Sep 25, 2026 8:12 PM
Riding a bye week and playoff momentum, the ninth-ranked Cougars head to Fort Worth seeking to bury past road struggles and solidify their dominance over the resilient Horned Frogs.
The ninth-ranked BYU Cougars are in the midst of a bye week prior to opening the Big 12 schedule against the TCU Horned Frogs.
BYU dominated TCU last year with a 44-13 win in Provo. The series now shifts to Fort Worth, where the Cougars have had bad luck. This goes back to the days of these two teams were Mountain West Conference opponents. However, two decades later, they're on different levels.
The Cougars are considered to be a contender for the College Football Playoff in every major bowl game prediction. That's not the case for TCU. While Sonny Dykes' team has shown resiliency in Big 12 play, and are only three years removed from a National Championship appearance, nobody has the Frogs as one of the front-runners in the conference right now.
BYU will enter the Week 5 matchup favored over TCU by a 5.5-point margin, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cougars have a 68.7% chance of winning, according to ESPN FPI.
What to know about the TCU Horned Frogs
TCU has traveled the world to be 2-1 this season. The lone loss came in Dublin, Ireland to Bill Belichick and the UNC Tar Heels to open the season. Since then, the Frogs have rattled off wins over Arkansas State and Grambling. The UNC loss was an ugly 15-10 outing in a less than ideal environment. But it was TCU's only Power Four opponent thus far.
It's hard to judge them by one sloppy, rainy game in a place not fit for college football. Yet, we'll have a clearer picture after this weekend. TCU travels to Orlando to open up Big 12 play against UCF.
Can BYU show strength after a week of rest?
Believe it or not, one of the biggest complaints about BYU football this season has been the lack of style points. This argument started after the Week 2 win over Arizona. Some analysts have claimed the Cougars' victories are going to win over the Playoff committee. At the end of the day, a win is still a win, no matter how it happens.
Kalani Sitake and his staff aren't focused on the smaller details or how anything might be perceived. BYU will control what they can and stay true to their style of play. That's always been the Cougars' philosophy when it comes to the national outlook.
BYU heads to Fort Worth for the second road trip of the season on Oct. 3. The last time the Cougars played in The Stockyards was during the 2023 season, which resulted in a 44-11 loss to TCU. For the Cougars, history can't be repeated.
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