Is BYU 'The Clear Big 12 Favorite' Going Into 2026?

Stewart Mandel of The Athletic recently published his preseason top 25 rankings. The Cougars were the lone Big 12 team in the top 10, coming in at number 8.

In the article, Mandel called the Cougars "the clear Big 12 favorite."

Coming off of two blowlout losses to Texas Tech in 2025, few national pundits viewed the Cougars as the "clear" favorite to win the Big 12 in 2026. Nearly all viewed Tech as the clear favorite with BYU second following a 12-2 season a year ago.

Then, Tech was hit with something that BYU dealt with a year ago: quarterback uncertainty. Brendan Sorsby, one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for gambling on his own games at Indiana.

Unless Sorsby can sue his way back on to the field - something he is trying to do - the Red Raiders will turn to Will Hammond at quarterback. However, Hammond is coming off an ACL tear in 2025. Even if Hammond is healthy, he has not been as productive as Sorsby in his college career.

Mandel pointed to Tech's quarterback uncertainty and attrition as his reasons for calling BYU the clear favorite.

Tech's super power in 2025 was its defensive line. Texas Tech dominated the trenches in both matchups against BYU, and it brought BYU's offense to a screeching hault. The Cougars scored just 14 total points in two games against the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech brought in one of the nation's best transfer classes, yet it's unlikely they can replicate the the defensive line production from last season. Four of Tech's defensive linemen were selected in the NFL Draft, including David Bailey who was the second overall pick.

So what would it take for BYU to be the clear Big 12 favorites? After all, Tech was a tier above the rest of the league in 2025 and they will have a lot of talent again in 2026.

In the opinion of this author, three things would need to be true to call BYU the clear favorites:

1. BYU's Defensive Line Needs to Take a Step Forward

The BYU defense was good, not great, in 2025. The difference between a good a great BYU defense - in the opinion of this author - is the BYU defensive line.

For years, BYU has worked to acquire talented defensive linemen. On paper, this is the most talented defensive line in the Kalani Sitake era. Last year, a lot of the same names were on the roster. However, they were young and inexperienced.

Now that players like Hunter Clegg, Nusi Taumoepeau, and Tausili Akana have a year of experience under their belts, we expect them to take a big step forward. It's time for the BYU defensive line to play a fast, physical brand of football that has become a signature of this scheme over the years. When Utah was playing its best defense in the 2010's, it was driven by dominant defensive linemen.

If BYU's defensive line takes a big step forward, you can make the argument that BYU is the clear Big 12 favorite.

2. Bear Bachmeier Needs to Take a Step Forward

For the most part, Bear Bachmeier did not look like a true freshman playing his first year of college football in 2025. Against Texas Tech, however, Bachmeier looked like an overwhelmed, rushed, freshman quarterback.

If BYU is going to be the clear Big 12 favorite, Bachmeier needs to take a step forward in 2026. Fortunately for Cougar fans, Bachmeier was trending in that direction during Spring Camp. Aaron Roderick said Bachmeier was "seeing things better than he did a year ago."

BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga noted Bachmeier's developement as well. "What I've noticed, what's going to make us way better is our quarterback sees things a lot better than he did a year ago," BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga said. "So, just being able to have to disguise and do some different things in the back end to be able to make sure he doesn't know exactly what we're in."

During one media observation, Bachmeier showed his growth as he led two efficient drives against the first-team defense. Aaron Roderick has been very good at developing the quarterbacks in his room during his BYU tenure - history suggests Roderick will get the most out of his quarterbacks. If Bachmeier is clearly better in 2026 than he was in 2025, BYU could be the Big 12 favorite.

3. BYU's Offensive Line Needs to Be Better Against Elite Defensive Lines

To reach the College Football Playoff, the BYU offensive line will need to be more productive against the best defensive lines in the conference, namely Texas Tech.

The Cougars return a lot of experience along the offensive line, and they also welcome in Paki Finau from Wsahington who is projected to start at left tackle.

If BYU can protect Bear Bachmeier against the best defensive lines in the Big 12, you can certainly make the case that they should be the Big 12 favorites.

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