BYU begins gauntlet of games. Could it be toughest stretch in school history?

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When BYU travels to Arizona this weekend, the No. 18-ranked Cougars will embark on the toughest stretch of games in school history, according to offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.

After the Wildcats, the Cougars will face Utah, Texas Tech, Iowa State, TCU, Cincinnati and UCF. Frankly, it will be the toughest stretch of games since Gary Crowton’s 2004 team opened against Notre Dame and Stanford before playing No. 1 USC, No. 21 Boise State and No. 5 Utah.

Arizona will be a hostile atmosphere, similar to Colorado, and the Wildcats have been fortunate to have played four home games already this season.

This will be a big test for QB Bear Bachmeier. He’ll face an outstanding coaching staff that will be well prepared to confuse him. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales worked with Rocky Long at New Mexico and San Diego State before arriving in Tucson, where he was the linebacker coach before his promotion to coordinator.

Roderick praised Bachmeier, who shook off three turnovers in the WVU win and kept plugging away.

“He doesn’t flinch. He just keeps playing and is a pretty impressive kid,” Roderick told BYUtv on “Coordinator’s Corner.” “He’s humble, hardworking and nothing is going to his head.”

Cougar Insiders predictions

Question of the Week:When BYU meets Arizona, it will face the best defense it has played against all season. How do you think Bear Bachmeier will handle this challenge on the road in Tucson? Give a prediction.

Jay Drew: Bear Bachmeier has exceeded expectations in every area, including his poise and maturity on the road, as was displayed in the East Carolina and Colorado games. If he’s ever rattled, he does a good job of not showing it. That poise will get tested severely on Saturday, as BYU rolls into what is sure to be hostile territory at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Coach Brent Brennan is already calling for a sellout crowd, and I think U of A fans will deliver.

Also, Bachmeier will be facing the best defense he’s faced this season. Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales is one of the best in the country, from the same lineage as Rocky Long and Bronco Mendenhall, and will have his guys ready.

Expect a lot of pressure, which Stanford used effectively last month, to put the heat on the young quarterback. Arizona will also be revenge-minded, much as Colorado was two weeks ago. I just think that U of A has the athletes on defense to surpass what Stanford and Colorado did against the Cougars.

This will be BYU’s biggest test to date, and one I think the Cougars will have a tough time winning. Taking care of the football — which they didn’t do well against West Virginia — is a must.

Prediction: Arizona 27, BYU 21

Dick Harmon: Arizona is going to test everything Bear Bachmeier has been praised for: poise, focus, intelligence and preparation. The Wildcats will deploy a 3-3-5 defense that will shift, disguise coverages and blitzes with pre-snap looks that later shift.

Bachmeier will be facing pressure from different directions, launched with twists and stunts behind talent that is ranked No. 2 behind Ohio State in yards per play allowed. Thing is, the pressure is on Bachmeier’s offensive line as much as it is on him — if not more.

While Bachmeier will be under scrutiny, he needs help from his blockers, running back LJ Martin, tight end Carsen Ryan and his receiving corps. They can’t afford penalties or miscues, and execution has to be at a high level. If the QB fails, it will be a team failure.

So far, BYU has been able to get Bachmeier to easily throw to his first read. Arizona will force him to get to his second and third options and he’ll need time to do that. His processing ability will be tested like no other time this season.

BYU has the best offense Arizona has faced this season. The Cougars have the best defense Arizona has faced since Iowa State, a road game the Wildcats lost by 39-14. In many ways, this game is on BYU’s defense even more than the offense.

But no question, if Bachmeier and coordinator Aaron Roderick can stay on the field and grind and score, it will prove to be a huge key to this game because U of A’s Noah Fifita and his talented cast will be on the sidelines.

Prediction: BYU 24, Arizona 21

Cougar tales

Here is our coverage of the BYU win over West Virginia before a sold-out LaVell Edwards Stadium and national ESPN audience:

• Cougars know they’ll need to be better at Arizona (Jay Drew)
• Dream pick highlights defensive effort (Dave McCann)
• Win over WVU delivers three player career games (Dick Harmon)
• What WVU coach said after losing to the Cougs (Jackson Payne)
• Sloppy performance still delivers win (Jay Drew)

From the archives

From the X-verse

THE CUT: West Virginia pic.twitter.com/5XWvpNKqaG

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 7, 2025

Brent Brennan urges Arizona fans to “sell out Arizona Stadium and make it the hostile environment we know it can be,” but “let’s be respectful in the process” against BYU.

(Via Arizona Athletics) pic.twitter.com/wi3z7Ue1HB

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) October 6, 2025

Among all freshmen, Bear Bachmeier is 2nd in the nation in pass efficiency. CJ Carr is a redshirt freshman, so Bear is the top true freshman QB listed. pic.twitter.com/2LnQzVdXtH

— CougarStats (@CougarStats) October 5, 2025

Extra points

• Arizona coach reviews OSU win, BYU game (SI.com)
• Predictions on BYU at Arizona (Arizona Republic)
• No. 1 JC recruit commits to BYU, Young (Deseret News)

Fanalysts

Comments from Deseret News readers:

The penalties and turnovers were the most discouraging aspects of the game last Friday. The turnovers resulted in great field position for West Virginia, and they took advantage. The penalties killed drives. The team was also exposed by the lackluster defensive performance in that last West Virginia scoring drive. Clearly, the backups were ill-prepared, though I am guessing they have the talent to do much better. The good news is that all are fixable.

— Valhalla

It would be great to see both BYU and Utah coming off a win against the Arizona schools coming into the rivalry game, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy riding for either team.

If BYU is careless with the ball like last week, it could be a long night.

I like Utah’s chances at home against ASU, but Sam Leavitt might be the best QB (at least the most clutch) in the Big 12.

Best of luck to both teams.

— Time2Play

Up next

• Oct. 9| TBA | men’s tennis | So Cal Intercollegiate
• Oct. 9 | 6 p.m. | men’s basketball | Marriott Madness
• Oct. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | men’s basketball | Blue & White Game
• Oct. 10 | 3 p.m | men’s cross-country | Reeder Memorial, Logan
• Oct. 10 | 6 p.m. | softball | SLCC
• Oct. 10 |1 p.m. | soccer | @ Baylor
• Oct. 11| 6 p.m. |women’s volleyball | Houston
• Oct, 11 | 4 p.m. | softball | Idaho State
• Oct. 11 | 6 p.m. | football | @ Arizona
• Oct. 13 | 8 p.m. | men’s golf | The Bryson Invitational