In 2026, BYU football has one goal: entry into the College Football Playoff.
It's a destination that eluded Kalani Sitake's program when gunslinger Jake Retzlaff took down eventual at-large inclusion SMU in Dallas and finished with 10 wins in 2024.
It slipped through their fingers the following year in 2025, when the 11-2 Cougars, led by true freshman phenom Bear Bachmeier, lost a pair of contests against the Big 12's only CFP representative, Texas Tech.
After managing to wriggle Sitake out of Penn State's lasso, reaching that promised land is more important than ever.
Certainly the most accomplished program over the past two seasons to not find a spot in the 12-team bracket (23 wins in two consecutive seasons is the most by any non-playoff participant by far), BYU football returns the majority of last year's impact players, from Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin, to the aforementioned Bachmeier with a full year to learn Aaron Roderick's offense, and losing major impact only in Jack Kelly's absence on the defensive end -- who was replaced with an All-Conference linebacker in Cade Uluave.
This is a veteran team. A cohesive team. A team who has been to the big stage and knows what it takes to get there. In 2026, the pathway to the postseason is more clearly layed out than ever before.
Being entirely frank, BYU's schedule is insanely favorable.
BYU football's schedule is tailor-made for a playoff run
The Big 12 Conference is nationally slotted as a 1 or 2 bid league in the final 12-team bracket, with BYU and Texas Tech as the heavy favorites to represent the conference in the postseason.
Neither of those teams will see each other in the regular season, which opens the possibility that both teams could enter the championship game in Arlington with unblemished conference records. At least in theory.
That's the path to a two-bid league. Of course, the winner of a the Big 12 Championship game receives an automatic bid to the playoff, but if both teams enter as top-10 teams, the selection committee would be hard-pressed to keep the loser off the VIP list.
Texas Tech's road to Arlington goes through a dangerous Houston team, Arizona, and TCU. All winnable games for the reigning champions, but each carry frightening upset potential, despite the Red Raiders hosting each of these games in Lubbock.
BYU's path is slightly more easygoing, facing Arizona and TCU as well, but facing their biggest test of conference play against in-state rival Utah, featuring first-year head coach Morgan Scalley in Salt Lake City.
That contest against TCU was once viewed as the Cougars' toughest Big 12 matchup of the year. After the Horned Frogs came out flat against North Carolina in the season opener, however, perhaps Sonny Dykes' team isn't as equipped to play the giant slayer as we originally expected.
Of course, I haven't even mentioned the most consequential game of the year for BYU.
Notre Dame visits Provo in mid-October. It's the game that you couldn't afford to watch even if you sold a kidney. The Irish expect to meet an undefeated BYU team that weekend in what could be the matchup of the season.
A win could plant BYU football firmly in the playoff field. A loss is not so big a deal, especially if BYU can give themselves a chance in their conference championship game.
But lose that game, and Kalani Sitake's fate is in the selection committee's hands. Hands that, when offered BYU's playoff-worthy resume in both of the last two years, weren't kind to the Cougars.
It's easier said than done, but BYU's best chance at reaching the college football playoff is to either A: go undefeated in the regular season, including a win against Notre Dame, or B: win the conference championship that has eluded them in their short time as Big 12 members.
The Cougars have set the table; it's time to eat.
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