From 2011 through 2023, the Cougars had been an independent. Following years in the Western Athletic and later the Mountain West Conferences. BYU thought it could bank on a large Mormon population and following to become the Notre Dame of the LDS Church in football. Although that has not happened, the program is a strong NCAAF future odds asset. Correlate that it should thrive in the Big 12. BYU is being touted as a potential Top 10 team for the 2025 season. The Cougars are tough and benefit from strong, committed leadership.
2025 SBG College Football Futures BYU Cougars
| Odds to Win National Championship: | +18000 |
|---|---|
| Odds to Win Big 12 Championship: | +800 |
| Over/Under Win Total: | 7.5 |
2025 BYU Cougars Schedule
- Aug 30 vs. Portland State Vikings
- Sep 6 vs. Stanford Cardinal
- Sep 13 OFF
- Sep 20 at East Carolina Pirates
- Sep 27 at Colorado Buffaloes
- Oct 3 vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
- Oct 11 at Arizona Wildcats
- Oct 18 vs. Utah Utes
- Oct 25 at Iowa State Cyclones
- Nov 1 OFF
- Nov 8 at Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Nov 15 vs. TCU Horned Frogs
- Nov 22 at Cincinnati Bearcats
- Nov 29 vs. UCF Knights
It took longer than hoped, but BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake has proven to be the proverbial perfect online betting fit. Correlate that Sitake has led his alma mater to consecutive double-digit win seasons and top-19 finishes. Sitake put his program on such a good trajectory that BYU was invited to join the Big 12 Conference.
Kalani Sitake is a native of Tonga and played as a fullback for BYU. Previously, he was a career assistant who rose to become the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under Kyle Whittingham at Utah. Since 2016, he has been the head coach of BYU. In sum, Sitake has a career record of 72-43. Including a 5-2 mark in bowl games. Sitake has led BYU to top-20 finishes in three of the previous five seasons, including a 17th-place finish in 2024.
Last season, the Cougars came close to making the College Football Playoff (CFP). Hence, with Jake Retzlaff, LJ Martin, Roberts, and Keelan Marion returning, they should be even more explosive on offense. The Cougars will have to replace three starting offensive linemen; Isaiah Jatta (Colorado Buffaloes) and Andrew Gentry are ready to take over at tackle.
BYU is seeking more 2025 college football futures depth on the defensive line. Namely, Keanu Tanuvasa and Tausili Akana are competing for starting jobs. Meanwhile, the linebacker corps suffered a blow when returning starting middle linebacker Harrison Taggart transferred to California in the spring. Still, the group is still in good shape with Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly returning. Tanner Wall and Evan Johnson lead a very experienced secondary.
BYU has a challenging time navigating its schedule, which is inconsistent, but it should manage. Specifically, it starts well, but the Big 12 road games will become too much to overcome. The five road games in seven dates will prove to be too much to overcome. Still, the Cougars are a factor in the conference race until the end.
In a best-case scenario, the Cougars can beat Colorado and sidestep the East Carolina landmine on the way to a 4-0 start. And then they should take care of Provo. Including West Virginia as the home oasis among a slew of road games. Of course, there’s a win over Utah. Still, there’s a loss somewhere, like at Iowa State, and even with two road games, the team can run through November on the way to the Big 12 Championship.