BYU football has a winning record against the SEC over the last 25 years

One of the flawed narratives BYU fans confront on social media as they advocate for the Cougars' inclusion in the College Football Playoffs is "hypothetical wins" the SEC would have over Kalani Sitake's squad.

SEC football snobs and their friends in the corrupt, pro-SEC national media -- led by ESPN -- are notorious for spinning this false narrative by creating hypothetical matchups between BYU and SEC teams that are on the bubble of CFP inclusion, then simply stating, "[SEC team] would kill BYU!"

For example, consider Clay Travis, an SEC homer with a massive following, and his "hypothetical SEC win" take from last year's CFP rankings:

So rather than going down the unproductive rabbit hole of arguing about how BYU would fare in hypothetical SEC matchups today, let's simply look back over the last 25 years and see how the Cougars performed against current SEC teams.

And remember, as we go back 25 years the Cougars were playing playing with two hands and one leg tied behind their back as a member of the Mountain West Conference, a football independent, and a first-year Big 12 program when facing off against well-funded SEC bluebloods.

Despite these inherent -- and massive! -- systematic disadvantages working for the SEC bluebloods against the Cougars, SEC fans will have a hard time stomaching this fact:

Over the last 25 years, BYU has a winning record at 8-7 against current SEC teams.

Here's the breakdown of the Cougars success over the SEC based on BYU's conference affiliation at the time the games were played.

2023 - BYU as a first-year Big 12 member (1-2)

Wins: Arkansas

Losses: No. 7 Texas, No. 14 Oklahoma

BYU joined the Big 12 in 2023 and ended the nonconference schedule with a road win at Arkansas. The Cougars lost to ranked Texas and Oklahoma teams later in the Big 12 season, which was the Longhorns' and Sooners' final year in the Big 12. BYU lost starting quarterback Kedon Slovis before the Oklahoma game and suffered defeat in a 31-24 heartbreaker to the Sooners when backup junior college transfer Jake Retzlaff threw an ill-advised 99-yard pick-six that swung the game.

2011-2022 - BYU as a football independent (5-5)

Wins: Ole Miss (2011), No. 15 Texas (2013), Texas (2014), Mississippi State (2016), Tennessee (2019)

Losses: No. 24 Texas (2011), Missouri (2015), No. 13 LSU (2017), Mississippi State (2017), Arkansas (2022)

Taysom Hill's performances in the back-to-back wins over Texas in 2013 and 2014 are the stuff of legend in Provo as he rushed for a combined 358 yards and six touchdowns. The two losses in 2017 to LSU and Mississippi State were bad timing for the Cougs as the program's 4-9 campaign was its worst season in decades.

2001-2010 - BYU as a member of the Mountain West Conference (2-0)

Wins: Mississippi State (2001), No. 3 Oklahoma (2009)

Losses: None

During its last 10 years in the Mountain West, BYU only faced two current SEC teams and won both matchups. The most memorable victory was No. 20 BYU defeating No. 3 Oklahoma in the first game ever played in the Dallas Cowboys new stadium at full capacity of more than 75,000 fans.

Why BYU's winning record against the SEC matters

First, just stop the narrative that BYU couldn't compete in the SEC. Over the last quarter century the Cougars have won more than they have lost against current members of the Southeastern Conference.

And remember: BYU reliably beat SEC teams while they were members of the "lowly" MWC and playing as a vagabond football independent, long before any of the money, access, and exposure of its new Power Four status began kicking in.

As the Cougars are now excelling as a Power Four contender, there's nothing the SEC and their media shill in ESPN want more than to keep the Cougars out of the national conversation and College Football Playoffs. BYU beating the "Good Ol' Boys" doesn't fit the SEC, ESPN, and CFP narrative, hence all of the "hypothetical wins" of what an Alabama, Oklahoma, or even Vanderbilt would do against BYU today.

But those are just hypotheticals.

What the actual data tells us is BYU has been an above average SEC team for the last 25 years.

And they did all of that despite not being in a power conference. As the Cougars continue to excel in the Big 12 with all of the perks that come along with their new Power Four status, BYU will only continue to rise.