College GameDay Picks for No. 15 BYU vs Arizona

On Saturday afternoon, no. 15 BYU hosts Arizona to kickoff Big 12 play. The College GameDay crew cemented their predictions for BYU-Arizona. Most of the crew picked the Cougars to hold serve and beat the Wildcats.

Desmond Howard: Arizona

Howard picked BYU to win the Big 12 last week. This week, Howard picked Arizona as his "SuperDog" to upset the Cougars.

"It's my SuperDog," Howard said. "Let's roll Arizona."

Nick Saban: BYU

"I'm going with BYU," Saban said. "I just think that, you know, Bear Bachmeier is a difference maker."

The last time BYU faced Arizona, Bear Bachmeier was still getting up to speed in the BYU offense. When the rain started coming down in Tucson, Bachmeier struggled to move the ball through the air. Arizona also brings a new secondary to Provo after losing most of their starters to the NFL after last season.

Between Bachmeier's improvement and the revamped Arizona secondary, we expect Bachmeier to have more success through the air this year.

Pat McAfee: BYU

"Double overtime thriller last year. I think BYU wins again at home. I think Provo's tough with how rowdy it gets out there," McAfee said.

The BYU crowd has been in the headlines this week. Brent Brennan said the BYU crowd was not a problem in 2024, the last time the Wildcats came to Provo.

BYU used that clip from Brennan's press conference in a hype video for this game, and the video sparked a few strong response from Arizona fans on social media.

BRING IT. pic.twitter.com/VXY8Gxfd99
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 12, 2026

Glen Powell (Celebrity Guest Picker): BYU

Actor Glen Powell called this game the balled of "dry climate versus dry campus" before picking the Cougars.

Kirk Herbstreit: BYU

"Keep in mind, Noah Fifita is a great quarterback out out in Tucson," Herbstreit said. "[The] two times he's gone up against BYU, he has struggled both times. Now he's in Provo. I'm going with BYU."

The last time Noah Fifita was in Provo, he threw a career high three interceptions. We don't expect Fifita to throw three interceptions again in this matchup, but we do believe the BYU defense will come up with an important takeaway or two. Keep an eye on Isaiah Glasker. Glasker has had an interception in both games against Arizona the last two seasons. Glasker will be making his season debut against the Wildcats.

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