BYU Is Chasing Its First-Ever College Football Playoff Berth. Here Is Why 2026 Might Be the Year
BYU is not a program most college football fans think of when they picture a playoff contender. The Cougars are trying to change that in 2026, and they have real evidence to back up the ambition.
After 23 wins over the past two seasons, BYU football is aiming for the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Fall camp opened in early August, and the vibe inside the program is that this is the year the ceiling breaks.
Why 2026 Feels Different
The Big 12 is wide open. Texas and Oklahoma are gone. The traditional powers of the conference now live in the SEC. That leaves a group of teams including BYU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, and a resurgent Baylor scrapping for the top spot.
BYU’s roster continuity is the real edge. The Cougars kept most of their key contributors from last year’s team, added smart transfers, and enter fall camp with a settled quarterback and a defensive line that should be one of the best in the conference.
Kalani Sitake has quietly built the kind of culture that wins tight games in November. That matters more than any preseason ranking.
The Schedule Path
To make the playoff, BYU probably needs to go 11-1 or better, or win the Big 12 championship outright. Anything worse than that puts them at the mercy of committee subjectivity, which is not a position any Group of 5 or non-traditional power program wants to be in.
The good news is BYU’s schedule sets up favorably. The Cougars avoid the toughest cross-division opponents, host their biggest home games in Provo, and have a legitimate chance to enter November unbeaten.
If they win the Big 12 title game against Texas Tech or another top contender, they are in. That is the goal.
What Could Go Wrong
The Big 12 has a nasty habit of chewing up favorites in random road games. West Virginia in October. Utah in early November. Any of those trips could become a landmine.
BYU’s quarterback play also has to be more consistent than it was in stretches last year. The offense showed flashes of being actually dangerous, but it also had games where drives stalled and points came at a premium.
The Bigger Picture
A BYU playoff berth would be a huge win for the sport. It would prove that the expanded playoff actually opens doors for programs that have historically been locked out. It would validate the Big 12’s decision to remake itself in the wake of Texas and Oklahoma leaving.
Nobody outside Provo is going to pick BYU to make the playoff in preseason polls. That is fine. The Cougars have been doubted before, and this program has proven it thrives with a chip on its shoulder.
Fall camp is where BYU starts building the case. The next 15 weeks will tell everyone whether the ceiling has finally broken.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
