BYU Cougars

BYU Cougars
Current season: 2025 BYU Cougars
First season	1922
Athletic director	Tom Holmoe
Head coach	Kalani Sitake
	7th year, 52–30 (.634)
Home stadium	LaVell Edwards Stadium
Stadium capacity	64,045
Stadium surface	Natural grass
Location	Provo, Utah
Conference	Big 12 Conference
All-time history
All-time record	597–429–26 (.580)
Postseason bowl record	16–22–1 (.423)
Claimed national titles	1 (1984)
Conference titles	23
Rivalries	Utah Utes (Holy War) Utah State Aggies (The Old Wagon Wheel) Arizona Wildcats Baylor Bears
Heisman winners	1
Consensus All-Americans	Template:American college football All-Americans
Current uniform
Colors	BYU Blue and White
Fight song	The Cougar Song
Mascot	Cosmo the Cougar
Marching band	The Power of the Wasatch
Outfitter	Nike
Website	byufootball.com

The BYU Cougars football team represents Brigham Young University, located in Provo, Utah. The Cougars are a member of the FBS Big 12 Conference, which they joined in 2023. The Cougars football team won the national championship in 1984 and have a Heisman Trophy winner in veteran NFL QB Ty Detmer. Since 1965, BYU has claimed 23 conference championships and played in 30 bowl games. The Cougars play their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo and are currently coached by Kalani Sitake.

Affiliations

• 2023-present - Big 12 Conference
• 2011-2022 - NCAA FBS independent
• 1999-2010 - Mountain West Conference
• 1962-1998 - Western Athletic Conference

Seasons

2020s

Season	Coach	Record
2025	Kalani Sitake
2024	Kalani Sitake	11-2
2023	Kalani Sitake	5-7
2022	Kalani Sitake	8-5
2021	Kalani Sitake	10-3
2020	Kalani Sitake	11-1

2010s

Season	Coach	Record
2019	Kalani Sitake	7-6
2018	Kalani Sitake	7-6
2017	Kalani Sitake	4-9
2016	Kalani Sitake	9-4
2015	Bronco Mendenhall	9-4
2014	Bronco Mendenhall	8-5
2013	Bronco Mendenhall	8-5
2012	Bronco Mendenhall	8-5
2011	Bronco Mendenhall	10-3
2010	Bronco Mendenhall	7-6

2000s

Season	Coach	Record
2009	Bronco Mendenhall	11-2
2008	Bronco Mendenhall	10-3
2007	Bronco Mendenhall	11-2
2006	Bronco Mendenhall	11-2
2005	Bronco Mendenhall	6-6
2004	Gary Crowton	5-6
2003	Gary Crowton	4-8
2002	Gary Crowton	5-7
2001	Gary Crowton	12-2
2000	LaVell Edwards	6-6

1990s

Season	Coach	Record
1999	LaVell Edwards	8-4
1998	LaVell Edwards	9-5
1997	LaVell Edwards	6-5
1996	LaVell Edwards	14-1
1995	LaVell Edwards	7-4
1994	LaVell Edwards	10-3
1993	LaVell Edwards	6-6
1992	LaVell Edwards	8-5
1991	LaVell Edwards	8-3-2
1990	LaVell Edwards	10-3

1980s

Season	Coach	Record
1989	LaVell Edwards	10-3
1988	LaVell Edwards	9-4
1987	LaVell Edwards	9-4
1986	LaVell Edwards	8-5
1985	LaVell Edwards	11-3
1984	LaVell Edwards	13-0
1983	LaVell Edwards	11-1
1982	LaVell Edwards	8-4
1981	LaVell Edwards	11-2
1980	LaVell Edwards	12-1

1970s

Season	Coach	Record
1979	LaVell Edwards	11-1
1978	LaVell Edwards	9-4
1977	LaVell Edwards	9-3
1976	LaVell Edwards	9-3
1975	LaVell Edwards	6-5
1974	LaVell Edwards	7-4-1
1973	LaVell Edwards	5-6
1972	LaVell Edwards	7-4
1971	Tommy Hudspeth
1970	Tommy Hudspeth

1960s

Season	Coach	Record
1969	Tommy Hudspeth
1968	Tommy Hudspeth
1967	Tommy Hudspeth
1966	Tommy Hudspeth
1965	Tommy Hudspeth
1964	Tommy Hudspeth
1963	Hal Mitchell
1962	Hal Mitchell
1961	Hal Mitchell
1960	Tally Stevens

Championships

National championships

In 1984, BYU was awarded a consensus National Championship.

Year	Coach	Selectors	Record	Bowl	Result	Final AP	Final Coaches
1984	Lavell Edwards	AP, Billingsley, Football Research, FW, National Championship Foundation, National Football Foundation, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI, USA/CNN	13–0	Holiday	W 24–17 vs. Michigan	No. 1	No. 1

Conference championships

Season	Conference	Coach	Overall record	Conference record
1965	Western Athletic Conference	Tommy Hudspeth	6–4	4–1
1974		Lavell Edwards	7–4–1	6–0–1
1976†		Lavell Edwards	9–3	6–1
1977†		Lavell Edwards	9–2	6–1
1978		Lavell Edwards	9–4	5–1
1979		Lavell Edwards	11–1	7–0
1980		Lavell Edwards	12–1	6–1
1981		Lavell Edwards	11–2	7–1
1982		Lavell Edwards	8–4	7–1
1983		Lavell Edwards	11–1	7–0
1984		Lavell Edwards	13–0	8–0
1985†		Lavell Edwards	11–3	7–1
1989		Lavell Edwards	10–3	7–1
1990		Lavell Edwards	10–3	7–1
1991		Lavell Edwards	8–3–2	7–0–1
1992†		Lavell Edwards	8–5	6–2
1993†		Lavell Edwards	6–6	6–2
1995†		Lavell Edwards	7–4	6–2
1996		Lavell Edwards	14–1	10–0
1999†	Mountain West Conference	Lavell Edwards	8–4	5–2
2001		Gary Crowton	12–2	7–0
2006		Bronco Mendenhall	11–2	8–0
2007		Bronco Mendenhall	11–2	8–0

† Co-champions

Division championships

BYU has won two division championships, both in the Western Athletic Conference.

Season	Division	Coach	Opponent	CG result
1996	WAC - Mountain	LaVell Edwards	Wyoming	W 28–25OT
1998†	WAC - Pacific		Air Force	L 13–20

† Co-champions

Bowl games

BYU has made 40 bowl appearances with a record of 17–22–1. They have played in the Holiday Bowl (4–6–1), the Cotton Bowl Classic (1–0), the Las Vegas Bowl (3–3), the Copper Bowl (1–0), the Alamo Bowl (1-0) the Tangerine/Citrus Bowl (0–2), the Freedom Bowl (1–1), the Liberty Bowl (0–2), the Aloha Bowl (0–1), the Fiesta Bowl (0–1), the Motor City Bowl (0–1), the All-American Bowl (0–1), the New Mexico Bowl (2–0), the Armed Forces Bowl (1–0), the Poinsettia Bowl (2–0), Fight Hunger Bowl (0–1), the Miami Beach Bowl (0–1), the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (1–0), Hawaii Bowl (0–1), Boca Raton Bowl (1–0), and the Independence Bowl (0-1).

No.	Date	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1	December 28, 1974	Fiesta Bowl †	Oklahoma State	L 6–16
2	December 18, 1976	Tangerine Bowl	Oklahoma State	L 21–49
3	December 22, 1978	Holiday Bowl	Navy	L 16–23
4	December 21, 1979	Holiday Bowl	Indiana	L 37–38
5	December 19, 1980	Holiday Bowl	SMU	W 46–45
6	December 18, 1981	Holiday Bowl	Washington State	W 38–36
7	December 17, 1982	Holiday Bowl	Ohio State	L 17–47
8	December 23, 1983	Holiday Bowl	Missouri	W 21–17
9	December 21, 1984	Holiday Bowl	Michigan	W 24–17
10	December 28, 1985	Florida Citrus Bowl	Ohio State	L 7–10
11	December 30, 1986	Freedom Bowl	UCLA	L 10–31
12	December 22, 1987	All-American Bowl	Virginia	L 16–22
13	December 29, 1988	Freedom Bowl	Colorado	W 20–17
14	December 29, 1989	Holiday Bowl	Penn State	L 39–50
15	December 29, 1990	Holiday Bowl	Texas A&M	L 14–65
16	December 30, 1991	Holiday Bowl	Iowa	T 13–13
17	December 25, 1992	Aloha Bowl	Kansas	L 20–23
18	December 30, 1993	Holiday Bowl	Ohio State	L 21–28
19	December 29, 1994	Copper Bowl	Oklahoma	W 31–6
20	January 1, 1997	Cotton Bowl Classic †	Kansas State	W 19–15
21	December 31, 1998	Liberty Bowl	Tulane	L 27–41
22	December 27, 1999	Motor City Bowl	Marshall	L 3–21
23	December 31, 2001	Liberty Bowl	Louisville	L 10–28
24	December 22, 2005	Las Vegas Bowl	California	L 28–35
25	December 21, 2006	Las Vegas Bowl	Oregon	W 38–8
26	December 22, 2007	Las Vegas Bowl	UCLA	W 17–16
27	December 21, 2008	Las Vegas Bowl	Arizona	L 21–31
28	December 22, 2009	Maaco Bowl Las Vegas	Oregon State	W 44–20
29	December 18, 2010	New Mexico Bowl	UTEP	W 52–24
30	December 30, 2011	Armed Forces Bowl	Tulsa	W 24–21
31	December 20, 2012	Poinsettia Bowl	San Diego State	W 23–6
32	December 27, 2013	Fight Hunger Bowl	Washington	L 16–31
33	December 22, 2014	Miami Beach Bowl	Memphis	L 48–55 2OT
34	December 19, 2015	Las Vegas Bowl	Utah	L 28–35
35	December 21, 2016	Poinsettia Bowl	Wyoming	W 24–21
36	December 21, 2018	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Western Michigan	W 49–18
37	December 24, 2019	Hawaii Bowl	Hawaii	L 34–38
38	December 22, 2020	Boca Raton Bowl	UCF	W 49–23
39	December 18, 2021	Independence Bowl	UAB	L 28–31
40	December 17, 2022	New Mexico Bowl	SMU	W 24–23
41	December 28, 2024	Alamo Bowl	Colorado	W 36-14

† New Year 6 Bowl

Individual accomplishments

Ty Detmer

Record book

See also: BYU Cougars football statistical leaders

Honors and awards

Team awards for the BYU Cougars include 23 conference titles and one national championship in 1984. For player awards, BYU has produced 52 All-Americans (13 Consensus All-Americans).

• Heisman Trophy

Ty Detmer – 1990

• Heisman Trophy finalists

Gary Sheide – 1974... 8th

Gifford Nielsen — 1976... 6th

Marc Wilson — 1979... 3rd

Jim McMahon — 1980... 5th

Jim McMahon — 1981... 3rd

Steve Young — 1983... 2nd

Robbie Bosco — 1984... 3rd

Robbie Bosco — 1985... 3rd

Ty Detmer — 1989... 9th

Ty Detmer — 1991... 3rd

Zach Wilson — 2020... 8th

Consensus All-Americans

BYU has had 14 Consensus All-Americans.

Player	Year
Marc Wilson	1979
Nick Eyre	1980
Jim McMahon	1981
Gordon Hudson	1982, 1983
Steve Young	1983
Jason Buck	1986
Mo Elewonibi	1989
Chris Smith	1990
Ty Detmer	1990, 1991
Luke Staley	2001
Dennis Pitta	2009
Brady Christensen	2020

History

The early years

BYU Football made a brief appearance at Brigham Young Academy in 1896, but was discontinued in 1903. It did not get its official start at Brigham Young University until 1922. The team struggled during the first couple of seasons, but in 1928, BYU hired G. Ott Romney, who gave the school its first winning seasons.

Ott Romney and Eddie Kimball ushered in a new era in Cougar football in which the team went 65 51 12 between 1928 1942. In 1932, the Cougars posted a 8 1 record and outscored their opponents 188-50, which remains one of the school's finest seasons on record. Also, it was during this era that they first beat the Utes from the University of Utah. Since 1922, they had gone 0 17 3 against them. In 1942, BYU finally broke through and beat the Utes by a score of 12 7 in Salt Lake City. The university did not field a team from 1943–1945 due to World War II. In 1949, under coach Chick Atkinson, the team suffered its only winless season, going 0–11.

Both Kimball (34 32 8) and Romney (42 5) finished their respective terms as head coach with winning records, and they are joined by LaVell Edwards, Gary Crowton and current head coach Bronco Mendenhall as the only coaches to do so. In 1975, Kimball and Romney were inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Slowly, the program improved and began to again show some signs of life. Head coach Hal Kopp engineered back-to-back winning seasons in 1957 and 1958, led by southpaw quarterback Jared Stephens and the ferocious nose tackle Gavin Anae. For the first time in its history, the University made a real commitment to football. In 1964, Cougars' stadium was built and had a capacity of 30,000. Also, in 1961, BYU experienced national success when Eldon "The Phantom" Fortie was honored as the school's first All-American as a running back. His #40 was retired by BYU to honor his accomplishments. In 1965 Virgil Carter was honored as the first quarterback from BYU to be selected first team All-Conference. The biggest accomplishment of this era was in 1965 when Head coach Tommy Hudspeth led the Cougars to their first conference championship with a record of 6-4. Coach Hudspeth retired in 1972 and finished with a record of 39–42–1. Despite not finishing with a winning record as head coach, he did lead the Cougars to 3 winning seasons between 1965 and 1967 with a great offensive line anchored by all-conference tackles Adam Johnson and Matt Shumway.

The mid-1960s saw the introduction of the "Y" on the Cougars' helmets. The 'Y' had become the symbol of the university after only the 322-foot-high letter 'Y' of 'BYU' was constructed in 1907, overlooking the campus on what is now called Y Mountain.

LaVell Edwards from 1972 to 1983

Soon after he was named head coach (in 1972), LaVell Edwards revamped the Cougar offensive attack. While everyone else in college football was using run-heavy offenses such as the veer and wishbone, Edwards and his staff installed a drop-back passing game. This was considered by many experts to be the early implementations of the West Coast offense. Ironically, in its first year, the new offense produced the nation's leading rusher in Pete Van Valkenburg, who ran for 1,386 yards. In 1973, Gary Sheide took over as quarterback and the Cougars struggled to a 5-6 finish. This would be the only time that Edwards would have a losing season during his run as BYU coach. In 1974, Sheide led the Cougars to their first conference championship under Edwards, including a 21-18 victory over Arizona State, ending the Sun Devils domination of the WAC; however, the following year (1975) the Sun Devils would once again claim another WAC Championship. The Sun Devils would not claim the WAC Championship in 1976 (in which BYU was the lone Champ) but ended the following season (1977) sharing the Conference Championship (co-champs) with the Cougars. This was ASU's last year as a member of the WAC, having accepted an invitation to join the then PAC 8 for the 1978 season.

A new era dawned in Provo, in which BYU began excelling in football with consistent winning. BYU finished in a tie for the conference championship in both 1976 and 1977 leading to a string of outright WAC titles that lasted from 1978-1985. However, they lost their first four bowl games. In 1980, they appeared to be on their way to their fifth consecutive bowl loss, trailing SMU 45-25 with four minutes left in the Holiday Bowl. During these final four minutes, the Cougars scored 21 points to upend the Mustangs and record one of the greatest comeback wins in college football history. BYU would win their 1981, 1983 and 1984 bowl games as well. The new era also led to success against rival Utah. Up until 1964, the Cougars were 2-34-4, but from 1965 to 1992, the Cougars were 22-6 against the Utes.

BYU also produced several All-American quarterbacks during this time and earned the nickname "Quarterback U." Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon and Steve Young were all named first team All-Americans. BYU had several quarterbacks that came close to winning the Heisman Trophy, including Steve Young, who finished second in the race in 1983 to Nebraska's Mike Rozier, and Jim McMahon, who finished third in 1981 behind Marcus Allen of USC.

BYU wins the 1984 National title over Michigan in the Holiday Bowl.

1984 National Championship

In 1984, BYU was declared NCAA Division I-A national champions. The undefeated Cougars (12-0-0) opened the season with a 20-14 victory over Pitt, ranked #3 in the nation at the time and finished with a victory over the Michigan Wolverines (6-5-0). BYU defeated Michigan 24-17 in the Holiday Bowl, marking the only time a national champion played in a bowl game before New Year's Day. Coupled with the 11 consecutive wins to close out the 1983 season, BYU concluded the 1984 championship on a 24-game winning streak.

Several college football pundits (including Barry Switzer and Bryant Gumble) argued that BYU had not played a legitimate schedule and thus should not be recognized as national champion. Nonetheless, at the end of the season, BYU was a unanimous choice for the number-one ranking in both the AP and UPI polls. The team is the most recent national champion that is not a current member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition.

Winning the national championship opened new windows of opportunity for BYU football. The growing success of the program, and increased national exposure brought recognition to BYU athletes. In 1985, Robbie Bosco finished third in the Heisman balloting. In 1986, defensive lineman Jason Buck became the first BYU player ever to win the Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the top interior lineman in all of college football. In 1989, offensive lineman Mo Elowonibi also won the Outland Trophy.

Edwards from 1985 to 2000

Between 1989 and 1996, BYU won at least a share of the conference championship each year except 1994. Ty Detmer quarterbacked the Cougars from 1988 to 1991, during which Detmer threw for 16,206 yards and 127 touchdowns (including bowl games) while setting 59 NCAA records and tying for three others. During that time period, BYU played difficult schedules consisting of match-ups against traditional college football powers, including Miami, Florida State, Penn State, Iowa, UCLA, Oregon, Texas, and Texas A&M. Detmer's tenure at quarterback also saw the Cougars achieve their first victory over a top-ranked team when they defeated the #1 Miami Hurricanes early in the 1990 season. The 1990 season culminated with Detmer also providing BYU its first and only Heisman Trophy winner.

In 1996 BYU produced arguably its best team ever. With Steve Sarkisian as the Quarterback, the team completed the longest season in modern-day college football history by playing in 15 games in one season. Starting off with a victory over Texas A&M in the Pigskin Classic, the Cougars only loss that regular season was at Washington. (Sarkisian is now the head football coach of Washington)

In 1996 the WAC expanded to a 16-team conference by adding Rice, TCU, SMU, Tulsa, San Jose State and UNLV. After winning their division by going undefeated in conference play, the #7 ranked Cougars faced #20 Wyoming in the first ever WAC Championship Game in Las Vegas. BYU defeated the Cowboys in overtime and earned a bid to play in the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, Texas, on January 1, 1997. It was the BYU Cougars first ever New Year's Day bowl game and their opponent was #14-ranked Kansas State of the newly formed Big 12 Conference. Although the Cougars had a high powered offense led by quarterback Steve Sarkisian, the game was a defensive struggle. Sarkisian connected with K.O. Kealaluhi for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give BYU a 19-15 lead. Kansas State, however, was driving with time winding down in the game. With less than one minute left, BYU defensive back Omarr Morgan tipped a Wildcat pass to himself for an interception inside the 5-yard line, preserving the BYU win. BYU finished the season 14-1 and ranked #5 in both polls at the end of the season. BYU's 14 wins that season was the most ever by a Division I college football team in a single season until Ohio State tied that record with a 14-0 record in 2002. BYU returned to the WAC Championship Game in 1998 but lost to Air Force 20-13.

In 1999 after leaving the WAC along with seven other teams to form the Mountain West Conference, the Cougars won a share of the inaugural MWC championship. Just prior to the 2000 season, Edwards announced that it would be his final year as the program's head coach. That season, the Cougars struggled and found themselves with a 4-6 record with just two games left. Prior to Edwards' final home game, against New Mexico, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that Cougars Stadium would be renamed "LaVell Edwards Stadium." Before the game started, President Hinckley addressed the BYU players in the locker room and admonished them, "Don't muff it." The Cougars went on to dominate the Lobos 37-13. The season finale against the Utes was much more intense as the Cougars were trailing late in the 4th quarter, still deep in their own territory. On a fourth and thirteen, quarterback Brandon Doman found Jonathan Pittman on a Hail Mary pass. On the next play, Doman completed another pass to Pittman to put them in scoring position. Doman completed the comeback by running for the clinching score, winning the game 34-27, and Coach Edwards was triumphantly carried off the field.

Gary Crowton era (2001–2004)

BYU wins outright Mountain West title

Gary Crowton, serving at the time as offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears was hired to replace LaVell Edwards. The 2001 Cougars returned several key players including quarterback Doman and running back Luke Staley. BYU ran off 12 straight wins to open the season and were ranked seventh nationally in at least one major poll, becoming the first MWC team to go undefeated in conference and won the conference championship outright. Staley, however, broke his leg in their 12th game against Mississippi State. Walking on crutches due to his broken leg, he accepted the Doak Walker award, given to the nation's top running back, after compiling 1,596 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. Staley's absence proved critical as the Cougars lost their last two games including their bowl game.

The 2002 season started with a big home win, but the Cougars struggled throughout the season and a loss to Utah in the season finale marked the first losing season in 29 years. The following year also saw BYU start the season with a win, but by the time the season was over the Cougars had suffered their second straight losing season. The Cougars were also shut out in the finale against Utah, ending their nation-leading record of consecutive games without being shut out, which dated back to 1975. In 2004, BYU opened the season with a victory at home over Notre Dame, however, the Cougars ended their season with a final record of 5-6. After leading the Cougars to their third straight losing season and posting an overall record of 26-23, Crowton resigned.

Early Bronco Mendenhall era (2005–2010)

2005

Bronco Mendenhall, who had been brought into the program in 2003 as defensive coordinator, was named the next BYU head football coach. In his first seven years as a head coach, Mendenhall has earned 7th best winning percentage of all active coaches (.733). In his first season, Mendenhall led his team to a 6-5 regular season record when a weak defensive secondary cost the Cougars several close games including a 51-50 loss to nationally ranked TCU. Nevertheless, Mendenhall returned BYU to a bowl game in his first season and the team finished second (5-3) in the Mountain West Conference.

2006

In 2006, the Cougars lost two early non-conference games to opponents from BCS conferences: one to Arizona on a last minute field goal and another to Boston College in double overtime. After that, the Cougars went on to run the table in their first seven conference games and set up a regular season finale at rival Utah. BYU jumped out to a 14-0 lead and was again driving until John Beck fumbled on a third-and-short play and the Cougars were forced to punt after recovering the fumble. In the second half, Utah jumped out to a 24-14 lead, but BYU responded in the fourth quarter with a pair of Beck touchdown passes. Utah scored again to take a 4-point lead with just over a minute left to play. The Cougars final play would take 13 seconds before Beck, as he was being hit, falling through the air, with his momentum carrying him the other direction, found Jonny Harline all by himself clear across the field. Harline caught the ball on his knees in the endzone at the opposite side of the field, giving BYU a 33-31 victory. The Cougars would then go on to dominate the Pac-10 Oregon Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl, 38-8. The win was the largest margin of victory for BYU in their bowl game history, and it marked BYU's first bowl win since the Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day 1997, ten years earlier. The Cougars finished the year 11-2 (8-0 in conference), and ranked 15th in the nation, their first top-20 ranking since 2002.

2007

The Cougars started the 2007 “rebuilding” season with unproven redshirt sophomore quarterback Max Hall—a transfer from Arizona State. As in 2006, the team opened with two early losses to non-conference opponents. However, to fans delight the squad went on to run the table the rest of the way, winning nine straight games to finish the season 10-2 with their second consecutive undefeated conference title. In what was once again a hard-fought game against Utah, who were riding their own nine-game winning streak, BYU seized the win with about a minute left on the game clock after Hall completed a 49 yard pass to Austin Collie from the BYU 12 on 4th & 18, which was followed by a Harvey Unga touchdown. The Cougars played UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl and preserved the win on a last-second field goal block by freshman defensive lineman Eathyn Manumaleuma.

2008

In 2008, Mendenhall's team went 10-3 which marked the 3rd consecutive 10 win season for the Cougars. Notable games in the 2008 season included the historic 59-0 shutout of UCLA (UCLA's worst loss since 1929), and a 28-27 victory over the Washington Huskies in Seattle, thanks to BYU's defense blocking a last-second extra point attempt. With those two victories, BYU's 2008 season began with an undefeated record against non-conference opponents, including all BCS opponents. BYU suffered a lopsided defeat to Top-15 TCU, and again against Top-10 Utah, finishing with a 6-2 conference record. BYU lost the Las Vegas Bowl to Arizona, 31-21.

2009

The 2009 season for BYU began against 3rd ranked Oklahoma at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The field was supposed to be neutral, but nearby Oklahoma supplied the vast majority of the 75,000+ fans in attendance. The scoring opened with Ryan Broyles catching a touchdown pass from 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford from eight yards out shortly after BYU had dropped a punt return. In the second quarter, quarterback Max Hall answered with a touchdown pass to Andrew George to tie the game at 7. Near the end of the first half Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game by Colby Clawson and Oklahoma had to settle for a 35 yard field goal and went up 10-7. In the 4th Quarter, Oklahoma drove down to the 1 foot line, but BYU's defense held strong, and Oklahoma settled for another Jimmy Stevens field goal, this time from 22 yards out. Then, Max Hall led the Cougars on a 16-play, 78-yard drive, culminating in a 7 yard touchdown pass to McKay Jacobson, to take the lead 14-13 with 3:03 remaining in the game. The Sooners had one more drive, but came up short on a 54 yard field goal attempt.

The Cougars would go on to finish 11-2 overall and 7-1 in MWC play, losing only to conference champion TCU in October in a game preceded by the first-ever visit to Provo by ESPN College GameDay. In the last game of the regular season, BYU defeated Utah at Edwards Stadium, winning in overtime on a pass from Hall to George across the middle of the field. George just missed two potential Ute tacklers in catching the ball, enabling him to go untouched into the end zone. The Cougars rounded out the year with yet another appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl where BYU defeated Oregon State, 44-20.

2010

In 2010, BYU began anew after losing quarterback Max Hall, leading rusher Harvey Unga and leading receiver Dennis Pitta, all of whom signed with different NFL teams. After fall camp, junior Riley Nelson and true freshman Jake Heaps were both given the job at quarterback for the Cougars in the hopes of a two-quarterback system, with Nelson deemed more experienced and with better leadership and Heaps more skilled and the future of the program. After BYU defeated Washington in the first game of the season, the plan seemed to be the right one, but the Cougars would go on to lose four-straight games. Following the team's fourth loss at Utah State, defensive coordinator Jaime Hill was fired. Mendenhall took over defensive coordinator duties while assigning defensive graduate assistant Kelly Poppinga as interim outside linebackers coach and moving Nick Howell, in his first year after long-time assistant Barry Lamb was forced to retire due to health issues right before the season, to coach the secondary.

With Nelson out with a shoulder injury suffered in the third game of the season at Florida State, Heaps started the last 10 games of the season. The second true freshman to ever start at quarterback for BYU, Heaps finally helped lead BYU to its second win of the season at home against San Diego State. After falling the following week at No. 4 TCU, the Cougars went on to reel off four consecutive wins, including a victory at Colorado State that saw senior wide receiver Luke Ashworth tie a BYU record with four receiving touchdowns in one game, all in the first half.

Despite holding Utah scoreless through three quarters, BYU lost to the Utes after a last-second field goal attempt by the Cougars was blocked. Finishing the regular season 6-6, BYU was invited to play in the New Mexico Bowl against former WAC foe UTEP. BYU had no problem with the Miners, cruising to a 52-24 victory as Heaps was named Offensive MVP and senior safety and team captain Andrew Rich named the Defensive MVP.

Independent (2011–2022)

Frustrated with the lack of TV coverage and poor football competition in the Mountain West Conference, on September 1, 2010, BYU stepped a new direction when it announced it would begin competition as a football independent starting in the 2011 season. BYU also enjoyed the first of an 8 year contract with ESPN in which 11 games were broadcast on one of the ESPN networks. This new contract also gave BYU the ability to utilize its on-campus state of the art broadcasting facilities and nationally syndicated station - BYUtv.

In February 2011, CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award-winner Ben Cahoon joined the coaching staff as the wide receivers coach.

In 2011, BYU changed quarterbacks mid-season from sophomore Jake Heaps to junior Riley Nelson, and in 2012 three different quarterbacks were utilized at different points in the season. During the 2012 offseason, graduated defensive end Ziggy Ansah was drafted as the No. 5 overall pick of the 2013 NFL draft, tied for the highest draft BYU alumnus with Jim McMahon '82. For the 2013 BYU football season, the Cougars were slated to compete against four pre-season-ranked teams.

In January 2015, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which had previously announced that from 2017 forward all members had to play at least one non-conference game each season against a "Power 5" team (i.e., a school in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, or SEC, plus Notre Dame, an FBS independent but otherwise an ACC member), announced that games against BYU would not count toward the "Power 5" requirement, a stipulation also held by the SEC. Weeks later, both leagues reversed course and opted to count games against BYU and the other remaining FBS independent at that time, Army, toward meeting the P5 provision. In the case of the SEC, this change in policy was driven more by the trend of "Power 5" leagues requiring nine conference games. At the time of the report, the Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12 either had nine-game conference schedules or were introducing them in the near future. The ACC has an eight-game schedule, but also has a scheduling alliance with Notre Dame that has five ACC members playing the Fighting Irish each season. Additionally, three SEC teams had a total of five games scheduled with BYU from 2015 to 2020. In July 2015, the Big Ten announced that games against BYU would count toward the conference's "Power 5" scheduling requirement that takes effect in 2016. In late 2015, the Big XII Conference added a Power Five non-conference scheduling requirement and stated that BYU would not count toward filling that mandate.

On December 4, 2015, Mendenhall accepted the head coach position with Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). His 99 wins in 11 seasons are second all-time in school history, behind only Edwards.

BYU spent more than a week courting Navy Midshipmen football head coach Ken Niumatalolo to take over the Cougars program. After several days, which included a visit to Provo and public remarks about considering the job, Niumatalolo ultimately declined BYU's offer in order to remain with Navy. Athletics director Tom Holmoe moved on to several other potential candidates and on Dec. 19 introduced Oregon State defensive coordinator and former Cougars fullback Kalani Sitake as BYU's next head coach.

At the time of his hiring, Kalani Sitake said, "I'm grateful for everything BYU gave me as a player. It's a dream come true for me to return home."

While many have questioned whether independence long-term is sustainable, from a financial perspective it appeared to be so. BYU's ESPN contract was worth somewhere between $6–10 million annually, which was on par with what ACC teams received from a contract also negotiated around the same time. ESPN was happy enough with its contract with BYU that it exercised an option to extend the deal through the 2019 season. ESPN also helped BYU line up bowl deals, since as an independent, BYU was not part of any league bowl tie-ins.

BYU's estimated $67 million in annual revenue placed it 55th in total revenue in 2018. That was comparable to the lower half of the Pac-12 and more than any Group of Five school, including every Mountain West institution. In fact, the highest earning Mountain West school, San Diego State, generated $30 million in revenue, with more than 46% of that subsidized by the state of California. The Group of Five school with the most revenue without a subsidy was the University of Connecticut with $43 million, still nearly $20 million below BYU.

As an independent, BYU was one of just a handful of schools in all of college athletics to generate a profit, enjoying five times the Group of Five average revenue ($13 million).

Big 12 (2023-present)

On September 10, 2021, the Big 12 Conference announced they had sent invitations to BYU to join the conference, along with Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston. BYU accepted the invitation and began competing in the conference in the 2023 season.

BYU struggled during its first season of Big 12 play in 2023, finishing 5-7 for a 2-7 conference record. But In the Cougars second year in the Big 12 they finished the season 2nd in the Big 12 standing with a 10-2 overall record, and a 7-2 conference record. Along with a number 17 ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings. BYU faces Big 12 foe Colorado in the 2024 Alamo Bowl.

Logo/Uniforms image gallery

BYU Main & Helmet "Y" logo which had been the team's main/helmet logo in the Lavell Edwards coaching days in the 1970s-1990s.

BYU white/Navy alternate helmet, which was the main helmet from 2004-16.

White/Royal Blue helmets which were worn during the Lavell Edwards coaching era, particularly from the 1970s-1990s, but this time, with a sky blue facemask.

Primary White/Royal Blue helmets for the BYU Cougars; slight change adopted in 2022, when the team changed the facemask color from sky blue back to silver, which they used from the 1970s through the late 1990s.

3D view of Primary White/Royal Blue helmets with silver facemask.

White/Navy Blue jerseys introduced in 2005, as the team wanted to returun to a variation of 1980s uniforms, the darker blue remained instead of the former royal blue; since abot 2015, they have been frequently used as alternate home/away jerseys.

White/Royal Blue jerseys used during the 1970s-90s and recently revived as the ain jerseys; former standout QB's Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer both played in these jerseys.

The Cougars' alternate "Y" logo, which had been the team's main/helmet logo from 2004-16.

Cougars black "blackout" helmet, with blue oval with white "Y" logo and royal blue facemask.

Cougars second black "blackout" alternate helmet, with logo with white background and blue "Y", with blue facemask.

Black "blackout" helmet with blue/white "Y" logo and black facemask.

Cougars black "blackout" alternate helmet with white oval/blue "Y" logo and black facemask.

3D clipart version of Cougars white primary helmet with blue facemask.

3D version of Cougars white/navy blue alternate helmet.

2D version of Cougars "blackout" helmet that features blue oval/white "Y" logo and royal blue facemask.

2D version of Cougars' "blackout" helmet which features white oval/royal blue "Y" logo and blue facemask.

BYU's current edition of its "Blackout" alternate jerseys, which first appeared in the 2012 season.

Cougars' "blackout" alternate logo featuring royal blue oval/white "Y" logo and black background.

2nd "Blackout" alternate logo which features white oval/royal blue "Y" logo.

Royal Blue helmet, with white oval/royal blue "logo", which was added with a navy blue helmet as new alternate helmets in 2021.

Navy Blue helmet, with white oval/royal blue "Y" logo.

"COUGARS" white team name wordmark.

"COUGARS" white team name wordmark.

"BRIGHAM YOUNG" white school name wordmark, royal blue background.

"BRIGHAM YOUNG" white school name wordmark, navy blue background.

"BYU" royal blue school name wordmark.

"BRIGHAM YOUNG" royal blue school name wordmark.

"BYU" navy blue school name wordmark.

"BRIGHAM YOUNG" royal blue school name wordmark, used from 2016-2019.

"COUGARS" navy blue team name wordmark.

"COUGARS" royal blue team name wordmark.

Navy Blue BYU mascot logo.

Navy Blue BYU mascot logo.

Notable Alumni

• Jim McMahon - former Chicago Bears QB
• Steve Young - former San Francisco 49ers QB

External Links

• Official BYU Cougars football team website link
• BYU Cougars football article at Wikipedia