the 16-team Big 12.
Acting defiantly as to how things were predicted to be, BYU has pushed back against the status quo in just about every way. While learning on the job, junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff has climbed to No. 18 in the country with 12 touchdown passes. The Cougars are No. 22 in red-zone offense.
Defensively, BYU ranks among the top 20 in scoring defense (No. 17), turnovers gained (No. 15) and the team is No. 16 with the fewest penalties.
In addition, the fact that the Cougars are one of 12 undefeated teams in the country and already within a victory of a bowl game speaks volumes about how far they have come since last October — but Kalani Sitake wants so much more.
After upsetting SMU and then-No. 13 Kansas State, where neither team was allowed a touchdown, the head coach made it clear that while the wins were nice, they didn’t define the season or his team. Instead, they were positive steps toward constructing a championship mentality. That is what he wants.
Sitake’s quest to get his roster, many of whom played last season, bigger, stronger and faster, was motivated by chasing a title. Outside the locker room, the idea was greeted by many with scoffs and scorns. But to those within its walls, the master plan, once in place, made perfect sense.
At no point in the postgame interviews from any of BYU’s five wins has any player uttered, “I can’t believe we won?” or “We got lucky in that one.” Instead, they have been consistent comments like, “We may not be perfect, but we expect to win.”
As last season revealed, a super September cannot save the team from a bad October and November. However, a good September and October would go a long way in defining what November can bring. As Sitake reminds his Cougars, all that matters for BYU is this month, and particularly this week.
Taking things one game at a time is a sports cliché that remains undefeated and it’s the winning mantra in Provo. Coming in the next three weeks are three teams that are a combined 1-6 over the last three weeks — but they are each capable of ruining BYU’s month.
The challenge is always there for young athletes to avoid getting caught up in the possibilities and it will be the job of Sitake and his staff to keep his boys grounded by reminding them about last October.
Noticeably different this week is that the cat (or Cougar) is out of the bag. BYU is no longer college football’s secret. In addition to BYUtv’s “GameDay” coverage (noon, BYUtv), Fox Network’s “Big Noon Kickoff” show will be in Provo on Saturday (8 a.m., Fox).
The pit stop (bye week) is over. The big time is here, and it’s time for BYU to get back in the race.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.