BYU Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2022
By Kathryn Rose
USF was in the dumpster last season. Nothing good has come during Jeff Scott’s tenure thus far, but that’s not all his fault. After Charlie Strong left, USF’s roster was so thin and depleted that there wasn’t much of anything left.
Thus, the Bulls are 3-18 in the last two seasons, and still don’t have the pieces to be a competitor. Timmy McClain showed some promise at quarterback last year, but what’s there is still a tire fire.
In Tampa’s melting humidity, the Cougars should cruise.
Final Score: BYU 48, South Florida 17 (1-0)
Baylor football is college football’s phoenix program. When Matt Rhule took over at Baylor, the Bears won one game in his first year. By year three, they were conference champions.
Dave Aranda one-upped that. Going from 2-7 in 2020 to a conference title in 2021 earned Aranda Big XII coach of the year honors.
But, a lot of the big contributors are gone. On defense, the downhill play of linebacker Terrel Bernard and nickelback Jalen Pitre are impossible to replace. Offensively, Abram Smith takes his 1,601 yards to the NFL, as does receiver Tyquan Thornton.
With the game in Provo, a narrow BYU victory awaits.
Final Score: BYU 20, Baylor 17 (BYU 2-0)