Saturday, 2026-09-12 | 2:30 PM CT | LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT | FOX
DraftKings snapshot: BYU -7 | Over/under: 51.5 [S1]
What’s at stake
Arizona and BYU are skipping straight from FCS openers into a Big 12 game between teams that combined for 21 wins last season. BYU went 12-2; Arizona went 9-4. The winner gets a conference victory before most of the league has played one, while the loser spends the rest of September with almost no margin for error in the Big 12 race. [S4/S6/S9]
There is unfinished business from last year’s five-hour game in Tucson. Arizona led by 10 with just over four minutes left, but Bear Bachmeier tied it with 19 seconds remaining and scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime of BYU’s 33-27 escape. This time Noah Fifita and Arizona have to finish the job in Provo, where BYU is 5-3 against the Wildcats. [S6/S9]
Three things to know
- Arizona’s run defense meets BYU’s deepest strength: Arizona held Northern Arizona to minus-seven rushing yards and recorded five sacks. BYU ran for 308 yards against Utah Tech, with 11 players contributing and five different players scoring rushing touchdowns. Both performances came against FCS teams, but strength-versus-strength at the line of scrimmage is the clearest early matchup. [S2/S3/S4/S5]
- The turnover totals could make a close game swing hard: BYU forced four Utah Tech turnovers and committed none. Arizona lost two fumbles and threw a late interception after the starters left, finishing minus-two despite winning by 28. Noah Fifita did not throw a pick, but Arizona cannot hand BYU extra possessions after last year’s meeting needed two overtimes. [S2/S3/S4/S5/S9]
- Two very different quarterbacks looked ready: Fifth-year Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita completed 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. BYU sophomore Bear Bachmeier went 16 of 20 for 198 yards and three touchdowns, then added 30 rushing yards and another score. Fifita brings 73 career touchdown passes; Bachmeier already owns a 12-win season and last year’s comeback against Arizona. [S3/S4/S6/S7/S8/S9]
Stat comparison
| Metric | Arizona 2026 | BYU 2026 | Arizona 2025 rank | BYU 2025 rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 35.0 (No. 56*) | 63.0 (No. 9*) | No. 44 | No. 27 |
| Points allowed per game | 7.0 (No. 25*) | 7.0 (No. 25*) | No. 19 | No. 16 |
| Yards per game | 520.0 (No. 34*) | 521.0 (No. 33*) | No. 42 | No. 55 |
| Yards allowed per game | 193.0 (No. 26*) | 184.0 (No. 24*) | No. 19 | No. 35 |
| Passing yards per game | 314.0 (No. 30*) | 213.0 (No. 77*) | No. 36 | No. 74 |
| Passing yards allowed per game | 200.0 (No. 75*) | 135.0 (No. 42*) | No. 7 | No. 50 |
| Turnover margin | -2 (No. 107*) | +4 (No. 2*) | No. 3 | No. 20 |
*The 2026 ranking is based on the 131 teams who had played by Saturday night. We did not wait on the Sunday and Monday college football games to publish the majority of our previews. [S10]
Players to watch
- Arizona — Noah Fifita: He completed 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, then sat for most of the fourth quarter. Arizona’s fifth-year quarterback is the player most equipped to handle a road conference opener. [S2/S3/S7]
- BYU — Legend Glasker: The true freshman scored three touchdowns on only five touches—two receiving scores and a rushing touchdown. His debut gives Arizona a new problem that was not on last year’s BYU film. [S4/S5/S8]
Looking for a prediction?
I make final predictions on my TikTok/YouTube/Instagram/Facebook pages @uthinkuknowsports.
Sources
- S1: ESPN Arizona-BYU game page and DraftKings feed
- S2: Arizona official Northern Arizona final game center
- S3: ESPN/AP Northern Arizona-Arizona recap and box score
- S4: BYU official 63-7 Utah Tech recap
- S5: ESPN/AP Utah Tech-BYU recap and box score
- S6: BYU official 2026 schedule, series history and 2025 rematch summary
- S7: Arizona official 2026 football roster
- S8: BYU official 2026 football roster
- S9: BYU official 33-27 double-overtime win at Arizona recap
- S10: SportsDataverse/ESPN 2025 team-summary source
- S11: Arizona official football press box and weekly-note hub
- S12: BYU official football game-day media center
- S13: BYU official year-by-year football results
Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.
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