Welcome to Too Optimistic Tuesday! This weekly column reminds BYU fans why they should count their many blessings and have an abundance of hope.
Every season in every sport is full of both ups and downs. This column will amplify the "ups" and help fans quickly recover from the "downs". So put on your blue-tinted goggles and just indulge me in some hyperbole while enjoying your BYU fandom for a moment.
"Pressure is a privilege"
The No. 7-ranked and 7-1 BYU Cougars head to Salt Lake City on Saturday to face the No. 3 and undefeated Utah Utes in a Holy War with stakes higher than any previous slugfest between these two rivals. What's beautiful for Kalani Sitake's 2026 team is that a win this week would catapult this team into the realm of "immortal" BYU squads in what could shape up to be the most significant season in program history.
Some BYU fans, myself included, are feeling absurd amounts of pressure leading up to this monumental game, and that's a good thing.
I've heard somebody say before that "pressure is a privilege", meaning that only the most elite teams in a sport are playing important games late into their seasons. BYU just keeps winning, and winning, and winning. And with that, the stakes and the pressure build.
Now, the pressure BYU fans are feeling right now is due to the fact that while BYU is winning, the Cougars rarely "win pretty". Kalani Sitake's teams rack up victories while often letting teams frustratingly hang around well into the fourth quarter in games that should be blowouts.
But the Cougars keep winning! A win is a win is a win. As Cougar fans, let's just learn to enjoy it.
In this age of NIL, the transfer portal, and increased CFP access, there has never been more parity in the history of college football. Most games are closer to 50-50 propositions than most of us realize. True, many of BYU's wins have been ugly, but the Cougs are still winning.
Remember, Ohio State is 6-4 over their last 10 games. BYU, meanwhile, is 21-4 over their last 25.
Winning in college football is hard.
Let's just enjoy where the No. 7 BYU Cougars are right now, and that will be amplified if Kalani Sitake's team can pull off a victory for the ages at Utah.
The Cougars are 60 minutes away from football immortality
Should BYU go to Rice-Eccles Stadium and give No. 3 Utah its first loss of the season, this 2026 squad will claim football immortality in Provo. To beat No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Utah in a four-week span would be unprecedented in program history and could essentially secure the Cougars' spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Remember, the point of this column is to bring optimism, so let's play this forward.
If BYU beats Utah, the Cougars would likely jump to No. 2 or No. 3 in the country with arguably the most impressive resume with two signature Top 5 wins.
After a win at Utah, the 8-1 Cougars finish the season at home against 5-3 Baylor, who recently fired their head coach, then go on the road to 3-5 Kansas, then finish the season at home against a 5-3 Cincinnati team that just got obliterated by Utah. All the Cougars need to do is win -- even if it's ugly -- in those three games and they're a lock for the CFP. And given Kalani Sitake's incredible 30-5 record over the last three seasons, we should have plenty of faith that he'll get the job done following a win at Utah to close out the season.
If the Cougars beat the Utes then run the table to finish 11-1 with wins over Notre Dame and Utah, then BYU is 100% guaranteed to be in the College Football Playoffs whether or not they win the Big 12 championship game.
If the 2026 BYU Cougars become the first team in program history to make the CFP, this squad gets a reserved seat in the hall of legendary BYU teams.
BYU is just 60 minutes away from football immortality.
Go Cougs!
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