BYU 2025 Football Preview, Prediction, Betting ideas

BYU

View from afar: Sitake (Head coach) has things heading in the right direction in Provo. The Cougars finished last season 11-2 with a demolition of Colorado in the Alamo Bowl to end the year on a high note. BYU is a development program with a strong culture and the funds to back it. With what is happening in the basketball program, BYU could be a program with its sights set on dominating the conference for years to come. Hill is back to run the defense, which is the Cougars' calling card. On the other side of the ball, Roederick returns at the helm of the offense that returns quite a bit.

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Recruiting: BYU's bringing in the number 5 recruiting class in '25 is nothing to turn your nose at, as they build on the number 6 overall class in '24 for the conference. Pair that with how this program gets guys ready to play nasty and physical, and I like this recipe for BYU. Trending up.

Portal: Losing WR Marion late to Miami hurts a bit, BYU is ranked 10th in the Big 12 in the portal class. I'm interested in seeing if transfers from Michigan, Texas, and Utah (Tanuvasa) can be produced in Provo.

Roster tidbits: The offense returns a ton, including the QB Retzlaff, RB LJ Martin, and most of the line. Late WR transfer leaves a bit of a hole, but the skill position group here is pretty deep, so I don't foresee that being an issue. The defense line will be an area where there will surely be question marks, though they did bring in Utah transfer Tanuvasa, a coup to take away from their in-state rival. A big potential differentiator is that Ferrin the Kicker is back, all Big 12, and should be one of the best in the country this year. Could that swing a tight Big 12 race?

Statistical tidbits: BYU was 4-2 in 1 score games in 2024 and +2 in turnover margin, usually stats that return to the mean. Might be an indicator of not so much fortune in 2025. PFF had BYU graded as the second worst run defense, interesting considering there are questions surrounding that line this season. Plus they lost multiple all big 12 performers off the defense from a year ago. BYU ranked 24 nationally in turnover margin per game, so last year they had some fortune in that category.

Schedule: BYU has an easy start to the year that could get this team gelling. At Iowa State, the last game of 6 in a row with no bye week could be a challenge. Getting Texas Tech after the bye week could be what the doctor ordered to get this team in contention for Arlington.

Prediction: BYU is a tough team to read, only from the standpoint that QB Retzlaff has had some off-field rumors swirling, which could be a reason for pause on any strong takes. If he is under center this team has the foundation for real success. The offense should take a step forward, and under Hill the defense will be stout, physical. BYU goes 9-3 with losses to Colorado, Iowa St, and TCU.

Actionable: BYU over 7.5 wins was one of the first wagers that caught my eye this offseason. An over seemed like a strong play, but with questions surrounding the quarterback, let's wait and see on this BYU team. If they look good in the non-con and open Big 12 play with a win vs. Colorado in Boulder, maybe that's when you can back in with a Big 12 title ticket, as the remaining schedule is more straightforward than other conference contenders.