'What have we done to earn the benefit of the doubt?' Sitake undeterred by BYU's poll pick

LAS VEGAS — A year ago in Dallas, West Virginia coach Neal Brown went to the podium at Big 12 media days with a burning passion after the media picked the Mountaineers to finish dead last in the then-14-team conference.

The coach was validated with a 9-4 record, his best at the school by three wins, that earned an extension through the 2027 season.

Brown's Mountaineers were picked a more favorable seventh a year later as the conference swelled to 16 teams after losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. But there's always a bottom of the poll, and this year's caboose featured Arizona State, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU.

Would Cougars coach Kalani Sitake take a similar scorched-earth approach at Big 12 football media days moved to the 116-degree desert of Allegiant Stadium?

Hardly. Sitake's approach was much more akin to the personality that has made him a beloved coach by many in Provo during a 61-41 start to his head coaching career.

"There are a lot of unknowns with us," Sitake said of the team's No. 13 preseason projection. "When you're in our position, what have we done to earn the benefit of the doubt? It would be hard for me to get mad at all you guys because you didn't vote for us when you don't know a lot of things we can do.

"But myself and my players, we know what we've done, and we know what to expect now that we've been through it. We're looking forward to this year. It's not about proving you guys wrong; you don't know. Once we get on the field, you're going to know and you're going to feel it. Hopefully, we can change some minds."

The Cougars went 5-7 a year ago, and were a second-half collapse against Oklahoma State away from reversing an overtime loss that would've sent the program to a bowl game in its first season in the Big 12.

BYU lost plenty in the offseason, including offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia to the NFL draft and starting quarterback Kedon Slovis. But eight offensive starters return, including six of the top-seven pass catchers and presumed starting running back LJ Martin.

But in what many consider college football's most important position — the quarterback — BYU has had more questions than answers, even during spring practices when incumbent Jake Retzlaff competed with Baylor and USF transfer Gerry Bohanon for the QB1 tag.

But the competition has been bolstered beyond the top two with transfer additions Treyson Bourguet (Western Michigan) and McCae Hillstead (Utah State), as well. Cade Fennegan was no longer listed on the most recent roster update, with the former Boise State transfer set to take a student-assistant role and opening a scholarship for two more players with sizeable Division I experience.

"Last year we had an injury to our quarterback position, and we had to learn from that," Sitake said. "We have a much deeper position with the quarterback, but we've done that with other positions, as well.

"I don't think anyone ever talks about those other guys who are here," he added after leaving the Big 12 main stage at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. "I want to play the best guys, and we've been through quarterback battles before where we have 3-4 guys who can play. They're all ready. I hope we don't get to our fourth-string quarterback — but if we do, we're ready for it."

On defense, the Cougars return Tyler Batty and Isaiah Bagnah at defensive end, Ben Bywater at linebacker, and Jakob Robinson at cornerback among six returning starters.

Still, last year's finish was substandard for BYU, which has been to a bowl game in 17 of the last 19 years. There were moments where the Cougars looked to belong in their new conference home after a decade of independence — flashes that Sitake hopes to build on — while other times where the moment proved to be too much.

Perhaps, then, the results of the 2023 season were a major catalyst for change — not any preseason poll.

"I think that has very little to do with preseason polls, and everything to do with the fact that we are embarrassed at how we played last year," BYU center Connor Pay said. "That drive and desire to improve has been here since the day the season ended last year, from workouts in January until now, and it's going to continue to be here in the summer and into training camp. That desire to improve had nothing to do with preseason polls; it's been there all offseason."

Whether a "chip" on the shoulder or straight "embarrassment," BYU has been through what Sitake called the most physical offseason of his coaching tenure. The Cougars thought they were a physical team before 2023, but learned they needed an entirely different level to compete with the physicality of life in a power conference.

"I can tell you the learning process from year one to year two naturally already happens," Sitake said. "Our guys now know what to expect. Last year was a lot of uncharted territory. There were a lot of new things that we weren't sure how guys would respond to certain things being in a difficult environment on the road, things like that.

"I can tell you through all that, the one thing we can definitely count on, our fan base is amazing. They travel well. They do a great job.They've been power conference since I was a kid. So we can lean on that to be a huge benefit for us, but on the field, we need to be more consistent, and that's what we're going to try to sort of gain and make sure happens starting week one."

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