BYU Football: Could Cougars have Cincinnati-like breakout in 2022?

BYU football is heading into the 2022 season with high expectations, especially with Kalani Sitake staying away from the coaching carousel.

From 2018-2020, it felt like Luke Fickell had Cincinnati on the verge of a playoff berth. He took over in 2017 and went just 4-8 with the Bearcats, but compiled a 31-6 record over the next three seasons and was one of the most sought-after coaches on the market.

In 2021, Cincinnati finally broke through and made the playoff as the first-ever Group of Five representative, going 13-0 in the regular season but losing to Alabama in the semifinal.

Now that Cincinnati may take a minor step back in 2022 with a new quarterback and a new-look defensive backfield, who could step up and take that role as the top non-Power Five playoff contender?

My best guess here is BYU.

The Cougars are fresh off a 10-3 season in 2021 and they went 11-1 in 2020. Kalani Sitake is on a hot stretch similar to Fickell’s before Cincinnati finally made a playoff. Plus, the Cougars bring back a ton of talent from that 10-win squad in 2021.

The offense will be loaded once again after averaging 33 points and 452 total yards per game last season. Jaren Hall is back at quarterback after throwing for over 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns and only five picks on a 64 percent completion rate. He’s going to be that Desmond Ridder-type player for BYU who could be a star and an NFL prospect in 2022. He also rushed for 307 yards and three touchdowns.

Hall has some talented receivers to throw to in Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney who were the top two targets on the team last year. Gone is Tyler Allgeier, but Cal transfer Christopher Brooks is coming in after averaging over 5.0 yards per carry last season with the Golden Bears.

The defense gave up nearly 400 yards per game last year but it should improve and that’s going to lead to a more complete team.

BYU has a tough schedule with teams like Baylor, Notre Dame, Arkansas, Oregon, and Stanford on the slate, but if they can pull off a few upsets like they did in 2021, the Cougars could be the last non-Power Five team standing in December.

With that tough schedule, even one loss could send BYU to the playoff.