What Colorado football fans need to know about the BYU Cougars

Following their meeting in the Alamo Bowl last season, Colorado and BYU are set to face off in a Big 12 matchup during Week 5 of this season.

The two programs have met 12 times, with Colorado holding a 7-4-1 record. However, the Buffs have lost their last three meetings, with their last win dating back to 1947. Coming off a strong 2024 season, BYU was expected to build upon its 11-2 season, but has had a bumpy offseason.

Projected starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff withdrew from the program and is attempting to play college football elsewhere. That is a massive blow to a Cougars squad that seemed so close to putting it all together for a possible College Football Playoff run.

With a significant question mark at quarterback, here's a look at BYU heading into the 2025 season.

Opponent Previews: Georgia Tech, Delaware, Houston, Wyoming

2024 in review

As we discussed above, BYU dismantled Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, 36-14, to cap off a tremendous season. The Cougars opened the year with nine straight wins, including a lopsided victory over then-ranked Kansas State. However, BYU followed that win streak by going 1-2 to close out the regular season, which was enough to see them lose out on a spot in the Big 12 championship game on tiebreaks.

Head coach profile

Kalani Sitake enters his tenth season as BYU's head coach, becoming one of the longest tenured head coaches in the conference. The former BYU player himself, Sitake, owns an impressive 72-43 record as the Cougars' head man. In his nine seasons in Provo, he has only had two losing seasons. Sitake always seems to have his teams ranked toward the end of the season.

Top offensive players

BYU returns its starting running back and its top wide receiver from last season. Running back LJ Martin has the potential to become one of the Big 12's best after rushing for 718 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. With mobile quarterback Jake Retzlaff out of the picture, expect Martin to be even more of a factor on offense.

Chase Roberts, BYU's leading receiver from a season ago, racked up 854 yards and four touchdowns. We don't know yet who will be throwing him the football, but he has the talent to eclipse 1,000 yards this year.

Top defensive player

The top defensive player without a doubt goes to BYU's do-it-all linebacker, Isaiah Glasker. The junior defensive playmaker recorded 70 tackles last season to go along with 3.5 sacks, four pass breakups, three interceptions, one forced fumble and a defensive touchdown. Glasker filled out the stat sheet every time he took the field and comes into his third season of college football looking to become nationally recognized.

2025 schedule

• Aug. 30 vs. Portland State
• Sept. 6 vs. Stanford
• BYE
• Sept. 20 at East Carolina
• Sept. 27 at Colorado
• Oct. 3 vs. West Virginia
• Oct. 11 at Arizona
• Oct. 18 vs. Utah
• Oct. 25 at Iowa State
• BYE
• Nov. 8 at Texas Tech
• Nov. 15 vs. TCU
• Nov. 22 at Cincinnati
• Nov. 29 vs. UCF

Way-too-early Colorado matchup preview

A few weeks ago, I might have said Colorado has an uphill battle with BYU seemingly returning most of its production from 2024, but now things have changed. Having a question mark at quarterback like the Cougars do, a month away from the season, does not bode well for offensive chemistry. Furthermore, the quarterbacks currently on BYU's roster are very inexperienced.

The Buffaloes will still need to play their "A" game, but the opening for a win is much larger without Retzlaff. Originally, I predicted a loss for Colorado, as I think they will beat one of Iowa State or BYU. The uncertainty regarding the BYU offense has me rethinking my prediction.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football versus BYU Cougars season preview 2025