Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 7:00 PM CT
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
TV: ESPN+
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): BYU -50.5
Over/under: 54.5

The setup

BYU is 20-0 against FCS opponents with an average score of 48.5-9.4. Utah Tech still owns the odd footnote: its 26 points in 2022 are the most BYU has ever allowed to an FCS team.

What I’m watching

Utah Tech lost 54-0 to Montana State in Week 0, with CJ Tiller and Bronson Barben combining to complete 19 of 33 for 169 yards, 0 TD and 2 INT. The early warning is only 227 total yards. BYU allowed 332.4 yards per game last season, so this is a useful chance to see whether the opener was a one-game problem.

Personnel snapshot

• A veteran FBS core: Utah Tech’s Lance Anderson is in Year 3; BYU’s Kalani Sitake is in Year 11. BYU returns 13 starters—5 on offense and 8 on defense.
• How quickly does the favorite take over: BYU averaged 33.4 points per game last season. Against Utah Tech, the personnel test is whether that advantage shows up immediately or the favorite lets a heavy underdog hang around. The offense returns 5 starters.
• The pressure test: Utah Tech used CJ Tiller and Bronson Barben at quarterback in Week 0 (19 of 33 for 169 yards, 0 TD and 2 INT); Bear Bachmeier returns as BYU’s starter (2,708 yards, 14 TD and 6 INT in 2025). The tougher first assignment belongs to CJ Tiller / Bronson Barben: BYU produced 30 sacks last season.

Three quick analysis points

• Utah Tech barely moved the ball in Week 0: Utah Tech finished its opener with only 227 total yards—169 passing and 58 rushing. That is the clearest early warning entering this matchup.
• The recent trend: Utah Tech opened with a 54-0 loss to No. 1 FCS Montana State. Its reward is a trip to No. 14 BYU, which went 12-2 last year – the schedule somehow found a steeper hill after a 54-point loss.
• The quarterback angle: BYU returns quarterback Bear Bachmeier after 3,033 passing yards, 527 rushing yards and 26 total touchdowns, plus 1,305-yard back LJ Martin. The Cougars last returned a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher together in 2009.

Prediction

I make final predictions on my TikTok/YouTube/Instagram/Facebook pages @uthinkuknowsports.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.