After a long, long bye week, we're finally looking down the barrel of more BYU football. And for the second straight game, they'll be on the road in a Fort Worth-set matchup against Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs.
That's right, we're officially entering the in-conference leg of BYU's schedule. Of course, the Cougars' maiden Big 12 matchup was a Week 2 home game against Noah Fifita and the Arizona Wildcats -- a game in which BYU handled business toward a double-digit win -- and sure, the schedule won't be exclusively Big 12 opponents until the postseason, with Notre Dame still on the horizon, but there will be no more cupcakes on the slate for Kalani Sitake and company from this point onward.
Thankfully, however, this TCU team doesn't appear to be nearly as formidable as advertised in the preseason.
Before Week 1, this road trip to Texas was propped up as one of the most challenging dates on BYU's schedule, second only to a rivalry game in Salt Lake City against Utah. Through four weeks, the Horned Frogs are all bark and no bite. All bark and no bite? That can't be right... Give me a second to Google what a horned frog's defense mechanism is.
Oh... Oh my goodness.
Moving on!
TCU lost their overseas matchup with North Carolina in an ugly 15-10 final. They spent their next two weeks beating up on Grambling State and Arkansas State before opening their Big 12 schedule against Central Florida.
They gave the ball away three times in an arduous, ugly 21-13 loss to the Knights in Orlando. Needless to say, TCU won't enter this week's matchup against BYU, one of the favorites to win the Big 12 this season.
Of course, BYU hasn't been without their share of struggles, either. No, their wins over Utah Tech and Colorado State were never in doubt, but when rolling out the reserves after the result had already been decided, Poppinga's defense revealed itself to be shallow and unreliable once the first stringers are sidelined. Of course, the starters won't be benched unless the Cougars have already pushed the lead out of reach -- so it's not a game-breaking worry -- but there are some cracks in the foundation. Cracks that must be mended before the Cougars can set their sights on the Big 12 Championship, let alone an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
But one week at a time, and directly before the Cougars stands a TCU team that is wounded and desperate to prove something in front of their home crowd.
Here's everything you'll need to tune in on Saturday.
BYU football vs TCU game information
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM MT
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Channel: ESPN
Odds: BYU -6.5
Streaming Link: FuboTV
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