Top storylines for BYU football in 2026: Bachmeier, Martin and a Big 12 title chase

BYU opens the 2026 season with a familiar mandate and new pressure tied to expectations: contend for a Big 12 championship while keeping one eye on the national playoff picture. According to Yahoo Sports’ preview of the Cougars’ most important storylines, head coach Kalani Sitake and his staff are aiming to turn what is being described as the most anticipated BYU season in school history into tangible postseason positioning.

The top storyline centers on quarterback Bear Bachmeier. In the preview, Bachmeier is identified as a leading figure for an offense that is expected to carry the team’s momentum through the kinds of weeks that define a conference title race. For BYU, the quarterback role is not simply about efficiency, it is also about managing the rhythm of a high-stakes schedule and taking advantage of scoring opportunities when opponent defenses tighten late.

Running alongside Bachmeier in that offensive framework is LJ Martin. Yahoo Sports’ preview frames Martin as a headline name in BYU’s attack, suggesting that his production and role will be important to how the Cougars create balance. In a Big 12 setting where game plans often revolve around matching scheme advantages across the field, BYU’s ability to keep its rushing and play-action game credible can determine whether its passing attack stays on schedule.

Coach Kalani Sitake and the program leadership are also part of the storyline, not as background, but as a central factor in why BYU believes it can take the next step. The preview emphasizes that Sitake’s team is leading the campaign and preparing for a postseason-ready stretch, with the Cougars’ preseason placement (noted in the preview as 14th in the national ranking) raising the stakes for consistency from week to week.

The calendar reality for BYU is that Big 12 glory carries its own requirements. Winning in the conference is not only a matter of reaching the final weekend with momentum, it is also about surviving the specific challenges that come with a league schedule built on repeat exposure to strong conference opponents. Yahoo Sports’ preview ties BYU’s pursuit of a conference championship directly to its broader playoff aspirations, indicating the Cougars view the conference title path as a primary route to national positioning.

BYU’s “anticipation” storyline matters because it can affect how the team handles the early-season narrative. When a program is receiving national attention before the games are even played, the margin for error tends to shrink. That does not change what happens on the field, but it does shape how teams are judged, especially when rankings and playoff projections start to become part of the public conversation during the season.

Still, a preview can only outline themes, not guarantee outcomes. With limited confirmed details in the available report beyond the key names and the overarching aims, the true test will come once BYU’s 2026 schedule begins and the Cougars show whether their offensive identity, led by Bachmeier and supported by Martin, can produce in conference games that carry playoff weight.

For watchers of college football, the practical question is straightforward: can BYU’s offense maintain a high level of execution when the competition gets stronger and defenses are game-planning specifically for the Cougars’ strengths? If Bachmeier and Martin deliver the kind of repeatable production implied by the preview’s emphasis, BYU’s storyline of chasing Big 12 and playoff glory will look less like preseason optimism and more like a season-long plan that earns its ranking.