No. 9 BYU doesn't take to the field this week -- lame, I know -- but the 3-0 Cougars are being given a bye week to rest up, get healthy, and correct any flaws that have emerged thus far. Let's take a look back at how Kalani Sitake's BYU Cougars have performed coming out of their last 10 bye weeks and what this could mean as the Cougars prepare to face TCU on October 3rd.
In all, despite a lot of winning going back to 2019, the Cougars are just 6-4 coming off bye weeks. Two of those losses are among the most regrettable in recent program history, while one is among the most euphoric.
2025 - Win at East Carolina, 34-13. Last year, more than a few of us were nervous about 2-0 BYU going on the road to Greenville, North Carolina, with an unproven freshman quarterback in Bear Bachmeier. The Pirates are known for punching above their weight, but the Cougs handled them by three touchdowns.
2025 - Loss at No. 8 Texas Tech, 29-7. The No. 7 BYU Cougars came off a bye last year with two weeks to prepare for one of the biggest games in program history as they went on the road to face No. 8 Texas Tech. Despite the extra time for game prep, Kalani Sitake's squad got manhandled.
2024 - Win vs. Arizona, 41-19. The No. 14 Cougars trounced the Wildcats behind two touchdown passes from Jake Retzlaff and another on a trick play from Parker Kingston to get to 6-0 on the season. Beating a Wildcats team that featured quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan showed that the Cougs were rolling.
2024 - Win at Utah, 22-21. The defensive hold by Utah. Clutch throws by Jake Retzlaff. A legendary game-winning field goal by Will Ferrin. Perfection.
2023 - Loss at TCU, 44-11. BYU's first season in the Big 12 game with some bad losses that revealed just how far the Cougars would have to climb to compete as a Power Four program. Getting blown out by former Mountain West rival TCU was one of those games.
2022 - Win vs. Utah Tech, 52-26. The Cougars' final season as a football independent is a reminder of just how bad scheduling could get. Now, credit to Tom Holmoe for the schedules he was able to assemble most years, but getting a mid-November bye week only to return to face Utah Tech is rough.
2021 - Win at Georgia Southern, 34-17. Living in North Carolina, my wife and I made the drive down to Statesboro, Georgia, only to endure watching the No. 14 Cougars sleepwalk their way to a 20-17 halftime lead. The Cougs won in a largely unsatisfying 34-17 contest that didn't resemble a Top 15 team coming off a bye. The Eagles' fans were often crass and reportedly threw burritos at BYU's players.
2020 - Win vs. North Alabama, 66-14. In the weird world of COVID, No. 9 BYU thrashed No. 21 Boise State 51-17, got a bye week, then came back to beat North Alabama by 52. Ah, good times!
2020 - Loss at No. 18 Coastal Carolina, 22-17. In one of the most regrettable games in recent BYU history, the No. 13 and 9-0 Cougars made a hasty cross-country trip to face No. 18 Coastal Carolina and came within inches of an undefeated season. If only...
2019 - Loss at South Florida, 27-23. BYU's 2019 season got off to a bizarre start. The Cougs started off with a loss to No. 14 Utah, then pulled off back-to-back overtime wins against Tennessee and No. 24 USC. Just when it looked like the Cougs were a legitimate Top 25 team, they then got blown out by No. 22 Washington then suffered a baffling loss at Toledo. The early October bye week came at the perfect time to get the season back on track with an upcoming game at USF, but the Cougs suffered another bad loss, 27-23.
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