PROVO — The 2015 BYU football season is still months away, but that doesn't keep fans from thinking about the upcoming campaign. Here are my rankings of the Cougars' 2015 contests in order of intrigue.

1. at Nebraska, Sept. 5

Nebraska is an exciting opponent for a variety of reasons: First, the Cornhuskers have a rich tradition of individual award winners and national championships. Secondly, Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, is one of the college football meccas, and to play in that classic venue should be fun for Cougar players, coaches and fans. Thirdly, the Cougars rarely play Big Ten opponents or in the Midwest, in general. Finally, and maybe most importantly, BYU has a legitimate chance to win this game. Nebraska has been good, but not great, in the last few seasons, and the Cornhuskers will be breaking in a new coach this season.

2. Boise State, Sept. 12

For the last decade, Boise State has been akin to BYU teams in the 1980s, feasting on mediocre conference competition and winning enough big out-of-conference games to make noise nationally. Thus far in the series, things have mostly gone in Boise's favor with a 4-1 record against the Cougs, including a humiliating 55-30 loss in Boise in 2014. The Cougars will want payback in 2015. Also, BYU wants to be in the position Boise State is in and knocking off the Broncos in more games will do a lot to help establish the Cougars as the preeminent team in the area.

3. at Michigan, Sept. 26

Michigan football has been down the last few years. Former San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke and current Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez have left the once mighty program in shambles. However, new head coach Jim Harbaugh has had nothing but success with every team he has presided over. The Wolverines should be a tough test for the Cougars, and it’s tough to beat “The Big House” for a college football venue.

4. at UCLA, Sept.19

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Just as with Michigan and Nebraska, one of the main draws of playing at UCLA is competing in the famous Rose Bowl. Also, similarly to Michigan and Nebraska, the game looks (on paper) to be a winnable contest for BYU. UCLA will be replacing its most dynamic offensive player, quarterback Brett Hundley, and Butkus Award winner Eric Kendricks on the defensive side of the ball. Still, the Bruins should be a stiff test with the return of the Pac-12 Conference’s leading rusher in Paul Perkins II.

5. Utah State, Nov. 28

BYU was riding high in 2014 after cruising to a 4-0 record by clobbering Texas while seeing quarterback Taysom Hill turn into a darkhorse Heisman candidate. That all came quickly crumbling down when the Aggies of Utah State came to Provo, injured Hill and stymied backup quarterback Christian Stewart. The Cougars will want to return the favor and end the season on a high note as the Aggies are the last game of the regular season.

6. at Missouri, Nov. 14

Somewhat quietly, the Missouri Tigers have turned into a force to be reckoned with in the mighty SEC. After being mired as a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team, the Tigers have taken the SEC by storm and played in consecutive SEC title games. The contest against the Tigers will be a good measuring stick to see how BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall’s recruits fare against the cream of the crop.

7. East Carolina, Oct. 10

The Pirates have become a consistently strong group in the past decade or so. In 2014, the Pirates knocked off ACC schools Virginia Tech and North Carolina and played competitively against SEC foes South Carolina and Florida. ECU is not a team for the Cougars to take lightly.

8. Cincinnati, Oct. 17

Similarly to East Carolina, the Cincinnati Bearcats are a solid AAC team that has enough talent to give BYU a good contest. As an aside, the Bearcats have frequently been brought up in discussions about Big 12 expansion. Clobbering Cincinnati could help strengthen the Cougars' claim to being a deserving addition to the conference.

9. Fresno State, Nov. 21

Fresno State is yet another solid group of five teams the Cougars will encounter in 2015. Last year, Fresno State had a down year after a terrific 2013 campaign. It will be interesting to see how good the Bulldogs will be this season, and it will be another chance for BYU to show that it belongs with the big boys rather than in a group of five conference.

10. at San Jose State, Nov. 7

To be blunt, the Spartans stunk last year. The team finished with a measly 3-9 record and did not have any wins worth writing home about. But, the loss at Spartan Stadium the Cougars experienced in 2012 still stings with images of Riley Nelson fumbling the ball on a last-minute comeback attempt to seal the game.

11. UConn, Oct. 2

Last year’s contest against UConn was an overall boring game. The Cougars cruised to a 35-10 win in a game that was never close. This year’s matchup similarly has limited alluring value.

12. Wagner, Oct. 24

In contests against FCS opponents there is generally limited intrigue. The only thing that could be interesting about this game is to see which backups play for the Cougars.

Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor and can be reached at DylanCannon86@gmail.com or via twitter @DylanCannon11. Listen to his weekly podcast, "Cougar Talk," on iTunes.

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