Washington State
Outside of a nice stint with Mike Leach, the Washington State Cougars have not been very good the last 15 years. Last season Wazzu only played four games and finished 1-3 with their sole win coming over Oregon State.
Nick Rolovich should eventually turn things around for Washington State, but it probably won’t happen in 2021. Last season, the WSU defense gave up 461 yards per game (111th nationally) 6.7 yards per play (118th nationally), and allowed 38.5 games per game. While they return ten of their starters on defense, given the numbers they put up last year, they may wish they had new players to start. I expect the defense to improve into perhaps the mid nineties, but BYU should have no problem putting up 40 points.
One interesting matchup to watch will be new starting quarterback Jarret Guarantano. BYU fans remember Guarantano as the quarterback at Tennessee when the Cougars shocked the Vols. A big part of BYU’s comeback win was an interception thrown deep in Tennessee territory that led to BYU’s first touchdown. There is no doubt that Guarantano will have revenge on his mind, but unfortunately for him, it won’t happen.