BYU fans aren’t the only ones looking forward to the upcoming basketball season with high hopes. CBS Sports basketball analyst Cameron Salerno recently listed BYU among his five teams that could win their first national championship in 2025-26.
Salerno ranks his top five teams in order, which begins with Purdue on top followed by Houston, BYU, Alabama, and Auburn.
That’s right, Cougar fans, Salerno gives Kevin Young’s squad the third best odds among programs looking to win the national championship for the first time in school history.
Salerno notes that BYU made the Sweet 16 last year with one-and-done stud Egor Demin. While Demin is no longer in Provo and will likely be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the void will more than be filled by freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa. Salerno notes that Dybantsa has long been considered the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and he has the potential to, “Change the trajectory of BYU's program for years to come with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.”
Seeing BYU among the top candidates to win their first national championship fills Cougar fans with both excitement and apprehension. The Cougars are used to playing the underdog, employing team basketball, sharp shooting, and veteran experience to overcome the talent gap they have traditionally faced against blueblood programs.
Those days are gone.
This year Kevin Young has assembled the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation, which includes AJ Dybantsa. Young retained All-Big 12 First Team stud Richie Saunders. He lured five-star transfer point guard Rob Wright from Baylor and landed Kennard Davis, who sports a four-star 95 rating from 247 Sports.
Going into the season as a favorite instead of the underdog will be a first for BYU.
Let’s hope this translates into another first - bringing a basketball national championship to Provo.