BYU football's path to a College Football Playoff berth is laid before them. Without Texas Tech on the schedule and a relatively straightforward slate of teams in their way, the challenge shifts from winning the marquee games in front of them to ensuring the easy games don't trip them up along the way.
These are the trap games: seemingly simple matchups that appear only as a buffer and tune-up in preparation for the bigger threats down the road. A road game at TCU, a potential top-10 duel with Notre Dame, and a Holy War matchup in Salt Lake City could make or break BYU's hopes for an at-large ticket to the postseason.
But a loss to any of these teams could be the death knell for a program desperate to earn some national respect. Here is your official warning -- don't fall for these trap games!
3 trap games in BYU football's 2026 schedule
At Colorado State (9/19)
The dreaded first road game of the season. Against a former Mountain West Conference rival, Colorado State, BYU has absolutely dominated the all-time head-to-head record against the Rams, and will be favored to win this matchup fairly comfortably, even with CSU's promotion (I guess it's a promotion?) to the reformed Pac-12 Conference.
Yes, it's basically the Mountain West +, with Texas State and Gonzaga adding some non-MWC alum flavor to the mix, but Colorado State will play to win this game, and could easily catch BYU looking ahead to the Big 12 schedule and a road trip to Fort Worth against a dangerous and well-coached TCU squad.
Vs Arizona State (10/31)
No, the spirits of Halloween will have nothing to do with the outcome of this football game (I wrote, holding my breath), but this late November matchup against Arizona State has all the potential in the world to catch the Cougars looking ahead.
After all, this is the final home game in the week leading up to BYU's trip to Salt Lake City, and BYU's chances at a CFP berth were soiled when Kenny Dillingham had a hissy fit in the referees' faces at midfield in 2024, and BYU's ensuing hail mary fell a few yards short. Arizona State disappointed last year as the defending champions, but still managed to deliver Texas Tech their only regular-season loss last year.
Especially with Utah on the horizon, BYU cannot afford to let ASU blob a black mark on the Cougars' CFP resume.
Vs Baylor (11/14)
Say what you will about Dave Aranda and the Baylor Bears' football program in the past few years, but the later part of the season is often when his teams begin to coagulate and glance their potential. Baylor will be BYU's 10th game of the season, with straightforward games at Kansas and against Cincinatti at home to round out the year. But before those games, Kalani Sitake and the Cougars will need to prepare for a well-coached and dangerous Baylor team at a critical moment of the season.
If BYU can manage to win a fourth consecutive matchup against Utah, egos will be inflated with the Bears crawling into town. Don't let this team trip you up.
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