The BYU Cougars are the No. 2 team in the country after beating Notre Dame on Saturday. It has been 42 years since BYU has been ranked that high. In almost any other situation of that sort, fans and even team representatives could expect a certain level of national respect. Head coach Kalani Sitake is not expecting that for good reason.

National respect in major sports is a lot like the American Dream. Everyone is waiting for the day when they’ve “made it” and everyone else takes note. Fans, especially, will see a string of wins, a signature win or a ranking and expect this to be the moment we’re the talk of every outlet everywhere.

National respect does not come early in the process. Football is a week-to-week proposition. That point was solidified after the events of this past Saturday when 14 ranked teams lost on Saturday. Including five in the top 10. The phrase, “they’ll like us when we win” comes to mind, but in this situation ‘win’ means over a sustained period or winning in the Playoff. The media does not give first half of the season participation awards.

A fan wanting to hear their teams spoken of with reverence and respect is not a new concept. However, Sitake believes there should be context. When teams like North Texas and James Madison made the College Football Playoff, they were spoken of often and positively. According to Sitake, that might be a very different situation than BYU beating a top 5 team in the middle of the season.

“I don’t think this is like one of those ‘demand respect’ types of things,” Sitake told ESPN on College Gameday. “I don’t know if people know enough about us or if we’ve done enough to make a splash."

In two sentences, Sitake reset the respect narrative. Based on program history. BYU is not North Texas. It's not Vanderbilt or Virginia. All three of those finished the season ranked in the Top 25. In all three of those, 2025 had a great finish worthy of celebration. Those teams have also never won a National Championship or finished with an undefeated record in the last 80 years. BYU achieved both in 1984.

Sitake, and by that extension the BYU players, are not likely to expect fanfare heading into week 8. There is far too much work left to do. The last time BYU was ranked in the top 2, they went on to win a National Championship under head coach LaVell Edwards.

BYU will face two teams in the coming weeks when they will be significant favorites. After that two-game stretch, BYU will travel to Salt Lake City to take on No. 10 Utah is the most anticipated Holy War rivalry game in recent memory. The winner of that game should have a clear path to the Big 12 championship game.

Sitake’s Cougars do not seem to be content with small mid-season achievements. The team embodies Sitake’s mentality. If he said they hadn’t done enough, it would be a foregone conclusion that the team would echo that sentiment.

Cougars’ fans everywhere should embrace the coach’s stance. It means they are focused on more important goals than the public admiration of outsiders. BYU is one of only five remaining undefeated teams in the AP Top 25 and three of them ranked No. 8 or lower. For the first time in a long time, BYU, being a national title contender, could be a real threat to the rest of the field. As long as they take care of business, one week at a time.