In an ideal world, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark might have signed up for a different bowl game matchup.
As every conference not named the SEC or the Big Ten claws for credibility, each non-conference win is a data point this time of year. But two of Yormark’s top teams aren’t going to prove their worth against another league. They are playing each other — a war of attrition, not a show of strength.
BYU and Colorado will meet in the Alamo Bowl thanks to some holdover realignment rules.
“I think for the conference, ideally, we would have had the opportunity to go prove what the Big 12 is all about,” defensive coordinator Jay Hill said. “Play non-Big 12 teams. But we are super excited to play Colorado and what it represents playing a phenomenal team.”
It’s hard to strike a balance.
On the one hand, BYU-Colorado should be a massive television draw. The Alamo Bowl is rated the top bowl game outside the playoff games. Plus, if potential top-five draft picks Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter actually play the whole game, everyone will tune in.
That is a good thing for the Big 12.
But on the other hand, it misses a chance for a top Big 12 team to see the Big Ten or ACC and stow away a bit more respect in the college football rankings next year.
For a large part of this season, it wasn’t even clear that the Big 12’s conference champion would get a first-round bye. The Mountain West was ahead and still is.
The Big 12 is a league that desperately wants more respect. Yormark was certainly shouting for it in Arlington before the Big 12 title game.
“In no way should a Group of Five champion be ranked above our champion,” Yormark said.
And one way to do that is to win bowl games against other leagues. The Alamo Bowl isn’t the end of the world for Yormark. But it might be an opportunity missed.
The Big Thing
BYU hasn’t seen an offense quite like Colorado’s since maybe Arizona came to town.
The Buffaloes use the quick throw game to replace the rushing attack.
They average 327 yards through the air compared to just 70 on the ground. The strength of this team is quarterback and receiver.
“Their quarterback is as effective a thrower as we’ve faced maybe in the last two years,” Hill said. “He’s got a lot of weapons. So I would say Arizona is the closest thing.”
Another note about Sanders is he will try to extend plays. It’s what makes Colorado so hard to defend, but it can also become a vulnerability.
He has been sacked 38 times this year. He was sacked 52 times the year before. Will Hill bring more pressure?
“There are times he’ll get the ball out quick,” Hill said. “There are other times where he trusts himself and his pocket presence, which is very good. He’s going to trust himself to hang in there and get the ball down the field. So the rush is going to be important.”
How to watch
BYU vs. Colorado
At the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Kickoff: Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MT
TV: ABC
Fourth down
1. Men down
Colorado’s defensive line might be one of the best in the league. And BYU’s offensive line is … spotty. Isaiah Jatta is out. Brayden Keim is out. It again leaves the Cougars with a makeshift unit going into the Alamo Bowl. They have spent the last few weeks trying different combinations. But there isn’t exactly a ton of confidence there.
Chase Roberts is back for 2025, he announced Saturday. It gives BYU its most reliable playmaker for another season and continues the continuity between Jake Retzlaff and most of his top receivers.
BYU continued its run of flipping Utah recruits. Hunter Clegg, the four-star edge rusher, came back from his mission and decided to come to BYU. It’s been a trend for defensive coordinator Jay Hill to put pressure on Utah recruits to come to Provo.
4. Secondary preview
With Crew Wakley in the portal, the Alamo Bowl should be an early chance to see BYU’s younger secondary. Tommy Prassas is a guy that Hill is very high on. He had some moments this year, like against Kansas State, to think he is the future.
- That’s it from me, talk to you after the Alamo
Kevin