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BYU Football: 2021 opponent Power Rankings

By Adam Gibby

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 22: Lopini Katoa #4 of the Brigham Young Cougars leaps over against the Central Florida Knights at FAU Stadium on December 22, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 22: Lopini Katoa #4 of the Brigham Young Cougars leaps over against the Central Florida Knights at FAU Stadium on December 22, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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BOCA RATON, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 22: Isaac Rex #83 of the Brigham Young Cougars and Gunner Romney #18 celebrate a touchdown against the Central Florida Knights at FAU Stadium on December 22, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 22: Isaac Rex #83 of the Brigham Young Cougars and Gunner Romney #18 celebrate a touchdown against the Central Florida Knights at FAU Stadium on December 22, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

BYU Football will play three rivals, seven Power Five teams, and two former coaches.

Every season games take on a new importance for BYU Football as the season goes on. For example, if you told me in July 2020 that the biggest game of the season would be against Coastal Carolina I would have said you were crazy. Yet even though we hate to admit it, the CCU game ended up being the biggest game probably since BYU went Independent ten years ago.

It is impossible to say which game will be the most important by the end of the season, but right now, the order is pretty clear, at least on top. The importance of games is made up of a few things including rivalry, recruiting, momentum and prestige. Idaho will be skipped in this article due to being the obvious least important game.

11. team. 846. . 2020 Record: 1-3. . Cougars

Yes, somehow the Pac 12 gets the top spot. Honestly, out of all the games in 2020, Washington State may be the least important game. If BYU wins, they beat a below average P5 team. If they lose, it will be upsetting, but nothing that will get headlines on ESPN.

The recruiting, prestige and momentum of BYU Football would be unaffected, barring of course that the Cougars are on a winning streak coming into this game.

USF may be the team that most fans would put as the least important game of the season, but hear me out. If BYU loses to USF, especially for the second time in three years, it would almost be as bad as BYU losing to UMass in 2017. If BYU wins this game (as they should by 30+) then nobody really cares.

While this game wouldn’t likely have a huge effect on BYU going forward with prestige, recruiting or anything else, it would be a really embarrassing for a few weeks and would kill any momentum that the Cougars may have had before this game if they somehow lost.

Again, long term this game wouldn’t probably do too much damage, but short term…ouch!

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