FRISCO, Texas — BYU coach Kalani Sitake described each venue and tradition in the Big 12 as “amazing.”
However, there is one tradition Sitake feels he missed out on last year.
“I made the mistake and I said, ‘I’m looking forward to seeing them play “Country Roads” at West Virginia,’” he said. “But they only play it when they win.”
Last October, BYU faced off West Virginia at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. BYU beat the Mountaineers 38-24. However, in 2023, the showdown was played at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. WVU beat the Cougars 37-7.
After this loss, Sitake kept his players out on the field to hear John Denver’s song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” performed by The Pride of West Virginia marching band, a tradition that takes place after each home win.
Fans link arms, sway and sing the song in unison alongside the team. The tradition started in 2002 when then head coach Rich Rodriguez brought the players out to sing along with the crowd.
“Even after we lost that game, I thought it was important that I kept the team out there so they can see it,” Sitake said about the tradition at West Virginia.
Now, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” has become an iconic song for many iconic moments.
The song has surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams between the two most popular versions. Over a three-day period the song reached over 1.7 million official U.S. on-demand streams during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The song gained popularity after the U.S. men’s national team’s June 19 victory over Australia. In a stadium full of thousands of international fans, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” blasted on the speakers after the U.S. team won.
“It’s such a cool moment that even our soccer team has adopted that song and made it their own,” Sitake said. “That’s one of those iconic songs and those moments that it’s beyond the game, whether win or loss. If we do lose, I don’t mind having our guys be a part of seeing that experience.”
Sitake believes that traditions like West Virginia's keep the love and appreciation of the game going despite the outcome.