In case you missed it, the Bobcats from Bozeman routed Utah Tech this past week in St. George. The final was 54-0.

If the Cougars of Kalani Sitake can also beat Utah Tech by a similar margin, they too could be seen as a serious contender also for the FCS Championship this year. Unfortunately, despite BYU listed as a 55-point favorite they are not playing for the FCS Championship. They are looking for the College Football Playoffs.

The bad news is that even with a convincing win over the Trailblazers, we still won’t know if BYU will be a serious contender for a CFP National Championship.

I base that on the fact that despite winning the FCS National Championship last year, Montana State, when facing Oregon last season in Eugene to open their season lost to the Ducks 59-13.

Based on the current ticket prices for the BYU vs. Utah Tech game, this contest is certainly not a worthless encounter between the two teams, but it is definitely not a defining test of just how good the Cougars are or could be.

Continuing to use Oregon as the judge, jury and justification, next week’s game against Arizona should be a better barometer. Just like Montana State, the last time the Wildcats played the Ducks was in Tucson in 2022. Oregon whipped Arizona 49-22.

Here’s the good news about playing Utah Tech in Provo. You can go to the bank on the result of the contest being better than playing Oregon anywhere, Provo or Eugene.

Below demonstrates by statistics just how lopsided the MSU vs UT Tech was.

Flushing, Flush and Flushed?

The two Kohlers on the left are designed to be flushed.

The Kohler on the right makes the BYU Basketball roster flush with talent.

However, a circuit judge in California can still flush them all based on the A.I. response below.

Can a Judge Still Make Jaxon Kohler Ineligible to Play Again?

Yes — but only under very specific circumstances.

Jaxon Kohler currently has a fifth year of NCAA eligibility granted by a California state court injunction that also gives him a temporary restraining order and a window to enter the transfer portal. This separate California ruling means he is eligible to play for BYU in the 2026–27 season.

However, that eligibility is not absolute. The only way Kohler could lose it is if his California injunction is stayed or reversed on appeal. If the court in California changes its decision, he would no longer be protected and could be barred from playing again.

Separately, a federal injunction from Colorado Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted extra years to all athletes in the 2022 recruiting class, but that ruling has been paused by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. That means the federal protection is currently in limbo, but it does not affect Kohler’s California ruling.

Is This What BYU Needs To Flush Away Their Current, Clogged and Convoluted Athletic Department Issues?

The big question is who has the authority to crank the handle and make the current athletic department sewage go away.

You can buy the clog remover above at Lowes for $20. Unfortunately, you can bet that unclogging BYU’s current athletic department sewage scenario will cost millions more regardless of how and when they do it.

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Yesterday, I mentioned the opening betting line of Kalani Sitake and Brian Santiago facing off in a fist bump contest at the stadium before the Cougars first game of this season.

Game over. Sitake is the winner. His victory should and actually did give him a big jump in the BYU athletic department top 10 rankings.

The Deseret News broke the news today and you can read about it by Clicking Here.

I found the article very interesting and well done. It was written by the Deseret News top sport writer Dick Harmon. What I found extremely interesting was that the byline also included the Deseret News religion writer Tad Walch. Harmon is the ultimate insider when it comes to BYU Sports. More interesting to me, however, is that Walch is extremely well connected with the upper levels of the LDS Church administration and reports extremely well on the ultimate decision makers of anything concerning the Church.

Just my opinion, but with his byline attached to the article, it implies to me that this reported decision went to the very and ultimate top decision makers for BYU athletics. Feel free to draw your own conclusions, but in my opinion, this was not a middle management decision, but something that had to have approval from the very top of Church administration.

Compliments

The best compliment I have every received in my life is when I occasionally have been told I remind those giving the compliment of my dad.

That compliment also could apply to some current BYU football players.

I’m referring to current wide receiver Kyle Kasper and his father Kevin Kasper. He starred at Iowa and had a good NFL career.

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In case you have missed it, Kalani Sitake is letting his agent take care of it and Brian Santiago appears to be in the witness protection program.

Against Utah Tech, I predict that Kalshi will have a pregame on the field fist bump between Sitake and Santiago at 0-1.

Kalshi is a U.S. - regulated prediction market platform where users trade contracts on the outcomes of real-world events.

They are a federally regulated exchange in the United States, founded in 2018 by MIT graduates Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara, and publicly launched in 2021. It allows users to buy and sell event contracts tied to yes-or-no questions about future events, such as election results, sports outcomes, economic indicators, or cultural milestones. Each contract is priced between $0.01 and $0.99, reflecting the market’s collective probability assessment. If the event occurs, the contract pays $1; if not, it pays $0, with profits or losses determined by the difference between purchase price and payout.

The two participants, Sitake and Santiago, if history and tradition continue, will both be on the field during either a pregame or post-game connection as the photo below shows.

And both are familiar with a fist bump as shown below.

Hopefully the two are mature enough for a little make up.

Here’s hoping that Sitake, Santiago and all the rest of their gangs can put a little make up on themselves to make what appears to be a phenomenal football season even more spectacular.

And if we forgot, money, with a little makeup, covers up a lot of discrepancies and distractions.

At this late stage of my personal life, if me having mass amounts of money was wagered on Kalshi would be an event that is completely unattainable — meaning it is logically impossible, violates known laws of physics, or is so absurd that no trader would believe it could occur — the Yes side (the side that pays $1 if the event happens) would have a price very close to $0.00, which would also describe my net worth.

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: breach of peace or concord

rapture

: an expression or manifestation of ecstasy or passion

It’s just my opinion, but BYU athletics and its fan base have experienced both of these definitions in the last 2 weeks. All reportedly because of the same guy.

Reportedly, the rapture came last night when BYU Basketball landed a much-needed center for the team in Jackson Kohler, an LDS transfer from Michigan State. Trust me, finances were part of the deal.

Reportedly, the rupture came a couple of weeks ago when Kalani Sitake mentioned that the BYU football program wasn’t receiving the finances they were promised during his contract extension a few months back.

Both of those allegations (good or bad) are aimed at the same guy. That would reportedly be BYU athletic director Brian Santiago.

Since this Brian brouhaha started two weeks ago, Santiago has either gone into the John Wayne Mode, or the witness protection program, probably at the request of his employment superiors.

Can the Same Person Elicit Two Different Emotions at Once?

Yes — it is both possible and common for a single person to experience two different emotions at the same time. This is known as a mixed or dual emotional state, and it’s a normal, measurable part of human experience.

I’m excited for the signing of Jackson Kohler for basketball but disturbed by the lack of promised funding for football as claimed by Kalani Sitake.

On the other hand, I am totally excited that BYU Basketball now has their version of Bear Bachmeier on its roster. And Brian Santiago was a very important part of that deal happening. Rapture or Wrap Your head around that one.

Iterations and interactions are not spelled so differently. The more guys you put in the same room as employees, employers and or empire builders, enmity, in all its stages, usually rears its ugly head.

But as Al Davis, the legendary owner of the Oakland Raiders said, “Just win, baby”. That same slogan now applies to BYU athletics and especially its two profitable programs. Just Win Baby and all this extra-curricular activity and anxiety will quickly dissipate and eventually disappear.

But Heaven help us if BYU football opens the season with a 2-4 start.

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It was just the first scrimmage of BYU’s fall camp and all we were shown is the edited 3-minute clip below.

To borrow from NASA, is the BYU defense going to be a problem or is this offense Kalani Sitake and Aaron Roderick’s finest offensive hour yet?

Okay, it’s just the first controlled scrimmage of fall camp, but from the perspective of an obviously edited 3-minute clip the BYU offense was better than the BYU defense.

All of which, including the season opener in Provo against Utah Tech, doesn’t mean…

diddly-squat

noun

slang

: the least amount: anything at all

BYU’s problems or proficiency will be revealed the second Saturday of the season when they face Arizona in Provo.

Just my opinion, but I counted 9 touchdowns by the offense. In fairness, I also counted several key defensive players sitting safely on the sidelines.

The offensive reviews of the scrimmage were given by Bear Bachmeier and Bruce Mitchell.

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It’s up to you to figure out in the current BYU athletic drama which BYU athletic employee is Tom Cruise, and which is Cuba Gooding Jr.

The movie poster below, in my opinion, is what the BYU remake of Jerry McQuire, would look like.

It features a protagonist, antagonist and peace officer in the starring roles. That would be athletic director Brian Santiago, football coach Kalani Sitake and BYU President Shane Reese.

You get to decide who is cast in each role.

Just be advised that regardless of how this script/movie turns out, it will require an expensive budget to have this movie with a happy ending for all involved.

Football has become an expensive enterprise. Even for the big boys.

Below is segment of a press briefing a few days ago from Jay Hill, Michigan’s current defensive coach. Even the big boys are facing the facts of money as it pertains to college football and recruiting. Click on the video and then click on the download icon to see video.

Speaking of Movies…

I rarely go to a theatre to view movies anymore because it is much easier to watch them at home.

The refreshments are cheaper and I don’t have to watch 30 minutes of previews of upcoming movies or dramas.

Speaking of previews, I did just see one this week regarding BYU’s athletic administration?

Click Here.

I’m no Hercule Poirot…

But below are some of his explanations for figuring out what is really happening these days with BYU’s Athletic Department and teams.

• “It is the brain, the little gray cells on which one must rely. One must seek the truth within - not without.” - Poirot highlights the importance of reasoning over mere observation in solving mysteries.

• “The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.” – A reflection of his logical approach to seemingly unsolvable cases

• “Order and method are the qualities of a good detective.” – Emphasizing his meticulous and systematic investigative style

• “Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend.” – A philosophical observation on human relationships and crime

• “I do not argue with obstinate people. I act in spite of them.” – Demonstrating his decisiveness and confidence in his methods

• “The truth is always in the details.” – Poirot’s insistence on careful observation and attention to minutiae

• “I, Hercule Poirot, am not amused.” – A signature expression of his personality, often used to convey disapproval or irony

• “If the little grey cells are not exercised, they grow the rust.” – A reminder of the necessity of mental discipline and constant use of intellect

• “Ah, but life is like that! It does not permit you to arrange and order it as you will. It will not permit you to escape emotion, to live by the intellect and by reason!” – Reflecting his awareness of human emotion and the limits of logic

• “Use your eyes. Use your ears. Use your brains—if you’ve got any. And, if necessary - act.” – A practical guide to observation and action in detective work

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Based on the early reports and videos of the start of BYU fall football practice, one of the three words above will end up being an accurate description of the current Cougar football team and season.

See for yourself with the videos below.

The whole video below is complimentary to BYU football, but the good part starts at 9:55 and goes to 12.15.

Earlier in the video Poppinga mentions that the improvement in pay and talent has kept some staff members on board. He cites one staff member being pursued by Ohio State yet sticking with the Cougars. Listen at 6:24 to 7:38.

Even Ron McBride in the video below, has an impressive opinion about BYU football in general and Bear Bachmeier in particular.

Even Brooks and Dunn are on the BYU Football Bandwagon and sing about Kalani and his Cougars.

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What we don’t know is how they will play, respond and compete against teams on their upcoming schedule that also have multiple potential NFL Players on their rosters.

Notre Dame immediately comes to mind.

According to AI, below is a list of potential Notre Dame NFL draft picks for the 2027 draft next year.

Based on way-too-early 2027 NFL mock drafts, Notre Dame has at least 16 players with projected draft appearances. These projections come from multiple outlets and vary in round, but they represent the breadth of talent the program is expected to have ready for the April 2027 draft.

Key projected prospects

• QB CJ Carr – Multiple mocks project him as a 1st-round pick.

• CB Leonard Moore – Also projected in the 1st round in most mocks.

• S Brauntae Johnson – Listed as a 1st-round prospect in some mocks.

• LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa – Projected in the 2nd round in most mocks.

• OT Anthonie Knapp – Projected in the 3rd round.

• EDGE Boubacar Traore – Projected in the 4th round.

• CB Christian Gray – Projected in the 4th round.

• S Charles Jagusah – Projected in the 5th round.

• S Adon Shuler – Projected in the 5th round.

• CB DJ McKinney – Projected in the 5th round.

• WR Jaden Greathouse – Projected in the 6th round.

• LB Drayk Bowen – Projected in the 7th round.

• WR Jordan Faison – Listed with a few mock appearances.

• EDGE Keon Keeley – Listed with a few mock appearances.

• TE Cooper Flanagan – Listed with a single mock appearance.

• LB Jaylen Sneed – Listed with a few mock appearances.

Context

• Some analysts, like Dane Brugler, have identified 11 players with “draftable grades” on the current roster.

• The 2027 class is expected to be stacked, with multiple first-round names and depth across the board.

• However, these are early projections, and many players may not declare or be selected, so the actual number of draftees could be lower.

In summary: Notre Dame is projected to have 16 potential 2027 NFL draft picks across multiple rounds, with several elite names expected in the top tiers of the draft.

Now according to another 2027 potential NFL draft projection, below is their evaluation of BYU draft prospects.

BYU Cougars

9 NFL Prospective drafted players in 2027 - based on predictions from college football writers

LJ Martin - Cade Uluave - Isaiah Glasker - Walker Lyons -Keanu Tanuvasa - Hunter Clegg - Tausili Akana - Justin Kirkland - Andrew Gentry

The bottom line is that BYU will be facing Notre Dame, a team if I was classifying them like baseball teams, they would be an NFL version of a Major League’s AAA minor league team. Texas Tech would also qualify. BYU won’t face them unless they make a repeat appearance in the Big 12 Championship game.

I consider Arizona, TCU, Utah to be AA opponents. All three have talent, but not yet enough to make it to the AAA top of the conference with Texas Tech and BYU.

Which brings up the 26-minute YouTube video below of BYU playing the Houston Cougars at the NFL’s Reliant Stadium in that same city in 2013 relevant.

Both teams had NFL talent. BYU had Taysom Hill, Jamal Williams, Kyle Van Noy, Bronson Kaufusi, Dan Sorensen, Kai Nacua and Michael Davis on their roster. And just my opinion, Cody Hoffman should have been an NFL player.

Houston had William Jackson III, Elandon Roberts, Greg Ward Jr., Kenneth Farrow, Demarcus Ayers and Richie Leone on their side of the field. All of them, from both teams would get NFL paychecks.

If you want a sneak peak of what talent vs. talent will look like this year during BYU’s football schedule, check it out below. Here is hoping we will see a sequel in LaVell Edwards Stadium against Notre Dame.

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It could be worse. After googling Chat GPT I asked which college football team has had the most players arrested over the last 10 years. Below is the response to my query.

There isn’t a definitive, authoritative database that tracks every FBS college football player arrest over the last 10 years, so no verified answer exists for that exact question.

The closest widely cited analysis was conducted by former journalist Mike Rosenberg using ArrestNation data. It covered roughly 2010–2015, but not the last decade. In that study:

Rank-Team-Arrests (2010–2015)

1.Washington State Cougars football - 31

2.Florida Gators football - 24

T-3. Georgia Bulldogs football-22 and Texas A&M Aggies football - 22

T-6. Missouri Tigers football-20 and Ole Miss Rebels football - 20

Since then, no comprehensive national database has continued tracking arrests by program. College football fans sometimes referenced the satirical “Fulmer Cup,” but it was retired and was never intended as an official statistical record.

I found the latest “Fulmer Cup,” but it was from 2019. The schools were: 1. Bryant - 28 arrests. 2. Georgia Southern - 27 arrests. 3. Nebraska - 22 arrests. 4. New Hampshire - 20 arrests. 5. Georgia -12 arrests. 6. UTEP - 11 arrests. 7. Mississippi State -10 arrests. 8. Nichols State - 7 arrests. 9. ULM - 7 arrests. 10. Washington State - 7 arrests.

I actually found some arrests of some notable BYU football players from years ago that I either didn’t know about or had forgotten them. See, old age actually does have some unexpected advantages for both me and those players.

In more recent years, some programs—notably Georgia Bulldogs football—have received significant media attention for repeated driving-related arrests and citations, but that does not mean they have the highest total number of arrests nationwide over the last decade.

So if your question is “Which team has the most arrests over the last 10 years?”, the most accurate answer is:

No one knows with certainty, because no organization has maintained a complete national arrest database for college football programs during that period.

So the Big Question Is?

Does the arrest result in BYU’s arrested development for this coming season?

The Big Answer Is?

NO! At most, for his weight, despite his unquestionable quickness and speed, he would be a special team player and 4th quarter player because of his lack of bulk that he reportedly has been trying to increase for over a year.

Speaking arrests, BYU opponents on the football schedule also have had their issues. Only Utah Tech didn’t show any football arrests, that I could find.

Speaking of Felonies…

I personally think that Kalani has a football team that won’t have to steal a spot in the College Football playoffs.

At the risk of being labeled a “homer or honk”, barring a couple of key injuries, this team is loaded and good enough to solicit plenty of larceny claims from Big 10 and SEC teams this season accusing the Cougars of stealing their spots in the playoff picture.

Kim Carnes sang that she had “Betty Davis Eyes”.

Hans Olsen, the BYU Cougars Football Analyst, doesn’t sing, but he does say that new left tackle transfer from Washington, Paki Finau, has Peni Sewell feet. Trust me that is a big-time asset for BYU’s offensive line.

Sewell is originally from Orem but played at Oregon and has been an all-pro tackle for years.

Here is the video of Olson’s assessment. His evaluation of the transfers BYU brought in begins at the 16:56 mark and ends at the 24:00 mark. The rest of the video is also extremely interesting,

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Three things come to mind.

1. Martha and the Vandellas

2. Blythe, California, my hometown where I grew up.

3. The upcoming 2026 BYU Football Season.

With fall camp just a few days away, the one way to keep a fire from spreading is by covering it up.

Right now, BYU Football is just a preseason kitchen fire according to the national press and prognosticators. A Semi dangerous opponent but easily put out by the big boys of college football.

To become a nationally covered and recognized as a legitimate “wildfire” on the national college football scene, the Cougars need to conflagrate instead of being conflagrated against Notre Dame October 17 in Provo at Lavell Edwards Stadium.

The BYU defense is good enough and deep enough to keep this game from being a blowout game for either side. That leaves it up to the BYU offense to be good enough to get at least 24 points. It will take three touchdowns and a field goal for the Cougars to keep Smokey the Bear and BYU football fans happy.

Regardless of who wins this game, the team that loses will have to endure the following chant.

These days the heat waves and headlines for BYU football are centered on Bear Bachmeier and LJ Martin. Rightfully so. Both are outstanding athletes and are needed to keep the Cougar offense competitive. Barring injury, both should have great seasons.

I found it interesting that of the 32 players selected in the first round of the recent NFL draft, 18 were either offensive line or defensive line players.

The NFL and BYU both recognize that the games are still won and lost at the line of scrimmage.

So do I, even though I probably suffered several heat strokes being reared in Blythe, I’ve watched enough football to know you are only as good as you are on the line of scrimmage.

I am convinced that BYU will bring the heat against Notre Dame October 17 in Provo. So will Blythe. Last year on October 17 the high was 95 and the low was 75.

I would take those numbers if they were the final basketball score between BYU and San Diego State December 19 in Palm Springs, which is just 117 miles from Blythe.

Michigan State and Gonzaga will also face off against each other in a game before the Cougars and Aztecs.

Here is BYU’s recently released non-conference basketball schedule.

Below is the full state of games. The exhibition games do not count against the regular season record.

• 10/16 – vs Nebraska in Provo (exhibition)

• 10/24 – at UNLV in Las Vegas (exhibition)

• 11/2 – vs Ohio State in SLC

• 11/6 – vs Omaha in Provo

• 11/10 – vs Queens in Provo

• 11/12- vs Montana State in Provo

• 11/18 – vs Northern Colorado in Provo

• 11/23-11/25 – 3 games in Maui Invitational; Field includes Arizona, Washington, VCU, Providence, Ole Miss, Colorado State, Clemson

• 12/5 – vs Northwestern in SLC

• 12/9 – vs Utah State in Provo

• 12/12 – vs Cal State Fullerton in Provo

• 12/15 – vs Weber State in Provo

• 12/19 – vs San Diego State in Palm Springs

• 12/22 – vs La Salle in Provo

And here’s a recent video that will give good vibes for BYU Basketball

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He didn’t play a down for the Cougars and redshirted his freshman and only season in Provo. From there, he returned to a juco in California, The College of the Canyons, and played two seasons.

Then he had a one season stint at Northern Arizona and then moved on for another season at Texas Southern. Last season found him at Western Kentucky.

He had one more year to play college football, but WKU didn’t bring him back for his last season. Click Here and Click Here for the less than sunny and more slimy side of college football.

Okay, sorry for a sordid story of one college football player who made a cameo appearance in Provo with the BYU football team. I barely remember his signing with the Cougars.

What caught my eye in these two accounts was the following paragraph in the CBS story:

Vaka wasn't a high-profile transfer -- he played 171 snaps in 2025, and WKU signed him for $2,000 a month, per Jefferson -- and his text with the GM in May indicated the Hilltoppers were worried about Vaka maintaining his weight.

I checked the cost of tuition for out of state students at Western Kentucky and found the following:

The 2025 tuition & fees of Western Kentucky University are $11,652 for Kentucky residents and $27,000 for out-of-state students which would include Vaka.

According to my math, WKU, including tuition and $2,000 per month in football salary, was ponying up $51,000 a year to have Vaka on their roster.

According to my count from last year’s roster, they had 89 players from outside the state of Kentucky. Assuming Vaka was a run of the mill roster guy from out of state, there were in my estimation at least 20-25 players likely to be making much more than Vaka was. You can do the math yourself on the approximate roster money that was needed to accomplish the results of WKU last year shown below.

Which brings me back to speculation on spending for a roster, especially BYU’s current football roster.

I’m sure it isn’t in the same tax bracket as USC, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and now, evidently Indiana and the 10-20 other schools that I could have mentioned, but I’ll bet it’s closer than most of us realize.

College sports are now professional sports. College ticket prices for those sports are also more professional like but not there just yet.

Average NFL Ticket Price in 2026

In 2026, the average NFL ticket price for a regular-season game is around $110–$163, with most fans paying in the $150–$200 range for mid‑tier seats, and premium matchups or prime seats exceeding $1,000.

Typical Cost Ranges

Regular‑season single game: $40–$1,000+ depending on team, opponent, and seating tier

Average total cost (base + fees/taxes): $163 on average, with most in the $150–$200 band

Low end: $49–$70 for budget seats or less popular matchups

High end: $1,165+ for prime seats, marquee opponents, or premium venues

Playoff & Special Game Pricing

Wild Card round: $200+ average

Conference finals: $350+ average

Super Bowl: $800+ average, with some seats exceeding $2,500

Example 2026 Team Averages

Dallas Cowboys (AT&T Stadium): ~$280 average

Kansas City Chiefs (Arrowhead Stadium): ~$300 average

Green Bay Packers (Lambeau Field): ~$290 average

Buffalo Bills (Highmark Stadium): ~$250 average

Bottom line: For most 2026 NFL games, budget $150–$200 for a mid‑tier seat but expect $200+ for popular teams or playoff games, and $1,000+ for the best seats or marquee matchups.

BYU Ticket Office Single Tickets

Assuming you bought one ticket for the six games above and were able to get a single for Notre Dame at $300, your ticket purchases ($1,110) would only have been able to pay Vaca’s WKU football monthly wage (NIL) for just over two weeks.

Thank goodness BYU has a good and solvent supply in their fan base and alumni of what’s shown below.

It’s called a booster. I’ve used it to charge my battery, start my car, and add enough air in a tire until I can get it fixed and or get home. My booster is named DeWalt.

I don’t, however, know the names of all the BYU Athletic Boosters. I know the names of some, and so do you, but I can guarantee we don’t know the names of all of them.

As mentioned above, my booster is named DeWALT. BYU Athletics, without its boosters, bless their hearts and cash, would be named Defunct.

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In my opinion it is much more likely that I will be invited to speak at an LDS General Conference than it is that BYU will be invited to join the Big 10 Conference.

Yet a podcaster suggested last week that the Big 10 and BYU have had talks about that improbable possibility.

It’s not that I don’t have experience in giving church talks. While cleaning out some files recently, I found a drawer full of talks I have given. I stopped counting at 50 and started categorizing into 3 groups. Good, Bad and what was I thinking?

If you are interested in my what was I thinking category, you can now find those in the local land fill.

That said, I still think the chances of me speaking at General Conference are higher than BYU’s chances of being invited to the Big 10 Conference.

Speaking of Church talks, several years ago I gave a few of them just 50 yards away from a Big 10 campus. Those talks were delivered while serving with my wife as missionaries in the Michigan State University LDS Institute.

With that resume and my previous proximity to the East Lansing campus, I think the chances of me being invited to become the commissioner of the Big 10 are greater than the chances of BYU being invited to be an athletic member of the Big 10.

I won’t definitely say BYU will never be invited to the Big 10. I base that on how I thought before the year 1984. I never thought a BYU football coach would speak at General Conference. I was wrong as evidenced below.

I still have a very hard time envisioning BYU in the Big 10, but who knows, we all have to start somewhere. I have actually been inside the Conference Center multiple times so I’m aware of where the pulpit is located.

That’s a start, but my only chance to speak from that pulpit is if I go back to college, get an accounting degree, become a certified accountant and get hired by the Church to work in their financial department and then rise to the top and take the job of the guy who gives the accounting report of Church funds from the pulpit every year. Yes, that guy below.

Now we need that same guy to audit BYU Basketball and find out what the policy is going to be in signing a big man for this season’s roster. If he answers that question, then he can tell us exactly what BYU’s NIL budget is, what the Bachmeier brothers are showing on their W2’s and how much the assistant student manager from Poughkeepsie is pocketing per hour.

Speaking of W2’s, that isn’t short for 2 wins for BYU football this season. This team is loaded with money in the bank and players and performers on the field.

I don’t know what their NIL value and paychecks are and what they are reporting for taxes, but I would hope the six players who repped BYU at the Big 12 Media Days all have good tax attorneys.

BYU isn’t exactly hurting for revenue from its membership in the Big 12 or in the really good football players department shown above.

For that to continue and consistently improve so does the performance on the field and court and the printing press and what it spits out.

So far, Kalani Sitake, Kevin Young and the Ben Franklins from donors and supporters are making plenty of noise and notoriety for BYU athletics. Turns out both of the two coaches will likely be speaking at General Conference before I do.

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He wouldn’t be alone. Every other sportswriter seems to also be in love with BYU and their chances for a successful season and even legitimate long shot chance to dethrone Texas Tech.

I’m not there yet. Remember Dickens also wrote Tale of Two Cities and BYU had the tale of Two Losses to the Red Raiders last season.

Dickens also penned David Copperfield. That book is not to be confused with the current day magician David Copperfield who once made the Statue of Liberty disappear. * (See below for how he did it.)

BYU doesn’t need his help. The Big 12 made Texas Tech disappear from BYU’s current football schedule this season. The only way the two teams will meet this year is if both qualify for the league’s championship game in Dallas at the regular season end.

It will take some major Copperfield magic however for the Big 12 to get 2 teams into the post season playoffs. I spell BYU M-A-G-I-C as beating Notre Dame in Provo.

The Cougars have already had 6 players selected by the media as Preseason All-Big 12 Players. Texas Tech had 7.

BYU’s Six Players Named to 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Team

BYU has six players on the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team, led by senior running back LJ Martin, who was named the conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

The Six BYU Honorees

• LJ Martin (RB, Sr.) – 6’2”, 225 lbs. from El Paso, TX. Coming off a 2025 season where he won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year with 1,305 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, helping BYU to a 12-2 record and a Big 12 Championship Game berth.

• Bruce Mitchell (OL, Sr.) – 6’4”, 305 lbs. from Kamas, UT. Rimington Trophy candidate in 2025, anchoring BYU’s offensive line and earning All-Big 12 honors.

• Keanu Tanuvasa (DL, Sr.) – Team captain and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2025, starting all 14 games.

• Cade Uluave (LB, Sr.) – Transfer from Cal, All-ACC First Team in 2025 with 237 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 INTs, and 2 fumbles forced.

• Evan Johnson (CB, Sr.) – 6’1”, 185 lbs. from Monterey, CA. Finished 2025 with 47 tackles, 5 INTs, a sack, and 7 passes defensed.

• Faletau Satuala (S, Jr.) – Junior safety who helped BYU’s defense rank top 10 in interceptions (17) and defensive TDs (3) in 2025.

*

In 1983, David Copperfield famously made the Statue of Liberty “disappear” on live television.

In April 1983, Copperfield performed the illusion during a CBS special titled The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears, watched by approximately 50 million viewers. The live audience was seated on Liberty Island facing the 305-foot-tall statue. Copperfield raised a giant curtain to obscure the statue, and when it was lowered, the Statue of Liberty appeared to vanish, leaving the audience and viewers at home stunned.

The key to the trick was audience misdirection and perspective manipulation rather than moving the statue itself. The audience sat on a slowly rotating platform, which shifted their viewpoint imperceptibly while the curtain was up. Spotlights and a helicopter were used to maintain consistent lighting, masking the rotation and hiding the statue behind one of the supporting pillars. Additional lights and props created the illusion that the statue had disappeared completely. When the curtain was raised again, the platform rotated back, revealing the statue in its original position.

Texas Tech is Still BYU’s Statue of Liberty

The Cougars had a magical season last year. It was fun but not good enough to dethrone the manpower of Tech. The Red Raiders, even without Brendon Soresby is like the Statue of Liberty. Both are still standing and very formidable.

Magic didn’t work last season. Consequently, Kalani Sitake and staff went and recruited matching manpower. The Notre Dame game will tell us if it was enough to match the Irish and Texas Tech. If so, it should be good enough for a conference championship and a berth in the playoffs.

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Yes, despite a rest your starters loss for the Red, White and Blue yesterday in World Cup play against Turkey, the USA is still my Babe Ruth call your shot favorite to make their deepest run ever in World Cup play this July.

With my one eye firmly entrenched and enchanted by the USA’s soccer performance, the other eye is just as excited glancing and gloating on what is happening concurrently with BYU football and basketball recruiting as they fill their cups with some high-quality prospects and players.

For BYU, it’s the PPPP principle. Recruit enough Prospects, that are legitimate Players, and making the Playoffs is Possible.

This especially holds true for basketball in the Big 12 arena. Thanks to the info from CoPilot search for the info below.

The Big 12 Conference set a record with nine first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, including the first two overall selections.

Historic Draft Performance

The Big 12 had a record-breaking night in the 2026 NBA Draft, with nine players selected in the first round, surpassing the previous record of seven first-rounders in 2010. This marked the first time in conference history that Big 12 players were selected with the first two overall picks. The conference also had four players in the top 10, highlighting its strength as a premier college basketball league.

Top Big 12 Picks

• No. 1 – AJ Dybantsa, BYU, Washington Wizards: Freshman forward, averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-America honors.

• No. 2 – Darryn Peterson, Kansas, Utah Jazz: Freshman guard, averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, overcoming early-season cramping issues to become a top prospect.

• No. 8 – Kingston Flemings, Houston, Atlanta Hawks: Guard, averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds, becoming the first freshman in Houston history to earn All-America honors.

• No. 10 – Brayden Burries, Arizona, Milwaukee Bucks: Guard, averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, contributing to Arizona’s NCAA Final Four run.

• Additional First-Round Selections

• No. 18 – Christian Anderson, Texas Tech, Charlotte Hornets: Big 12 Most Improved Player, averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds.

• No. 24 – Cameron Carr, Baylor, New York Knicks: Averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, shooting 49.4% from the field.

• No. 27 – Chris Cenac Jr., Houston, Boston Celtics: Forward, adding depth to Houston’s representation in the draft.

• No. 28 – Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State, Minnesota Timberwolves: Forward, first Cyclone selected in the first round under coach T.J. Otzelberger.

• No. 30 – Koa Peat, Arizona, Dallas Mavericks: Forward, rounding out the Big 12’s first-round presence.

• The Big 12’s nine first-round picks were the third most by any conference in NBA Draft history.

• Now throw in the second-round picks and the Big 12 basketball claim as the best conference in the country makes even more sense.

  • No. 32 – Richie Saunders (BYU): 6’5”, 200 lbs. Grizzlies

  • No. 36 – Baba Miller (Cincinnati): 6’11”, 204 lbs. Clippers

  • No. 45 – Emanuel Sharp (Houston): 6’3”, 210 lbs. Kings

  • No. 50 – Jaden Bradley (Arizona): 6’3”, 200 lbs. Raptors

Below are my Future NBA Picks and NFL Picks from the Big 12 in General and BYU in Particular

As Rob Wright III and Colin Chandler Go, So Goes BYU this Season.

As Bruce Mitchell, LJ Martin and Bear Bachmeier go, So Will Go BYU This Football Season.

And as all of the 5 mentioned above go, so will their future professional paychecks go. Yes, all of the 5 BYU Cougars shown above will, barring injury, be playing professionally after their BYU careers.

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They are all Choosing the Right Thing To Do, and it Sounds Much More Harmonious than it Did Last Week!

Heck, even Brendan Sorsby reportedly gets to sing a solo part and hit the high notes since he gets to keep his oft reported initial $5 Million NIL Deal from Tech.

No, none of the singing is done in falsetto. It’s a true tone and report from Tech.

This time last week there was a lot of chirping (what birds do) coming out of Lubbock, especially after a judicial ruling by a local judge.

Speaking of birds, some of the species (Crows) are also known for eating:

For entertainment purposes only let’s assume the last two weeks was a rerun of the TV Show The Lone Ranger. Here’s how I have it cast.

The Big 12 responded to Texas Tech with guns drawn

Tonto was a good sidekick unless he got out of hand. P.S. As a sidenote on Tonto and TT, below is the Spanish to English Translation for Tonto.

Just to be clear, that is not my personal translation or thoughts, but the Spanish to English translation I found online. It also, in my opinion, holds true in other languages.

If you are looking for a more articulate and accurate explanation of what took place over the last few days, I suggest you Click Here.

If you want a quick explanation of what happened between the Big 12 and Texas Tech, watch below. Cruz is Texas Tech; Davis is the Big 12.

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Today I will add another photo of just how expensive it has become to be a top 10 college football team.

I will save this photo to compare it to the initial preseason college football rankings. More importantly is how it will compare to the College Football Playoff Rankings at the conclusion of the season.

Speaking of the 13 who get to decide the rankings, they are shown below.

In my opinion, The College Football Playoff Committee has now added 4 new members that will help pick the playoff teams for the coming season.

They are all currently members of the Texas Seventh Court of Appeals in Amarillo. They are pictured below.

All are former Texas Tech alumni and will rule on the NCAA vs Texas Tech/Brendon Sorby judicial appeal by the NCAA to not allow Sorby to play football for the Red Raiders this season.

The only guy not in the loop is Johnny “Cash”. Too bad Cash is deceased because at its core, this judicial mess is all about “Cash” and plenty of it for all involved.

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Make no mistake, coaching is of great import. It must be, based on the million-dollar salaries of successful coaches in the college and professional ranks.

It is my opinion, however, that without talent, coaching is a much more difficult task.

Ideally, it is a combination of both that make good coaches great.

Consequently, here are my roster names that will make Kalani Sitake and Kevin Young better coaches this coming season.

Football: Bear Bachmeier and LJ Martin. Duh, I didn’t need artificial intelligence to figure this one out. The real accomplishment will be keeping both healthy, which will make both wealthy in their projected NFL futures.

Speaking of wealth and health. If Bruce Mitchell, BYU’s starting center, can keep those two healthy, he too will be wealthy thanks to an NFL future as guard/center.

There are no Willie Mays caliber wide receivers on this offense who can make the spectacular catches as evidenced by Mays robbing Vic Wertz of a hit at the Polo Grounds in 1954. I have no optical illusions/delusions about this portion of BYU’s football team.

For most BYU football fans, the Cougar fan base may think that the passing game will be an optical illusion. But there are enough receivers to make the passing game something that opposing defenses will eventually have to defend and worry about.

Defensively, there are no Jack Lambert linebackers on BYU’s roster.

But the Cougars are certainly not toothless at that position. Actually, you might say they loaded up with some very nice and talented implants. That would be Cade Uluave from Cal and Jake Clifton from Kansas State via an LDS mission to Nicaragua.

No, I didn’t forget about Isaiah Glasker. And neither will Big 12 offenses. He is a known quantity and quality.

I Have Some “INITIAL” Thoughts About BYU Basketball

I was initiated into those thoughts last season with the introduction of AJ Debantsa. I give him an A+ for what he did for BYU Basketball last season and will likely still do for the Cougars in coming years as a formidable and future NBA standout.

But what I wouldn’t give to have a Richie Saunders back on the roster next season. That could happen, in my opinion. I’m talking about Collin Chandler, the former Cougar signee who has returned from Kentucky to roost on Kevin Young’s roster.

Think Richie Saunders, but with more athleticism and a better 3-point shot.

If you forgot about how Saunders continually improved his game, check out his career stats at BYU.

I expect the same year-by-year increase and improvement from Collin Chandler.

And of Course…

The year-by-year progress of Jimmer Fredette can’t be forgotten. And no, I am not saying that Chandler will be the next Saunders or Fredette, but I do think that most BYU Basketball fans are going to be pleasantly surprised over the next two basketball seasons by Chandler’s production.

Here’s Jimmer’s 4-year stats.

And We Thought the “The Six-Million-Dollar Man” was just fiction.

Turns Out it is real in today’s recruiting of top tier college athletes.

I recommend you read the article shown below recently published in The Athletic on June 3. It is a paid subscription, but well worth the monthly bill.

If you can’t read the article, my quick synopsis is that not only has the cost of living gone up in this country, but inflation is also now impacting the legal cost of having a good to great football team.

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His butter fat content in two seasons has been outstanding. But even good milk can also be turned into sour cream.

Lactic acid sounds a lot like Lack of a Big Man.

Here’s hoping that within a few weeks/months/days BYU and Kevin Young can find a big man from Greece named Streptococcus Thermophilus and get him signed, sealed and smeared like sour cream all over the current hot potato facing Cougar Basketball at the moment.

Go Big or Go Home is not where the Cougars are now. They have a very competitive team at the present time, in my opinion. Without a big man, however, they don’t have a very competitive post season team and again will go home early from tournament play.

As a 5’9” lactic of talent writer who has been milking this newsletter for decades, I still have hope for a good and competitive BYU Basketball season, with or without a proven big man.

I can eat Shredded Wheat cereal for a few non-conference games, but like Kevin Young, I preferred Frosted Mini Wheat cereal for Big 12 and a big man post season action.

Speaking of wheats and the core of the team, with or without a big man. Since I’m already talking cereal and Cougar basketball. let’s keep the breakfast and BYU basketball player evaluation going.

Is the best-selling cereal in the country.

Rob Wright is the best player on the BYU Basketball team next season.

Wheaties is supposedly the breakfast of champions.

Collin Chandler, along with a serviceable big man, may be the cereal to keep the Cougars in the Big 12 Championship hunt.

Of course, none of these cereal Cougars will matter if Kevin Young can’t find the right milk cow in the post.

If he can’t then we will all be drinking this during the season:

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And should not be confused with the definition of Conjugal.

Which brings up the definition of Concern and or Consternation and if there should be any regarding the current states of BYU Basketball and Football.

Let’s start our Cougar consternation with Basketball. I personally don’t have any feelings of anxiety or dismay. Just impatience. In junior high school we used to diagram sentences. In case you forgot, below is what that means. The sentence in play is: The farmers gave kids their fresh vegetables.

As it pertains to BYU Basketball, substitute Kevin Young for the subject. Cash, NIL and NBA attractions and AJ Dybantsa evidence as the verb. The direct object is Cash/Money and proof that it works at BYU. The indirect object are BYU basketball fans. The article is the potential NBA career and cash. The possessive pronouns are must be big, talented and tough enough for Big 12 inside the paint duty. The adjective is not only cash, but contacts with prestigious BYU Alumni and a potential of financial security once the basketball runs out of air.

In football, the sentence below is a little more complicated to diagram.

Without Kevin Sorsby at Texas Tech, I’m betting BYU will likely be the Big 12 Football Favorite.

Here’s how I diagram that sentence.

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Both are singing the same song and lyrics…

Neither Mick Jagger nor Kevin Young can get what they want and need.

Jagger sings his blues, and Young is bleeding his blues until he can come up with a big man and post player to sign for next season.

Believe me, he has tried and tried and tried, but the lyrics are still the same. I can’t get no; I can’t get no post player that can play at a high enough level to be competitive in the Big 12 and on the national stage.

If that situation doesn’t change soon, the BYU Basketball song may become more crying and country and less rock and rolling through the Big 12 and national basketball scene.

It won’t be Linda Ronstadt bad, however.

Because there is always hope. That’s why I’m sticking with Kevin Young, his staff and the Marvelettes on this one.

If you are looking for the actual and current lyrics to BYU’s post man song, check out this article by Robbie McCombs. Click Here

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