'This is the year': Where BYU stands in Big 12, according to anonymous coach

We're at the weird middle phase of the offseason where content seems to be less abundant. With that said, there's no shortage of storylines with the BYU Cougars football program. One of the biggest lately came from an anonymous Big 12 coach who believes BYU is a frontrunner going into the 2026 season.

After a Big 12 Championship run last year, Kalani Sitake's team is in position to make noise, but just how far could they go next season?

“They’re the best team in our conference," the Big 12 coach told Athlon Sports. "They’re the most physical team. They have the best coaches, and they have great energy,” the coach said. “They play complementary football — offense, defense, special teams. At the line of scrimmage, they look totally different than any other Big 12 team. I think that program is about to skyrocket."

The coach went on to address BYU's talent on both sides of the ball. Could this be the Cougars' deepest roster in recent memory? There was an expectation for Jake Retzlaff to push the team forward to start last season. But he was dropped from school and eventually took Tulane to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

“This is the year that they’ll get over the top. If they don’t this year, I don’t know that they ever will. The reason I say that is because of the influx of money they got with their roster,” the Big 12 coach added.

“Year 2 with (QB) Bear Bachmeier, Year 4 with LJ Martin, who is one of the best backs in the country, you return a lot of guys on defense that were really productive. (Faletau Satuala) was one of the best — if not the best — safeties we played all year.”

BYU has back-to-back two-loss seasons since 2024 and hasn't lost in the first two months of either season. After consecutive victories in bowl games, there's a need for the Cougars to be part of the Playoff this year. That's the goal every year in Provo, but more so now with the current landscape.

Sitake has an 84-45 record with six bowl games under his belt. He fended off consideration for the Penn State job and stayed put at BYU for the foreseeable future.

BYU opens the season against Utah Tech on Sept. 6. The non-traditional in-state battle with the Blazers is set for 8 p.m. ET at LaVell Edwards Stadium.