BYU football is 1-0. For a team that doesn't have the highest expectations this season, you can't ask for a better start. Nevermind who they played.
The Cougars are flying to the great state of Texas to take on the SMU Mustangs in a shortened-week Friday night lights game (5 p.m. MDT, ESPN2). Can you believe it's the ACC versus the Big 12?
BYU is coming off of a convincing win over the token FCS opponent of the season and entering a matchup against a formidable (and recently joined power conference) foe.
The Cougars had their best offensive game in almost two years, highlighted by a seemingly revamped running game.
"(A total of) 179 yards rushing is a solid start," said Aaron Roderick. "We left a few yards out there, I think we can do better."
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff also impressed with 348 yards passing and three touchdowns to lead the offense to 42 points. BYU did what it needed to do in week one: Beat up on an inferior opponent and leave the week healthy. The trip to Dallas, however, is no cake walk.
SMU is 2-0 on the season with wins over Nevada and Houston Christian. It took a game-winning drive from the Mustangs to sneak by the Wolf Pack in their season opener.
SMU comes into this game as a double-digit favorite. The Cougars face their first road test of the season and have one less day to prepare.
This game is a rematch of the 2022 New Mexico Bowl, where BYU found a way to win despite just 47 passing yards and a depleted team. Friday night won't look anything like that though.
For the Mustangs, the choice at who will be starting quarterback continues to be a topic of conversation and two different guys were featured in their first two games of the season. In crunch time of week zero, Preston Stone was the one SMU turned to to lead the game-winning drive and seems to be the likely candidate to take the first snap.
BYU seems to be a little more certain about its quarterback situation, but if Retzlaff struggles to lead the offense down the field effectively there's a good chance Gerry Bohanon would get a shot.
On the defensive side, the Cougars will look to stop a stellar and balanced offense.
"Lots of RPO, quick game," said defensive end Blake Mangelson. "We're really trying to figure out how we can knock that off from them."
SMU had over 300 yards passing in week zero and over 300 yards rushing the next week. BYU's defense will need to be able to slow down both aspects of the game if it wants a chance to win this one.
With that, lets get to our super expert picks from the Daily Universe senior reporters:
Me — SMU 27, BYU 23
A lot of you won't like this, but I still have a deep-rooted mistrust in this BYU offense that will stay there until I see it against a legitimate defense. Friday night will be the Cougars' chance to prove me wrong. But I don't think they will. I expect SMU to jump out to a quick two-score lead on their home turf before BYU's defense can adjust. The Cougars will struggle to move the ball early, but a turnover will give them a score before half to keep it close. I think that the Cougars will continue to struggle offensively coming out of the locker room and in the middle of the third quarter we will see Bohanon trot out at quarterback to try and provide a spark. I don't think the change under center will do it for BYU. Retzlaff gets put back in to make a late push to steal them game, but it's too little, too late. SMU makes run-the-clock-out to win the game.
Kevin Humphreys — SMU 31, BYU 28
SMU looked vulnerable as a 27.5-point favorite against Nevada, giving hope to BYU fans for Friday’s matchup. However, Nevada might be way better than preseason projections, which had them ranked. They beat a good Sunbelt team in Troy on Saturday.
Like BYU last year, SMU is facing its first gauntlet schedule, playing 10 Power Four conference teams in a row to end the season. Expectations for this SMU team are high, as they are expected to be a dark horse contender for the ACC championship in year one. BYU walks in with no expectations and has a lot to prove heading into Dallas on Friday. This game is going to be a nail-biter the entire way and late-game execution is going to be the key to who comes out on top. SMU tight end RJ Maryland against BYU’s defense is one of the key matchups to watch. I think Maryland will make enough key catches in big spots for SMU to edge out a win against a feisty BYU team. If the Cougars can get home to the Mustangs' starting quarterback, Preston Stone (who has not been sacked all year), this is anybody’s ball game.
Kater Baughan — BYU 34, SMU 27
BYU is currently an 11.5-point underdog, according to the folks in Vegas. It typically takes Vegas 3-4 weeks to gather enough data to dial in their lines. For example, Florida State was an 11-point favorite against Georgia Tech and lost outright, then lost the following week to Boston College as a 16.5-point favorite. That's why I'm not too worried about the Vegas line in this one — I think BYU takes care of business against ACC newcomer SMU. SMU struggled for 59 minutes against one of the worst-projected teams in the FBS, Nevada. The Mustangs' defense is prone to giving up a lot of points, and as we saw against Southern Illinois, Retzlaff and A-Rod aren’t afraid to throw the deep ball. Give me the Cougars to win outright, 34-27, with Retzlaff running in a game-winning TD.