Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
PROVO — By golly, with BYU and Utah off this week, it's a good time to evaluate both programs as the college football seasons approaches midseason.
Let's start with the Big 12's most surprising team, the BYU Cougars. Only the most loyal diehards, and maybe not even them, at this point believed this team would be ranked No. 17 and in a three-way tie for first place at 2-0 (5-0 overall).
Yet, here they are, in position for a bounce back after ending last season on a five-game losing streak. Playing the nobody-believes-in-us card often is overstated, but not in this case.
Realistically, according to the oddsmakers, simply reaching bowl eligibility was stretching the optimism. Those low expectations seem silly now, to the point the bar is raised at a minimum of eight wins.
Reviewing the conference, BYU holds the dual distinction of having the best win in and out of conference to date. Beating SMU in Dallas on a late field goal last month grows more impressive with each passing week.
The Mustangs, who did not score a touchdown in the 18-15 loss, have exploded since playing BYU. They have drilled TCU and Florida State, respectively, by a combined score of 108-58.
BYU's win over Kansas State in Provo two weeks ago also ranks as the Big 12's best nonconference win. The Wildcats, who are ranked No. 20, owned the statistical advantage but couldn't overcome turnovers in the 38-9 loss.
Baylor exposed BYU's defense a bit last week, as quarterback Sawyer Robertson passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns. But coordinator Jay Hill made the right calls in the fourth quarter to thwart a Baylor comeback after it fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter.
As with most teams, more than one month into the season, BYU needs the bye week to heal. Top running backs LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati are on the mend, forcing quarterback Jake Retzlaff to lead the team in rushing at 156 yards.
Although the Cougars have only one game remaining against a ranked team (Nov. 9 at No. 18 Utah), they face a difficult stretch this month starting at home against Arizona and Oklahoma State, and at UCF before another bye.
But after the Utes, they close the regular season against three teams that are a combined 0-5 in conference (in order, Kansas, Arizona State and Houston).
For the Utes, the season was simply a matter of checking off each game as it came and then moving on to the next week. Arizona figured to provide a stern test, which it did and then some.
Backed by a strong defense, the Wildcats strolled out of Rice-Eccles Stadium last week with a stunning 23-10 win over Utah. The Utes suffered their first Big 12 loss and dropped them to 4-1, 1-1 on the season.
"All is not lost," said coach Kyle Whittingham. "I don't want to paint the picture that the season is over. We've got a good football team."
Besides climbing in the rankings, Utah really has not lost much and still are in play for the ultimate objective to make the first 12-team college playoff. Finishing in second place, as the Utes did in a Rose Bowl season, will qualify for the Big 12 championship.
But the Utes, too, need to get healthy during the bye week. In what seems like a never-ending saga, it starts with Cam Rising.
Still recovering from an injury to fingers on his throwing hand, Rising has not played in the last three games. Whittingham said the seventh-year senior is "really close" to returning, but excuse us for lacking faith with this.
Either way, Utah begins the softest part of the schedule over the next three weeks. Including TCU, which has split both conference games, Utah plays Arizona State and Houston, the two teams picked 16th and 15th in the Big 12, respectively.
