BYU Football Readies For First Conference Championship Game Since 1998
Dec 3, 2025, 9:22 AM | Updated: 11:40 am
PROVO, Utah – The BYU football program is no stranger to conference championships, securing 23 titles between its time in the Western Athletic and Mountain West Conferences.
What is rare for the storied program is the chance to compete in an end-of-season conference championship game.
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THE CUT: UCF
watch the full movie 👉 https://t.co/HuofGAIhbi pic.twitter.com/jq4LISlk9K
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 2, 2025
This weekend’s matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders will be BYU’s first appearance in a conference championship game since 1998, when it faced Air Force, and is just the third such game in program history.
The Big 12 Football Championship also marks the first time since 2007 that the Cougars have rematched with a team they faced in the regular season.
BYU lost 27-17 to UCLA in September, then rebounded with a 17-16 Las Vegas Bowl win over the Bruins to end the year.
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1998 – BYU 13, Air Force 20
BYU entered the 1998 WAC title game matchup with Air Force as the underdogs against a 12-1 Falcons juggernaut.
The Cougars went 7-1 to clinch the WAC Pacific Division after starting the year 2-4 in non-conference play. Air Force used its triple-option offensive attack to steamroll the Mountain Division.
BYU’s Mike Rigwell opened the scoring when he caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Feterik to lead 7-0 at the half.
Coach Sitake's Press Conference
Brian Santiago – Director of Athletics@YsTanman11 @chase_roberts11 pic.twitter.com/ESBvcx5Ae7
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 3, 2025
Air Force scored a short rushing TD in the third period, tying the game 7-7 heading into the final 15 minutes.
Owen Pochman staked the Cougars to a 13-7 lead with a pair of field goals, but the Falcons had an answer.
The seldom-used Falcon passing attack broke BYU’s defense for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Sparky Gilliam followed with a 29-yard touchdown run that gave Air Force the seven-point win.
1996 – BYU 28, Wyoming 25 OT
The 1996 WAC Championship game, BYU’s final game in the conference before becoming one of the inaugural members of the Mountain West, pitted the No. 20 Wyoming Cowboys against the 12-1 Cougars.
Wyoming earned a spot in the first-ever WAC Championship game after going 7-1 in Pacific Division WAC play. The Cougars trampled the competition in the Mountain Division on their way to an 8-0 record, finishing two games ahead of the Utah Utes.
BYU earned its 11th consecutive win in an overtime classic.
The Cougars controlled the first half, staking themselves to a 13-0 lead heading into the final 30 minutes. Wyoming scored ten unanswered third-quarter points, setting the stage for a wild fourth quarter and overtime period.
Wyoming bookended a 13-yard Chad Lewis TD reception with two passing touchdowns early in the period to lead 25-20 with 9:24 left.
With less than two minutes to play and needing to punt from deep in their own end, the Cowboys willingly gave up a safety, rather than kicking. Owen Pochman split the uprights with a 20-yard field goal on the ensuing possession to force OT, tied at 25.
Following a Cowboy missed field goal to begin the overtime session, Pochman gave his team the win with a 32-yard field goal.
QB Steve Sarkisian completed 26-of-37 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. RB Brian McKenzine added 64 rushing yards and a TD on the ground. Dustin Johnson caught seven passes for 69 yards to lead the team.
No. 11 BYU vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025
Venue: AT&T Stadium
Location: Arlington, Texas
The Cougars (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) get a second crack at the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Big 12 Football Championship on Saturday, December 6. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. MT.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
