Three BYU Storylines Ahead of Big 12 Media Day

The Cougars will feature a lot of newcomers in their first season in the Big 12

On Wednesday, the Big 12 kicks off college football's "Talkin' Season" with Big 12 Media Days. The conference will officially welcome the four new schools to the conference: UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, and BYU. Here are three BYU storylines to watch ahead of Big 12 Media Days.

1. Can the transfer portal speed up BYU's transition into a Power Five conference?

Slovis, Kedon_W1_0286
Credit: BYU Photo

The challenges that come with the transition to a Power Five conference are well documented. Playing quality opponents week in and week out tests the depth of a roster from top to bottom. Frankly, BYU's roster was exposed at times in 2022 and it was not ready to make the P5 transition. BYU has been working tirelessly to improve its roster for its first season in the Big 12.  The Cougars needed to make material changes to the roster, and that's exactly what they've done.

The Cougars have looked primarily to the transfer portal to make incremental improvements to the roster. Since the end of last season, the Cougars have brought in 21 transfers while 20 players left BYU and entered the transfer portal. Many of those incoming transfers are expected to make an immediate impact for BYU. In an earlier article, we projected that as many as half of BYU's starters could be transfers in the season opener.

One transfer, former Pitt and USC quarterback Kedon Slovis, will be one of five BYU players representing the program at Media Days. Slovis was named BYU's starting quarterback after Spring camp.

Naturally, BYU fans have prepared for the transition to the Power Five ranks by looking back at TCU and Utah when they joined Power Five conferences. The Horned Frogs and the Utes suffered through their fair share of struggles in the first few years. As a result, some BYU fans are bracing themselves for what could be a difficult few seasons. The transfer portal, paired with the one-time transfer rule, has changed the speed in which coaches can turn over college football rosters. Can the portal speed up BYU's transition into a Power Five conference?

2. New-look Defense

By the metrics, BYU fielded one of the worst defenses in college football last season. The Cougars fired the previous defensive staff and brought in former Weber State head coach Jay Hill to coach the defense.

In nine seasons at Weber State, Hill established a program that consistently fielded dominant defenses. Weber State went to the FCS playoffs six times in Hill's tenure and was a top 20 defense in five of the last six seasons.

Prior to his stint at Weber State, Hill was a coach at Utah from 2001-2013. Hill coached cornerbacks, tight ends, running backs, and he was also the special teams coordinator. Hill was at Utah when it left the Mountain West for the PAC-12.

The new defensive staff is bringing an aggressive scheme to Provo, one that is proven at the Power Five level. Will BYU have the personnel in place to implement the scheme and defend the high-powered offenses in the Big 12?

3. Can BYU outperform preseason expectations?

Last week, the media picked BYU to finish 11th in the Big 12. The Cougars were picked ahead of Houston, Cincinnati, and West Virginia who were picked to finish 12th, 13th, and 14th respectively. What would it take for BYU to outperform those preseason expectations?

The first two games will be critical for BYU's chances to finish in the top half of the conference standings. BYU kicks off conference play with a road game at Kansas. The following week, the Cougars host Cincinnati in Provo for the first home conference game as a Big 12 team. A 2-0 start would put BYU firmly in the mix to exceed expectations in year one. A 1-1 start would keep BYU in the conversation, and an 0-2 start could signal a long season ahead. 

After the first two games, BYU has a difficult stretch against TCU, Texas Tech, and Texas. Winning one of those three games would keep BYU in the hunt for a top-seven finish. In November, BYU faces Iowa State, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Depending on BYU's record in September and October, a 2-2 record in November could be enough to put BYU above .500.

In year one, reaching a bowl game would be an accomplishment for a BYU program in its first Big 12 season.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.