The Big 12 has been one of the most riveting stories of the 2024 CFB season. Concealed within the glitz and glamor of Colorado is another program making waves sat atop the conference. Looking to keep their Cinderella story going, no.11 BYU Cougars (7-0) head east to face up against a wavering UCF Knights team (3-4) at FBC Mortgage Stadium. With the game set up to be a close, cagey affair, ESPN has picked some fine broadcasters to elevate the matchup.

This is the first time these two face each other since the 2020 Boca Raton Bowl. 4 years on, the two teams couldn’t come together in more opposing circumstances. Brigham Young arrived on the eastern coast on the back of a game-winning TD in the dying embers. Junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff drove almost the length of the field in a minute to win 38-35 at home against Oklahoma State, keeping their unbeaten streak going. Meanwhile, UCF lost a half-time lead against no. 10 Iowa State, dropping their 4th consecutive game in the process. Making sense of all of this and more will be Mike Couzens and Brock Osweiler. Stormy Buonantony will be reporting from the sideline.

Couzens is one of the premier play-by-play guys in football, plying his trade across the college and pro game. His comrade and former NFL quarterback Osweiler is an analyst who fans have taken to from the onset, bringing his experience garnered behind the line of scrimmage to the forefront.

He will have his eye particularly on BYU’s Retzlaff, who with his combination of arm and running prowess may hold the key to keeping his team’s unbeaten streak and CFP ambitions going. UCF promises to be the biggest hurdle yet in their quest for the Big-12 crown. Action begins at 3.30 pm EST on October 26th.

BYU Cougars’ fairy tale ends in the Sunshine State?

The UCF Knights are the no. 2 rushing offense in the country, garnering 280.3 yards per game on the ground. This physical play style, coupled with BYU’s inability to deal with Oklahoma State’s run game (269 rush yds) has made oddsmakers side with the Knights as marginal favorites (-2.5) at home, in spite of their problems this season.

Add to that, the conditions bode tricky for BYU. The Cougars travel from cool, mountainous Utah to the heart of sunny Florida. Temperatures and humidity forecasts for the game give UCF an edge in that aspect.

In order for BYU to win, Retzlaff simply must take better care of the football. He threw 2 picks in his previous outing. He’ll need to play a clean game against a defense that averages a mere 1.2 takeaways each game. A win this weekend heading into a bye week will give BYU a welcome boost, before taking on Utah in the Holy War. Heading into that game unbeaten and leading the Big 12? BYU fans will have some of that. A conference championship and postseason berth beckons.