From BYU Cougars On SI · · 1m 50s
GameDay picks BYU, with one loud holdout
Four of five College GameDay voices took No. 15 BYU over Arizona, and the fifth called the Wildcats his upset of the week.
In brief
Four of five College GameDay voices took No. 15 BYU over Arizona, and the fifth called the Wildcats his upset of the week. The panel landed on BYU because of Bear Bachmeier's growth and Noah Fifita's history of struggling against the Cougars, but Desmond Howard sees an upset. Originally reported by BYU Cougars On SI.
Big 12 play starts here
No. 15 BYU hosts Arizona on Saturday afternoon to open conference play, and the College GameDay desk locked in its picks. Most of the crew sided with the Cougars.
Howard takes the dog
Desmond Howard picked BYU to win the Big 12 just last week. This week he flipped, naming Arizona his SuperDog to knock off the Cougars in Provo.
“It's my SuperDog. Let's roll Arizona.”
Saban buys Bachmeier
Nick Saban went with BYU and pointed straight at the quarterback. His read is that Bear Bachmeier changes what the Cougars can do.
“I'm going with BYU. I just think that, you know, Bear Bachmeier is a difference maker.”
A different passing matchup
Last year in Tucson, Bachmeier was still learning the offense and rain grounded the passing game. Arizona also lost most of its starting secondary to the NFL.
McAfee bets on the crowd
Pat McAfee remembered the double-overtime finish last year and took BYU at home, leaning on how loud Provo gets on a big night.
“I think BYU wins again at home. I think Provo's tough with how rowdy it gets out there.”
The hype video jab
Brent Brennan said the BYU crowd was no problem in 2024. BYU cut that clip into a hype video, and Arizona fans fired back online.
Powell picks the dry campus
Celebrity guest picker Glen Powell framed the game as dry climate versus dry campus before siding with the Cougars.
Fifita's Provo problem
Kirk Herbstreit rates Noah Fifita highly but noted he has struggled twice against BYU, including a career-high three picks in Provo. Watch Isaiah Glasker, who has an interception in each of the last two meetings.
“Two times he's gone up against BYU, he has struggled both times. Now he's in Provo. I'm going with BYU.”
The key point
The panel landed on BYU because of Bear Bachmeier's growth and Noah Fifita's history of struggling against the Cougars, but Desmond Howard sees an upset.
