The No. 2 BYU Cougars hit the midway point of the 2026 college football season with a great amount of optimum. Kalani Sitake's team is expected to compete for a Big 12 title behind one of the best offensive units in the nation. While the Cougars have College Football Playoff hopes, they'll have to take care of business first.
BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier's stock is rising and the latest national recognition proves it. After an outstanding 6-0 start, the Cougars' signal-caller earned AP Play of the Week honors. He came into the season inside the top four in the Big 12. An immediate takeaway from last week's win over Notre Dame says how good Bachmeier looked on the primetime stage. He took over in the final minutes against the Irish and left no doubt about his abilities.
Bachmeier was one of the highest-ranked underclassmen this year. For him to turn down a $5 million offer from another Power Four program to stay at BYU is starting to look genius. Bachmeier’s production as a true freshman with 3,033 passing yards, 527 rushing, 26 total touchdowns were terrific. His encore season has started off with a bang as well. He’s a tough runner and passer with plenty of potential past what he's doing right now. Bachmeier is big, tough, perfect for BYU’s system and what they do.
Needless to say, there isn't another one built like him. Bachmeier is starting to shed the "game manager" label. He loves to make contact with defenders as a rugby-style mentality.
Being able to take over and win a game by throwing the football is new to him. He was thrown into the fire last year and responded in the way a seasoned vet would have in the clutch. He was one of the reasons why BYU has only lost to one team during his time as a starter. What most people forget is Bachmeier's progression during the offseason. He was named to the Manning Passing Academy roster of quarterbacks as a camp counselor and got to compare himself to his peer group.
Bachmeier has looked more polished with better mechanics. We'll see what he's made of in the final stretch of the season. If the first six games are any indication of what's about to come, this could be a Cougars team preparing for a deep run with LJ Martin returning soon.
BYU heads to Orlando to face UCF on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX).