The BYU Cougars received an overwhelming vote of confidence from ESPN's College GameDay crew on Saturday. The entire panel, including NBA legend Isiah Thomas picked the 8th-ranked Cougars to bounce back with a victory over Arizona State.

The matchup was featured during the show's popular picks segment ahead of the Halloween afternoon showdown. ESPN College GameDay was broadcast live. from Bloomington ahead of the Indiana-Minnesota contest. Thomas joined the College GameDay crew in making his prediction.

Desmond Howard: BYU

Nick Saban: BYU

Pat McAfee: BYU

Isiah Thomas: BYU

Kirk Herbstreit: BYU

Rece Davis also revealed that he was picking the Cougars, giving BYU unanimous support from the show's panel.

Herbstreit referenced BYU's defense, led by defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga, as a reason for his selection. The panel even joked about the possibility of everyone picking the same team, but nobody was willing to go against the Cougars.

Just one week ago, the Cougars appeared to control their own destiny in the Big 12 race. Following an impressive victory over Notre Dame, BYU had a clear opportunity to strengthen its conference championship hopes with wins over UCF and Arizona State.

However, a disappointing double overtime loss to UCF changed the outlook of the Big 12 title picture. BYU struggled to contain the Knights explosive offense, surrendered several costly big plays and suffered a heartbreaking defeat. Defensive mistakes and penalties proved particularly costly, contributing to the Cougars' fall from their No. 2 national ranking.

The loss also opened the door for Utah to take control of the Big 12 standings. Depending on the outcome of the Utes' matchup against Houston, BYU could find itself chasing the conference's remaining undefeated team. For Utah, the path is simple now. If they win out, they'll likely be in the College Football Playoff regardless if they win the big 12 title. 

That makes Saturday's matchup against Arizona State especially important. Despite the recent setback. BYU has the talent and defensive potential to respond. With the season's postseason implications growing more significant, the Cougars will look to gain traction in the conference race.

Kalani Sitake's team has been at this point each of the last 2 seasons. What sets this year apart is they have enough depth to compete. When Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin went down with injury, dual-threat quarterback Bear Bachmeier stepped up and replaced his production. 

No. 8 BYU hosts Arizona State on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX).