BYU drops in AP Top 25 poll + My dream for LSU + Brent Brennan on the LES crowd

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2:56First, Big 12 team at 13 with Texas Tech, who dropped a spot after an underwhelming performance against Abilene Christian over the weekend. And then 14 USC, who's 2 and 0 on the year, can't fill up their stadium and number 15 BYU. Nipping at the hills of BYU, Penn State, who beat Marshall. I know they're much better than Utah Tech, but guess Penn State's arrived after having the import from Ames, Iowa, and Iowa State, a program that had no respect last year. Remember what BYU beat Iowa State last year? Yeah, that wasn't that viewed as a great, that great of a win, but now it's a great team. That Penn State squad isn't it interesting. Look, BYU controls its destiny. And the AP Top 25 is probably never going to be a poll that really gives BYU much of the benefit of the doubt in much. I just a little bit surprised how they dropped and I understand again, there was a tie

3:59breaker, but you just look at the dominance of BYU. And but maybe more importantly, you got key answers out of a game where there were glaring questions. The glaring questions for BYU were what? Wide receiver? I think he got some answers there. Ledge and glass are look pretty awesome. Two, what about Kelly Papingu's defense? Thought they look pretty good for takeaways. Don't care who the opponent is, you get four takeaways. That's pretty awesome. And then three special teams, Missville Gold, so you can hold that against them. But still at the end of the day, you won 63 to seven. Look, I'm not asking the pollsters to say BYU catapults from a tie in 14 to number 10, but my argument has always been don't justify your preseason rankings. Don't justify them. Tarot down your poll and start a new.

4:59And if you started a new, you probably have LSU number one. You probably wouldn't have Oregon in the top 10. Like Boise State's not ranked. If Boise State was that great, why don't you rank Boise State then? They're not going on the doorstep of the poll. Again, that's where I think there's issues with preseason polls. BYU against an FCS team annihilated you, Tatek. That could have been as much as BYU wanted, but they called the dogs off as we all know. The AP poll will always be very frustrating with BYU. It just will and for big 12 teams in general, there's always a different barometer for big 12 teams. It feels like the way that they're viewed. There's much less margin for error. You have to be above and beyond what the pollsters think of you before a game is kicked off. And I think that's what's frustrating about it with these polls, but they're so important to the fabric of college football.

6:00And I wish we were in a world where they were completely gone. I don't need to be told LSU Clemson's a big game because numbers are next to the names. I don't need that. I just know that's college football. That's the battle of death Valley. Sign me up. I don't need to see numbers next to BYU in Arizona to know, oh, that's an awesome big 12 matchup. I don't need to have numbers next to Arizona State and Texas A&M to say, what a cool non-conference matchup. But for some reason, we feel like we have to justify, well, the audience wants the rankings. And look, people react to these rankings all the time. They 100% do. But I just think they're not needed. They're really not. But we have them in college football because people demand them. So they keep feeding them and the AP poll credit to them. They don't want to relinquish their platform and the really the power that they have in the sport. Yes, they don't decide the national champion.

7:02But that poll carries a lot of weight and you can't tell me otherwise with how history has gone. But I think BYU deserve to, I think BYU personally, if I had a poll, I'd put them at 10. I'd put them in the top 10. I think BYU, again, the questions you had about this group, they kind of got answered on Saturday. Now, there's still a lot of work to be done. And you're going to jump into the deep in this week with Arizona. We'll talk about that coming up a little bit later. But you've got proven commodities across the board on this BYU team. And the few areas where you had glaring questions, they had an emphatic answer for those questions on Saturday. So then you go look through this roster and you look through this team and say, well, where's the glaring weakness? There's not really a glaring weakness with this BYU team right now. Things can of course change and look the outlook of BYU could change drastically the way they play against Arizona. But to this point right now, they looked every bit the part of a top 10 team in my opinion.

8:06They did. I thought Arizona state was fantastic in their game against Morgan state. That had to be mercy role. Move it down from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. And you'll say, yes, it's an FCS opponent. But we've seen in the past, when you kind of struggle against an FCS team, it tells you something. And when you dominate an FCS team and just hammer them, that also might say, you know what, that's pretty impressive, especially for a game one where sometimes these game ones for lack of a better term, they're a little bit of a crapshoot. And you can get some unexpected performances in those game ones, even against FCS teams. And just to come out and be humming like BYU was first play defensive snap of the season, first defensive snap of Kpop's career, havoc. Interception from trail Alexander. I just think there was so much to like with BYU. And look, there wasn't really any upsets. I understand that, but I just think BYU is being under ranked. Texas Tech probably is appropriately ranked.

9:09I was very high on the red raiders, but I would have absolutely dropped them after an underwhelming performance against an FCS team. BYU again, number four or number 15 heading into week two against the Arizona Wildkits. Let's talk about BYU and Arizona coming up a little bit later here on the show right here on Cougar tracks. And that's going to be such a big game. BYU and Arizona. Cougars are one and O Arizona is one and O. And now the real fun start big 12 play opens up Saturday number 15 BYU versus Arizona at LES 130 right here on KSL News radio. And when I think about who's ready for the big stage, I think about our friends at Zion's bank. They've been a part of Utah communities for generations. They need to branches across the state plus digital banking that keeps up with you, no matter where the week takes you. That's the kind of depth you want on your roster. And the Cougars showed us on Saturday night, they're built for this this season.

10:12And Zion's bank is built to help you whatever stage you're at in life with your financial goals and needs. Zion's bank is here. So if you're looking to level up your own finances, Zion's bank is the teammate you want in your corner, local trusted always there when it counts, smarter plays, stronger finances, your hometown team, visit Zion's bank.com or stop by your nearest branch. Today, let's take a break. More Cougar tracks around the corner here on the KSL sports YouTube and KSL News radio. Cougar tracks rolls on here on the KSL sports YouTube every day talking BYU sports here on Cougar tracks. Make sure to give a thumbs up to this video. Subscribe to the KSL sports YouTube and subscribe to this audio podcast wherever you get your audio podcast, Apple Spotify overcast pocket cast, please give a five star rating and a review.

11:18It would help out the show a ton BYU released its week to depth chart. Heading into Saturday's matchup against the Arizona Wildcats kickoff at one 30 PM extended pregame. Keep in mind on KSL news radio. Myself and Nate Slack will get you ready for kickoff beginning at 10 a.m. on the legacy home of the Cougars, but some notes on the depth chart that was released this week rated a mooney. He is out at strong safety. The good news. He's not out for the entire year. He could be back for the Notre Dame game. That seems really optimistic, but I'm here for it. I'll sign me up. I'm ready for that. Hopefully that's the case. Tommy Paras is steps in at strong safety. And I think Tommy's going to do a really good job. 6200 pound red shirt sophomore out of Arizona appropriate that he steps into the starting lineup against the home state team with the Wildcats this week. We've talked a lot about Ken and Pula.

12:18He's next in line after volatile, but also Jaren Kalama wasatch high standout once a wide receiver switched over to safety. He is going to be really good for this team. I think he showed that last week for tackles for the Cougars in that win a week ago against you, Todd tech. I like Kalama. And this is what we've talked about all off season. The depth of this team isn't a great position. You get a what in years past would have been a devastating injury to someone like a Raider to Mooney who's a key starter knows the defense veteran senior again, go through all the adjectives you want to say about Raider. You lose that type of guy at the beginning of the Colony era or to say seven years ago, BYU would be in a world of hurt. But I still feel optimistic that the operation will continue at a high level with Parasis with Kalama with Ken and Pula. Any one of those guys, I don't think that's the system drops much at all.

13:20Now again, there's going to probably be some moments where they have some lapses, but Parasis has been an impactful guy in his BYU career. The only reason he didn't play last year was due to injury. I think Parasis had a really good fall camp. I'm very optimistic. He'll do outstanding and he might run away and take take this thing by the horns and become an absolute stud at starter by him being at starter. He did get removed from the nickel position. That is now solely canon degrees and the primary backup to canon is crew Clark, Red shirt freshman at Idaho talked about him when the first step chart was released last week. Excellent athlete out of Idaho, but still that's a little bit of a rise. That's where the lack of Jonathan Cabella being at nickel could be a little bit concerning. But again, you're a very multiple defense. You don't need to turn to five defensive backs at an extra linebacker adds added add an extra defensive lineman. You don't have to go to five DBs with this look, but the breeze.

14:23He looks really good at nickel. I'm not worried about that at all. So again, I think the secondary will still function and operate at a really high level, even without rated a moody. The only moa is listed on the depth chart this week, but not expected to play. He could be out for some time. How long it will be? We do not know the timeline there, but Aaron Roderick or should I say Aaron road Rick Aaron road Rick, how does that get side tangent here real quick watching the broadcast on ESPN plus the on demand broadcast. How does that happen? Just a little bit of a tidbit here. So these broadcasters that bungled these names look B.Y. He's got one of the hardest pronunciation guides in college football. They just do with the pollination names. It is very tricky. And if you're not familiar with the Western United States, that is a beast to try to pronounce. But the thing that people don't realize when it comes to the pronunciation guide, it's

15:24not just simply on paper. B.Y. You provides all of these broadcasters a drop box of audio files of the pronunciation guides, including with coaches. So this is Aaron Roderick. How he pronounces his name. Aaron Roderick. The broadcaster could simply listen to that and you're just maybe not doing your homework if you pull out road Rick. Aaron Roderick. That's how did that happen? Maybe he was just overthinking it with all the vowels with pollination names, but I digress. I just thought that was wild. Aaron Roderick. Aaron Roderick. Yeah, that all the audio files are there for the broadcasters to hear every name. So even the pollination names, when they're confused by it, listen to it from the horse's mouth. Sonny Makasani Sini. Now just listen to what he says and how he pronounced it and try to replicate that as best as possible.

16:26That's on you. You're not doing your homework if you're the broadcaster. That's not on anyone else like they are giving you the audio files. But anyway, just a pet peeve of mine because again, there's only 12 guaranteed games and people want to hear their name correctly. They just want to hear it correctly. Now high school sports, that can be a little bit of a bungled mess because you're not getting the audio files in a neatly organized drop box to hear everyone's name. I was telling one high school announcer last basketball season, it's deemed record, not record or rockered. It's record. And he's like, what? That's that's really how he pronounces them like, yes, do him a service and say his name right. He'll probably be really impressed with that. It's record. Anyway, people want to know they're here. They're named correctly. And I've messed up some names too. Believe me, it's, it's happened. Because they're high school names, but when you got the tools, there's no excuse, especially when you're on the call of a game and you got the audio files from the horses mouths, there's no excuse for that. Anyway, see on him, oh running back to, but he's not going to play probably this week.

17:28And we're going to have injury reports coming up this week from the league beginning on Wednesday. So Preston Rex probably going to be that RB two and then you look at journey Tonga, Devon Ekka and so forth and Logan Payne and away we go. That LJ Martin is going to have a nice workload for this game. Also of note, switch up at the boundary backer and the field backer, Newsy Talmoi Payne out. He's right at a roll. He's in the starting lineup and then Telsiliy Akana, not Hunter Clegg at boundary backer. And I asked Hunter Clegg, what's the difference between boundary and field backer to the old position of outside edge in last year's defense. And this was Clegg. It's not too different actually. The OE position isn't like a position anymore so it was more, less of a position change and more of just a rename to fit the scheme a little bit better. But I still am mostly defensive end, past rushing, run defense but I'll also drop a little

18:32bit sort of thing. So not too different. I'm still usually to the boundary or the weak side and I have a new position coach. I'm not with coach pop anymore obviously. I'm with coach Chad and I tell you that's where a lot of the changes happen. Just a lot of new techniques from coach Chad. He's amazing teacher at past rush so I've been learning a lot of new things there and yeah, I tell you that's about it. That's the news and notes on the BYU Dept chart for week two. So I don't want to be following this drama out in the SEC. Look, I'll admit, I've let my mind wander just a hint. Just a hint over the idea of LSU. Look, the SEC is putting in legal documents and maybe the possibility of booting LSU from the SEC. I don't think it's going to happen. I think it's just the the SEC trying to, if they ever had to go to these measures, they have the legal power and almost test the waters a bit to see if they could actually do it

19:37in an effort to really run their own operation as they deem fit. But I will say, let's say the doomsday spot happens for LSU and they got booted from the SEC. Hey, Brett, your mark, get LSU at all costs. Can you imagine just for a second? I don't think it's going to happen. But can you imagine a world where LSU was in the big 12th? Holy cow, and I would argue for LSU. Yes, you're making less media rights. But what Texas tech did last year? Why wouldn't you do that? And then some, and then you've got LSU, Texas tech, BYU, Utah at the top of the league. My goodness, that would be fantastic. And then maybe get Arkansas in there too, say, you know what, we want back in our old stomping grounds. Like I would love it. Yes, LSU fans, I'm sure they're getting fed up with Greg Sankin. Maybe they'd be all for it for a little bit too. I just can't picture a world where LSU a flagship program in the SEC is not part of that

20:39league. But I've just, I've entertained those thoughts and man, doesn't that sound exciting? I just, I love the idea of that because in a weird way, LSU to me, they're so synonymous with the SEC, but in a weird monster, big 12 energy, your mark kind of way, LSU would be a great fit for the big 12. Like if, if you follow this league, you'd understand that. I don't know how to describe that, but they would just make sense. The vibes would be immaculate. I would love that for this league. It would just be off the charts insane. And I would say if you're the big 12, give them whatever they need to get them in the big 12 if they got put it. Give them whatever they want. They got to get more revenue, more meteorites, give it to them. Get them in the big 12 ASAP if that can happen. Let's take our final time out. More Cougar tracks around the corner here on the KSL Sports YouTube page.

21:41Food is a big part of me growing up. It left a big impression on me. LaVanya Mahate, founder of Safron Valley Restaurants and Zion's Bank Client. Zion's Bank has helped me realize my dream. They really see my business through my eyes. I can't tell you how much it means to me. Zion's Bank helps entrepreneurs reach and exceed their goals. Visit the number one small business lender and learn more about our SBA rate discount at ZionSbank.com slash SBA. Equal Housing Lender. Welcome back into Cougar Tracks here on KSL News Radio and the KSL Sports YouTube. Cougar Tracks is sponsored by Zion's Bank like the Cougar. Zion's Bank has built on trust and tradition. Visit ZionSbank.com to learn more today. So BYU and Arizona kicks off on Saturday at 1.30 pm extended pregame on KSL News Radio begins at 10 am and I asked Colonies to talk to head coach for the Cougars who's got a five game win streak over Arizona.

22:45Now that the Utah Tech game is in the rear view mirror. Let's be honest, Colony, how long have you been looking at this BYU Arizona matchup? No, we respect the game too much to do that. So like, when the schedule came out, we started to put together a plan on how we wanted to practice and how, you know, when where the buy fell fell in our schedule. Once we learned of our schedule, we obviously there's some game times that you don't know but there are some that you do. So you start planning hour by hour and day to day. But other than that, we had some prep for our offense, our defense and special teams to be installed. And those are to be installed for anybody, you know what I mean? So as we work on that, we can kind of figure out from week to week what's the best approach in these games. So in order for us to do that, we have to focus on the opponent and respect the game. I mean, when you ever look past and upon it, you don't play as well as you're supposed to and the game demands too much.

23:48We respect it too much to do things like that. Now, back in spring, we made plans and figured out what we can do. But that all changes once you get game film. So now that we have one game that we can see from Arizona against NAU, we'll see if we can adjust that a little bit if we need to. But you know, this is, you want to be really good at what you do and you want to have an identity. And so our game plan has always been to be at our best and no matter what opponent shows up. And then we can make some tweaks and things like that. But yeah, we, it's not like we weren't, when the camp and we were saying, okay, let's plan on, you know, week one, week two and week three right ahead of time. We've got to plan on our offense and our defense and special teams being installed. And then whatever we can feel like we can get an advantage, then we'll highlight that and try to make that a show up on game day. So on that, the game football has too many good players and too many good coaches for us to disrespect the process. And so we're going to do things one step at a time and keep it, keep it simple and keep

24:51it basic until and make sure that we handle all the fundamentals before we get to the game planning and all that stuff. I get where Kalani's coming from on that. However, you lose this game. All the momentum from the preseason about this squad goes out the door. I mean, we saw it today. They dropped in the AP poll. It feels like pollsters are looking for a reason to fade BYU. This is a massive game. BYU is a favorite, right? Fleece. So there's a better team, but this is a massive game and Arizona is so motivated for this one. And Brent Brennan played down the idea of his team looking ahead too because they had an FCS game and Brent Brennan was also asked for his memories of playing at Lavela in the lead word stadium. It'll be his third matchup as a head coach against a Kalani Satake BYU team in LES. Once was San Jose State, then two years ago with the Wildcats in a big dude kickoff spot.

25:51And this commentary got a little bit of reaction on social media. This was Brent Brennan on his memories of two years ago. I didn't feel like the crowd was a problem in 24. I felt like we didn't play very well. You know what I mean? We turned the ball over too many times. I think that's a very separate issue. They have a great crowd though. And that part of it I respect. And we know that going in there. And I think that's one of those things that if you let that be an excuse, it will be. Does that make sense? Right? So we're there to go and play good football. We're there to go and attack this opportunity that's in front of us playing a top 15 team on the road. And we can't wait to do it. I'm not offended by that. Now, but it is the type of quote that can be taken out of context. And it can rev up the fans and first fans short for fanatic. They can look at that and say, you're you're calling us out. We'll see. We'll show you on Saturday, Brent Brennan. I like Brent Brennan. I think he's a good coach.

26:51I think he's a good fit at Arizona. Him and Kalani Sotake got a good relationship. I don't take offense to that commentary because I mean, he is right. Arizona did play awful. He was a close game and then like BYU did with many teams in 2024. They had an onslaught of giveaways. Remember K state and then few weeks later, it was Arizona and Gus Johnson saying, fans swaying folks. This is college football on Fox America. This is how we do. We need Gus and Joel clad on that game again. Gosh darn it. But to Brent Brennan's point, they did play terrible. And they they folded the BYU's defense, which was really good that year. And then it kind of amplified me. Heck legend, Glasgow was like, it was pretty quiet on my first touch. And I wasn't that loud. So hopefully Cougar fans feel the between Brennan and between Glasgow say, you know what? Ramp it up. Ramp it up to the 10th degree Cougar fans and get loud.

27:54But I will say that's the part of prices going up. More corporate sponsors. You don't get as rabid of a crowd. You just don't. It's what I've always said with the Marriott Center. It's not as loud as it once was. Give me the Marriott Center crowd of 2020 against Gonzaga. Give me the Marriott Center crowd of 2011 San Diego state. Give me the Marriott Center crowd against even 98 Arizona. Those crowds were louder than what we've seen in recent years. Now Texas tech and Iowa state was was pretty dang loud. It was really loud. But still I think there's been a different level when you have that little bit more corporate vibe at some of the crowds. But that's just an opinion. Maybe they're going to get filled called out and they want to get loud this week. Let's see it. Let's see it. Cougar Nation. Let's see you rattled. No, we'll feed it and the wild cats because this will be a big time game. We'll dive into it more throughout the week. That's going to do it for this edition of Cougar tracks. I hope you enjoyed it.

28:54Make sure to subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcast. And I'll talk to you next time right here on Cougar tracks. It's powered by KSL Sports and sponsored by Zion's Bank, your hometown team.