How should BYU players react to low Big 12 expectations?
For the first time in more than a decade, BYU was part of conference media days in football. This one is took place in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday and Thursday. There, BYU coach Kalani Sitake and select players sat down with reporters and answered questions about the squad and upcoming season. There were more than 300 reporters on the scene.
Cougar Insider predictions
Question of the week: What do you make of the Big 12 preseason media poll that was released earlier this month that ranks BYU low, and how will the Cougars handle those expectations?
Jay Drew: I can’t say I am surprised that BYU landed at No. 11 in the media’s preseason poll for Big 12 football this year, mostly because that’s about where I slotted the Cougars.
Can they finish worse than 11th? Yes. Can they finish better — much better — than 11th? Absolutely.
Preseason polls are crapshoots, and even more so now in the day and age of the transfer portal. Teams can get better, or worse, in a hurry.
BYU’s players and coaches should ignore, but not forget, the preseason poll. I’m hoping they don’t roll out the ol’ “we don’t get any respect” line this week at the Big 12 media confab in Arlington, Texas. It’s best to just roll with the punches, then surprise some folks with what they do on the field.
Before the poll came out, but after ESPN FPI gave them a zero percent chance of winning the Big 12, I asked a couple Cougars and coach Sitake what they thought of the low expectations. They took the high road, saying they aren’t worried about it.
Let’s hope that mantra continues this week in Big D.
Dick Harmon: I think being ranked low, near the bottom, is exactly what this BYU team needs as it enters its first season in the Big 12. Enter low, fight for respect, push hard to earn approval and act like blue-collar workers.
If you look how BYU faded in a four-game losing streak last year, it is easy to see how voters would view the Cougars. Last year, BYU couldn’t handle it when Jaren Hall got injured against Utah State and was recovering during that losing streak. BYU struggled with depth when some key players suffered injuries.
Will that happen again? Maybe.
On the other hand, I believe folks are underestimating how effective senior QB Kedon Slovis can be, how much of an impact BYU’s running game might have gained from a year ago and the efficacy of a Jay Hill attacking defense. BYU ranks at the top in the Big 12 in transfer recruits and is in the top 20 nationally in that category. This is a different team than a year ago and it all depends on how quickly chemistry and motivation can deliver.
Ask any BYU player from the past 30 years or longer and they will tell you how tough it must be for the Cougars to compete as an independent with no conference title on the line, no all-conference honors and recognition and how that sometimes makes practices tougher to focus through on a weekly basis. I expect BYU to get a little more fuel week to week by competing for league standings.
Cougar tales
Two BYU stars took center stage this past week when Kenneth Rooks made headlines for a dramatic win in the steeplechase at the USA Championships and former Cougars golfer Peter Kuest ratcheted up two top-20 finishes as a Monday qualifier to earn temporary status on the PGA Tour. Both were inspiring stories and worth the follow.
Kenneth Rooks fell, then did the remarkable (Doug Robinson)
Big day for BYU athletes at USA championships (Doug Robinson)
Peter Kuest earns Temp Tour membership (PGA Tour)
From the archives
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From the Twitterverse
Is Bronco best fit for Northwestern? (@CriddleBenjamin)
Watch Rooks’ fantastic finish (@JeremiahJensen)
Jimmer continues to amaze (@cbreeze32)
Extra points
BYU about to find out what others in Big 12 think (Deseret News)
BYU leads Big 12 in transfer rankings (Salt Lake Tribune)
Kalani Q&A on Slovis, Big 12 (The Athletic)
Fanalyst
Comments from Deseret News readers
This event should be played and replayed as a national event. What an outstanding example of never giving up and keeping going no matter the odds.
Thank you Kenneth Rooks for your example of true American grit in this troubled time of our nation, this time in history!
— BYUAlum
I was in the stands at Hayward Field cheering him on! Lots of BYU fans. My wife said wouldn’t it be amazing if he won after falling! And he did!
I have to admit that my wife and I were some of the people who had to get a picture with him on his victory lap. Add in Courtney Wayment’s second place in the women’s steeplechase and Zach McWhorter’s second place in the pole vault, BYU had three podium finishes in the last four events on Saturday. It is an amazing track program at BYU.
— Oregon Coug
Up next
July 12-13 | Football | Big 12 media days | @Arlington, Texas
Aug. 5 | 7 p.m. | Women’s soccer | Blue vs. White | @Provo
Aug. 10 | 5 p.m. | Women’s soccer | Rutgers | @New Brunswick, New Jersey
