BYU football and the opposing Stanford Cardinal meet in week two under vastly different pretenses.
The Cougars, exceeding expectations and dominating their overmatched foe on opening weekend by a whopping 69 points, enter their second week with a 1-0 record, an avalanche of momentum, and all the confidence in the world -- especially when looking at the opposite sideline. Stanford is 0-1 after dropping their week 0 matchup with Hawaii in Honolulu. A disturbing upset and an indicator that, though expectations were low, reality can be far worse.
No rest for the visitors from Palo Alto, though, they'll visit a deafening environment in Provo that was filled beyond capacity for the opening week against an FCS opponent. Stanford is a member of the ACC, and their name value alone will be enough draw to keep the good times rolling in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
BYU from the Big 12. Stanford from the ACC. Both teams' first taste of power four competition, how do we expect this clash to play out?
BYU vs Stanford Game Prediction
Bear Bachmeier will be the story in this one, for several reasons. First of all, the obvious one, which is his history with the Stanford program. Before sliding into BYU's program in May, Bachmeier was with Stanford and his brother Tiger (also now with BYU) before they abandoned the sinking ship of a coaching change.
In early returns, that seems to have been a tremendous decision. Bear, as a true freshman, won the quarterback battle at his new home thanks to a messy off-field media circus surrounding Jake Retzlaff opening the door. The other experienced faces in the QB room tried to slam the door on Bear from the jump. He stuck his foot in the door and kicked it wide open.
Bear enjoyed a fantastic debut against Portland State. How he handles a more talented Stanford defense will be an excellent indicator of where he really stands among other Power Four quarterbacks across the nation. It's an upward climb, with a heavy stone to carry to the top.
In week 2, Bear pushes the boulder down the hill.
Hitting his passes with greater accuracy and similar decisiveness, watch for Bear to take the roof off the Stanford defense after a bit of prodding. A short throw here, a handoff there, a slant route there. Manipulating the defense and poking at its weak spots before blowing the doors off of them.
Don't be surprised to see an interception, missed read, or similar errors early in. Like last week, the offense's engine may need to heat up before they're comfortable and capable of punching the ball in the endzone. All the same, Bear will get the headlines, and he'll deliver another strong performance in this one.
The offensive line is going to have its way with Stanford's front seven. Pass protection should be stellar and allow Bear the peace of mind to deliver timely, accurate passes. But for the second straight week, the run game will be devastating. I expect another 100+ yard output from LJ Martin, and another batch of examples that he cannot be brought down.
Jay Hill's defense will shine. I don't anticipate another shutout (though I wouldn't complain), but Stanford is going to get very uncomfortable and cough up a few turnovers before they can catch their breath. I'm setting the line at 2.5 takeaways on the game for BYU's wall, and I sincerely believe the secondary is going to have plenty of fun being targeted.
Stanford is a team in shambles. Stumbling through the 2025 season, the Cardinal will find very little grace in the Beehive State. BYU wins big, boosting their confidence and entering a bye week with plenty of buzz.
Final Score: BYU 53, Stanford 9