College football is finally back. Kiss your wife and kids goodbye and find a seat on the couch for the next 20 Saturdays. Dump any friends that are having fall weddings and get ready to have your emotional and mental state rocked by 18-22-year-olds playing a game every week. Or in BYU's case, 18-28-year-olds.
The Cougars kick off their second year in the Big 12 with a warmup game against FCS opponent Southern Illinois Saturday night. But is it really that much of a warmup?
The Salukis (yeah, I had to look it up too. It's a dog breed. You know those tall, lanky dogs with lots of hair and long faces? Those ones) have been notorious over the past few years for giving FBS all they can handle — even beating Northwestern in 2022 and Northern Illinois in 2023.
SIU is ranked No. 11 in the FCS coaches poll, and is consistently in playoff contention every season. However, this year's team is nearly unrecognizable. The Salukis lost their starting QB, RBs, WRs, leading tacklers and DBs from last season. They haven't even named their starting quarterback yet, which some say is a brilliant move in the intense chess match that is college football, but others find pretty annoying.
For BYU, the question on everyone’s mind is, who will be trotting out at quarterback and how will he fare? The coaching staff has already made that decision, but is holding off any announcement until gameday. Aaron Roderick even hinted that we might see both Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon Saturday night as the Cougars continue to figure out the quarterback situation.
The offensive line is also going through some changes, and we’ll see what improvements recently hired T.J. Woods has made. Everything we heard out of fall camp was that the entire O-line is much improved and the run game should be a pivotal part of Saturday's matchup.
On the defensive side of the ball, BYU will look to build on the leaps made last year under Jay Hill. More importantly, the defense will try its best to stay healthy. The Cougars have already lost senior leader Ben Bywater in the offseason and injuries derailed what was looking like a promising defensive season for BYU last year. We'll get a chance to see what another year under Hill has done for the defense Saturday night.
I asked senior Daily Universe reporters to send me their predictions for the game. Annoyingly, all of ours are very similar.
Kevin Humphreys — BYU 34, SIU 17
"BYU opened as a -19.5-point favorite against the Southern Illinois Salukis, which is exactly how this game will play out. BYU will start strong and make it a point to establish the run game early. Running the ball will limit possessions and a garbage-time touchdown by the Salukis will make this game appear closer than it will feel. The offense will have some growing pains, considering it is the season's first game. A couple of penalties and mistakes will make the Cougars kick field goals instead of touchdowns, leaving BYU feeling like more points should have been scored. As for the defensive side of the ball, the starters will look sharp and take control of the game early, giving BYU’s offense short fields to work with. Later in the game, Southern Illinois will make a few big plays to score 17 points against the young talent BYU needs to see on the field to sure up the defense as they prepare for the demanding schedule ahead. BYU's game plan this week is simple: Run vanilla schemes and out-talent Southern Illinois while saving the eccentric schemes for two formidable opponents, SMU and Wyoming, both on the road."
Karter Baughan — BYU 34, SIU 14
"Last year's season opener against Sam Houston State was wonky to say the least, but will we see a repeat this year? I don't think so. I believe the BYU coaching staff has learned from last year and will ensure the team is fully prepared to face the Salukis. They won't be underestimating SIU like they did Sam Houston. With BYU currently favored by 14 points, I'm predicting a 34-14 victory for the Cougars on Saturday. I expect the defensive linemen to assert themselves early in this game and the wide receivers to make some game- changing plays."
My prediction — BYU 31, SIU 10
There's absolutely no reason to worry about the Cougars losing this game, because if they did it would be the single-most embarrassing loss in program history. I expect a big defensive performance, holding the Salukis to just one touchdown. However, I don't see the offense reaching the 40-point mark even though it's an FCS opponent. The indecision at quarterback combined with everything we say last year leaves me skeptical still, and I will need to see a big change to believe it.