BYU Cougars 2020 College Football Preview

College Football Predictions – BYU Cougars 2020 College Football Preview

August 25, 2020

2019 Recap

Record – 7-6

ATS – 4-9

The Cougars dealt with a BARRAGE of injuries last season and finished with a mark of 7-6 for the second consecutive season. They had a challenging first half of the schedule and only managed to win a pair of games, both of which were in OT (at Tennessee, USC). They proceeded to get on a legit HEATER and win five straight contests including an upset over Boise St. They ended the season with a loss to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl (L 38-34).

Let’s how things look heading into 2020.

2020 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating

Independents – #1 (BYU, Army, Liberty)

BYU Cougars 2020 Outlook

OFFENSE

Despite having to cycle through quarterbacks last year, the Cougars posted 444 YPG (#28 FBS) which was their best mark since 2014. They’re in really good shape at QB this year with the return of all three men who started games in 2019, and all of them have shown the ability to be effective at times. Zach Wilson will likely get the nod as the starter when the season begins but he’ll need to sharpen up the TD to INT ratio (11-9 LY, 12-3 in 2018). Jaren Hall and Baylor Romney are waiting in the wings. Their excellent TE Matt BUSHMAN returns for his senior campaign (47, 688, 14.6, 4 TD LY) but BYU will have to find replacements for their top three WRs. That could mean inconsistency in the THROW GAME, particularly early in the year. The RB group is deep but it’s unclear if they have a #1 option. Nobody on the team had more than 400Y rushing in 2019. The best news might be the return of five starters on the offensive line. There’s experience and size. Now they just need to stay healthy. <crosses fingers>

We’ll call for a similar scoring output to what was achieved in the last two campaigns (28.5, 27.2 PPG).

DEFENSE

BYU was pretty average on defense a season ago. They yielded 394 YPG (#68 FBS) and were #78 in the country in run defense and #65 in pass defense. They struggled with injuries in the secondary and had a really tough time getting PENETRATION. Their 17 sacks ranked them #111 in the FBS and it was the second time in the past three seasons that they bagged fewer than 20 of those bad boys. This year the Cougars return seven starters and look a lot stronger on paper, particularly in the front seven. Twelve of their top fourteen tacklers from the 2019 stop unit are back in the mix including their fine LB duo of Kavika Fonua and Isaiah Kaufusi. Also note that BYU played a tougher brand of defense in the second half last year and there’s no reason to think they can’t carry that momentum into 2020.

We look for an improved performance this year and the secondary will benefit greatly if the men up front can get more pressure on the QB.

SPECIAL TEAMS

This looks like an average unit on paper. PK Jake Oldroyd was just 16/24 on FG attempts LY and it’s unclear who will handle the punting duties.

Schedule Analysis

Overall – Eight games are booked as we head to press time. Six of those contests will be played at home, and overall, the competition looks very weak compared to what was originally set before the plandemic. They face both Navy and Army in September.

Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Will await the final schedule before judging.

Season Win Total

Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.

MEGALOCKS says:

Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.

MEGAmazing Tidbit

The team plays home games at the 63,470-seat LaVell Edwards Stadium which is named after their legendary head coach who won 19 conference championships, seven bowl games, and one national championship (1984).

MEGALOCKS Outlook:

This team looks really strong on paper and it’s a shame we won’t get to see just HOW good they might be. The vast majority of their tough opponents have been replaced by mid-tier squads and TOMATO CANS. We’ll call for an improved performance on both sides of the ball and a winning season should be a MORTAL LOCK.

#GoCougs !

Want more BYU football ?

WEBSITE

http://byucougars.com/home/m-football

FORUM

http://www.cougarboard.com/

http://cougarcorner.com/viewforum.php?f=2

http://www.cougarstadium.com/forumdisplay.php?2-The-Stadium&s=914d7a725404c1b67414989c749ed0f1

http://boards.cougarfan.com/c/football

NEWS

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/byu/

https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/byu-football