What we've learned about BYU football through first quarter of 2026 | Big 12 future overseas

No. 9 BYU is 3-0 and sitting in the top 10 of both major polls for the fifth time in seven seasons. KSL Sports BYU Insider Mitch Harper uses the bye week to step back from the game-to-game grind and deliver a big-picture episode — what he's learned about this team through three games.

Mitch opens with his observations from a quarter of the way through the most anticipated season in BYU football history. The Cougars have outscored opponents 132-47 across wins over Utah Tech (63-7), Arizona (28-17), and Colorado State (41-23). They're averaging 44.0 points and 514 total yards per game. But the stats only tell part of the story. Mitch identifies four things he's learned that the numbers alone don't capture.

In the second segment, Mitch explores a question that the Big 12's global expansion has put squarely on the table: Could BYU play an international game in the future? The 2026 Big 12 schedule featured two games on European soil — TCU versus North Carolina in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland on August 29, and the inaugural Union Jack Classic between Arizona State and Kansas at Wembley Stadium in London on September 19. Commissioner Brett Yormark has made no secret of his desire to grow the Big 12's international footprint, and the league's 2026 schedule release emphasized the conference's "global expansion" as a marquee initiative. Mitch makes the case for why BYU would be a natural fit for an international showcase.

Then, finally, we're closing in on a potential vote in the U.S. Senate for the Protect College Sports Act. Would this be a good thing for BYU athletics?

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