Talk about a curveball bigger than Jake Retzlaff’s abrupt departure from BYU. Imagine losing the explosive weapon that led you to an 11-2 record just 2 months before the kickoff. Sure, the team does have key players grinding hard to grab the starting role, but let’s be real, none of them threw a signal snap for the team. Despite that, BYU’s breakout season hype isn’t stopping anytime soon. The team’s already in Josh Pate’s hot start, railing behind Kalani Sitake as he takes a more active role. Retzlaff’s exit may have caused concern, but it looks like it wasn’t a death sentence.

Coming off a strong 2024 season, capped by a No. 13 ranking and an impressive Alamo Bowl victory against Colorado, BYU heads into 2025 with considerable momentum. As the spotlight on the program intensifies, for good reason. With a 10.4% chance to win the Big 12 and an FPI ranking of No. 3 in the conference (No. 29 nationally), the Cougars are still a top contender. Head coach Kalani Sitake has his team ready to compete at a high level again.

But what’s turning the most heads is that BYU boasts the second-easiest conference schedule in the Big 12, giving them a real opportunity to contend for the title. That’s what put them on Josh Pate’s hot start team list. “And in the Big 12, I think Brigham Young is a hot start candidate because we think in our internal grading system, Brigham Young may have the easiest schedule out of all the Power Four teams this year, which their fans continue to take as an insult for some reason. I have no idea why. It’s just one grading metric we use. And don’t you want to play on a workable schedule, by the way?” Pate said on his CFB show.

That makes sense as Kalani Sitake’s team opens with manageable opponents like Portland State, Stanford, and East Carolina. Then they will play against teams like Colorado and West Virginia, who are standing at the bottom of the Big 12 odds ranking. Best part? They avoid Big 12 heavyweights like the Sun Devils and Kansas State. So, this makes them an easy Big 12 contender. But the problem lies in their grueling road games.

Sure, their schedule looks easy on paper, but an early bye in Week 3 means they’ll play 10 games in 11 weeks, compounded by extensive travel to six states, notably a challenging East Carolina-to-Colorado stretch. This sets them up for a potentially strong start, but late-season fatigue, frequent flights, and the absence of rivalry games against teams like Baylor or Arizona State could strain their depth and consistency as the season moves ahead.

Even though Josh Pate pegs them at the top for an easy schedule, he’s also aware of the tough road games. “By the way, when I tell you you’ve got the easiest schedule, I don’t mean you have a ton of easy games. At Iowa State it’s not easy. Playing Utah is not easy. At Texas Tech, it’s not easy. Relatively speaking, there aren’t many teams at all that you would trade schedules with,” Pate added.

But that’s not the only development that’s turning heads in Provo.

Kalani Sitake is embracing his new role with BYU

Well, PROVO—BYU welcomes back a familiar face with ambitious plans. After Brian Santiago’s promotion to athletic director, former basketball star Travis Hansen returns as a senior associate athletic director, the university announced Monday. Hansen, a former Mountain West champion and 2003 Defensive Player of the Year, will oversee revenue sharing and NIL operations—a new area created after the House settlement that allows schools to share up to $20.5 million annually with athletes.

But they didn’t just stop at that, as BYU also strengthens its leadership, elevating head football coach Kalani Sitake and women’s track and field/cross country coach Diljeet Taylor to senior associate athletic directors, helping shape strategy while maintaining their coaching roles. Now, Sitake is more than a head coach for BYU.

BYU has promoted Dallan Moody, previously the senior associate athletic director for finance and scheduling, to deputy athletic director. He’s taking over the position Brian Santiago held under former AD Tom Holmoe. Now, Santiago becomes the new AD of the team, highlighting the strategic benefit of a broader leadership team, noting the additions of Diljeet Taylor and Kalani Sitake. “It provides world-class coaching voices in our most important department collaborations and also expands their impact and influence to all 600+ of our student-athletes at BYU,” he said.

Now, with an easy schedule and a brand new position, let’s see how this season turns out for Kalani Sitake and the team.