What We Learned About BYU's Future Opponents During the Bye Week

While the Cougars were at home during the third week of the college football season, 9 of their 10 future opponents were in action. Here is what we learned about BYU's future opponents over the weekend.

1. East Carolina is no slouch

East Carolina handled Coastal Carolina 38-0 and outscored the Chanticleers 28-0 in the second half. It's worth noting that Coastal Carolina is a terrible football team - they have scored just just seven points against FBS competition this season and they put up only 13 points against FCS foe Charleston Southern.

Still, East Carolina is no slouch and they are going to be BYU's first real test of the 2025 season. ECU quarterback Katin Houser is averaging 324 passing yards per game.

2. Colorado will be in the bottom half of the Big 12

Colorado turned to third-string quarterback Ryan Staub against Houston, searching for a spark on offense. Besides the second quarter where the Buffaloes put up 14 points, they weren't able to consistently move the chains.

Colorado isn't good enough in the trenches to be in the top half of the Big 12. They are skilled enough to give BYU a game in Boulder, but BYU should be able to move the ball on the ground in that one.

3. West Virginia showed signs of life

The Mountaineers not only lost to Ohio last week, they also lost star running back Jaheim White for the season. It looked like the Mountaineers were in for a long season.

Then, Rich Rod led the Mountaineers to a comeback win over archrival Pitt in the Backyard Brawl.

The Mountaineers still need to improve on offense, but they have a stingy defense that can keep them in games.

4. Arizona is better than they were a year ago

Arizona was one of the most disappointing teams in the Big 12 last year and they limped to the finish line. The Wildcats have shown signs of being much-improved on both sides of the ball, and Noah Fifita has looked more like the 2023 version of himself.

This looks like the most challenging game on the first half of BYU's schedule.

5. Utah's offense shows some cracks

The Utah offense looked unstoppable in the first two weeks of the season. Since their dominant win over UCLA, we have learned that the Bruins might be the worst P4 team in the country. UCLA is 0-3 and coming off a blowout loss to...New Mexico.

Utah's offense showed some cracks against Wyoming. The game was never really in doubt even though Utah took a 3-0 into halftime, but Devon Dampier showed that when he is pressured, his accuracy drops off.

There's a real scenario where the first team to 20 points will win the rivalry game.

6. Iowa State struggles

Iowa State got a lot of credit for beating a Kansas State team in Dublin that is now 1-3. The Cyclones pulled out a close one against Arkansas State, and similar to Utah, showed some weaknesses on offense.

Last year, Iowa State got off to an undefeated start and got worse as the year progressed. It remains to be seen whether the Cyclones can avoid the same fate this year.

7. Texas Tech looks legit

Texas Tech spent millions of dollars on their 2025 roster, and it appears to be paying off. While the competition has been terrible, the Red Raiders have looked how a great team should look. Texas Tech beat Oregon State 45-14 on Saturday.

8. TCU...did we actually learn anything?

Have we learned anything new about TCU since the Horned Frogs dominated North Carolina in Bill Belicheck's debut?

TCU had a bye in week two and beat Abilene Christian 42-21.

Is TCU really good or is North Carolina worse than Abilene Christian? We don't really know yet.

9. Cincinnati puts up big numbers against FCS foe

Cincinnati steamrolled N'Western State 70-0. Brendan Sorsby got back on track after a slow start to the season against Nebraska. Sorsby threw for five touchdowns.