BYU Football: 3 reasons Arizona could be a tough game
By Adam Gibby
BYU Football kicks off their season against Arizona in only three days.
BYU Football is expected by every metric to beat Arizona this weekend in Las Vegas. The beauty of sports though is that there is no predetermined outcome (unless you are Bishop Sycamore in which case you will always lose). Every year, particularly at the start of a season there are upsets by teams that were huge underdogs. In fact BYU was an underdog to Navy last year and we know how well that went.
As the Cougars prepare for Arizona, they should be expected to win, however as I’ve read the fans expectations and reactions, it seems like fans are treating Arizona like an FCS school or Texas State. While the Wildcats in all likelihood won’t be bowl eligible, they would absolutely beat FCS schools and lower G5’s.
This game is very likely going to be closer than what many fans are currently expecting. While there are many reasons for this, I’ve narrowed it down to the three most likely reasons that BYU will not win by 35+.
The Unknown
Arizona is full of so many unknowns that I can’t imagine how the Cougars are having good preparation this week with the scout teams. The coaching staff is new, they are playing two quarterbacks, there are an FBS leadingn19 transfers, and the list goes on and on.
While a lot of these unknowns may play well for the Cougars (two QB systems rarely have success), it still is an unknown that is tough to prepare for. What if one of the quarterbacks finds a weakness in BYU’s defense that hasn’t been prepared for and the Wildcats use him the rest of the game?
Again, the unknown is necessarily a bad thing, but it is something that will likely play in the Wildcats favor to some degree.