Phil Steele Picks BYU Football to Finish in the Middle of the Pack in Big 12

You know the college football season is on the horizon when Phil Steele releases his preseason magazine. As he always does, Steele projected the Big 12 standings in 2025. Steele is not as high on BYU as other preseason prognostications. He picked BYU to finish tied for seventh in the Big 12 and he ranked the Cougars 53rd nationally.

Here are the projected standings according to Phil Steele. Steele picked Baylor, Utah, and Iowa State to finish tied for first at the top of the league.

1. Baylor
1. Utah
1. Iowa State
4. Arizona State
4. Kansas State
4. Texas Tech
7. TCU
7. BYU
9. Cincinnati
9. Kansas
11. Houston
12. UCF
12. Colorado
14. Oklahoma State
15. Arizona
16. West Virginia

Steele pointed to BYU's narrow escapes in 2024 and question marks at quarterback as a reason for falling down the standings after an 11-2 season in 2024. "BYU was picked #13 in the Big 12 by the media but opened a super 9-0 and #7 [in the AP poll] before a four-point home lossto Kansas and a five-point loss to Arizone State just to miss out on the Big 12 title game. They were basically two plays away from an unbeaten season. They clobbered Colorado in the bowl and were 1102. This year there is a question if QB Retzlaff will be available but I think they will be ok with or without. The D may take a step back but is still strong and they have my #1 rated special teams...they draw the second best schedule in the Big 12 and a manageable non-conference slate, so they remain a Big 12 contender but I think it will be tough to match last year's outstanding 11 win total."

Steele made his predictions after the Jake Retzlaff news. He believes BYU should be able to replace Retzlaff's production if he is unable to play. "If Retzlaff returns they are improved but if not they will not drop off as much as most will anticipate as Sitake has some options beyond Retzlaff, who only had a 20-12 (TD/INT) ration last season."