BYU COUGARS

BYU Football Bowl Projections After Strong Start To First Big 12 Season

Sep 19, 2023, 12:49 PM

PROVO, Utah – BYU football jumping out to a 3-0 start has the Cougars in the thick of the bowl projections conversation in the 2023 season.

Being in the Big 12 Conference gives BYU many more options for postseason play than as an Independent.

Nearly every bowl game with a tie-in to the Big 12 in 2023 would be against a team from a Power Five conference. BYU hasn’t faced a P5 opponent in a bowl game since Utah in the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl.

Order of Big 12 Bowl Tie-ins for the 2023 season

  • College Football Playoff (if selected)
  • New Year’s Six
  • Alamo Bowl
  • Pop-Tarts Bowl
  • Texas Bowl
  • Liberty Bowl
  • Guaranteed Rate Bowl
  • Armed Forces/First Responder Bowls
  • Independence Bowl

My BYU Bowl projection entering week four: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Rutgers

If Texas goes to the College Football Playoff, the Guaranteed Rate Bowl would be the seventh selection for a Big 12 team. That’s a reasonable spot for BYU.

BYU would be an attractive option for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl because the Cougars would sell many tickets. The game is in Arizona, which has a lot of Latter-day Saint BYU fans in the area.

Also, the date is tricky as it lands on December 26th, the day after Christmas. So, having a pool of fans who live in the area might help BYU’s odds of going to Arizona.

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl had a secondary bowl tie-in with BYU, while the Cougars were an Independent.

National Outlets project where BYU football fits in Bowl Season

Action Network: Liberty Bowl vs. Tennessee

College Football News: Liberty Bowl vs. Tennessee

This would be a fun matchup for a variety of reasons. The biggest is that Tennessee bought out of the opener against BYU in Provo to play Virginia in nearby Nashville instead.

Tennessee looked shaky after losing to an underwhelming Florida team last week in The Swamp.

USA Today: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Nebraska

A potential rematch of the 2015 Miracle at Memorial. Getting to a bowl game would be an accomplishment for both the Cougars and Huskers this year.

CBS Sports: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Purdue

I’m not seeing how Purdue gets bowl-eligible with their league schedule after they started 1-2 in non-conference.

ESPN Mark Schlabach: Hawaii Bowl vs. Boise State

Did Schlabach forget BYU football is no longer an Independent?

ESPN Kyle Bonagura: TaxAct Texas Bowl vs. Kentucky

Bleacher Report: Liberty Bowl vs. Kentucky

BYU has never faced Kentucky in football. They’ve also never played an SEC team in a bowl game before.

Athlon Sports: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Maryland

It would be a first-time matchup. The only historical crossover I can think of between these two programs is that former BYU head coach Gary Crowton was once the OC at Maryland for a season.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.

Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.

  • BYU Cougars Scoreboard

  • BYU Cougars Team Leaders

  • BYU Cougars Standings

BYU Cougars

Patrick-Mahomes-Zach-Wilson-NFL-Sunday-Night-Football...

Kyle Ireland

Patrick Mahomes: Zach Wilson ‘Played His Tail Off’ On Sunday Night Football

Zach Wilson received praise from Patrick Mahomes after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football in Week 4.

5 hours ago

Zach-Wilson-New-York-Jets-NFL...

Kyle Ireland

Zach Wilson Throws TD Pass, Runs For 2-Point Conversion On Sunday Night Football

Zach Wilson threw a second touchdown pass and scored on a two-point conversion to tie the Jets' Sunday Night Football game against the Chiefs.

6 hours ago

Zach-Wilson-New-York-Jets-NFL...

Kyle Ireland

Zach Wilson Throws Touchdown Pass, Jets Trim Chiefs’ Lead On SNF

Zach Wilson threw his third touchdown pass of the season during the New York Jets' Sunday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

7 hours ago

Aaron-Rodgers-New-York-Jets-NFL...

Kyle Ireland

Aaron Rodgers Hugs Zach Wilson, Jets Teammates Ahead Of Sunday Night Football

Aaron Rodgers rejoined the New York Jets and hugged Zach Wilson and his teammates ahead of the team's Sunday Night Football game.

8 hours ago

Puka-Nacua-Los-Angeles-Rams...

Kyle Ireland

Rams WR Puka Nacua Scores First NFL TD, Lifts Rams To OT Win Over Colts

Puka Nacua scored his first NFL touchdown in overtime and lifted the Los Angeles Rams to a Week 4 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

12 hours ago

Quarterback Riley Nelson of BYU looks to pass during the second half of an college football game ag...

Chandler Holt

This Day In Utah Sports History: BYU Football Stuns Utah State In Final Seconds

On this day 12 years ago, BYU Football put together a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback to beat Utah State in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

2 days ago

Sponsored Articles

3 kids wearing real salt lake jerseys smiling...

Real Salt Lake

6 Reasons You Need to Experience a RSL Matchday

RSL Games are a great way to spend time with your family with fun activities, good food, and traditions you can only experience at the field.

High angle view of the beautiful Rose Bowl Stadium...

KSL Digital Sales

How to Prepare for the 2023 Rose Bowl

Everything you need to know to plan your 2023 Rose Bowl trip in Pasadena, California. This year, the Utes will face Penn State.

Jordan-Clarkson-Utah-Jazz...

KSL Digital Sales

Notable Moments From The Utah Jazz Season… So Far

At the beginning of the season, the Utah Jazz were second to last. Now they rank in the top 10 teams in the Western Conference.

Football soccer ball on grass field on stadium...

KSL Digital Sales

Everything You Need to Know to Watch the 2022 World Cup

Find out where and when to watch the upcoming games and final match for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, including where to find live updates.

ksl sports logos...

KSL Sports

KSL Sports Newsletter: Sign Up Now

Sign up today for the KSL Sports newsletter. Get the latest Utah sports news delivered to your inbox.

jimmy-buffett-tour-art...

KSL Sports

Win Tickets Wednesday: Jimmy Buffett

Get your Hawaiian shirts ready.

BYU Football Bowl Projections After Strong Start To First Big 12 Season