- BYU hosts Portland State in their 2025 season opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
- Coach Kalani Sitake, 8-1 in openers, leads BYU against FCS Portland State.
- BYU's new quarterback Bear Bachmeier debuts, while Portland State struggles offensively.
PROVO — BYU kicks off the 2025 season with an FCS opponent as they host Portland State of the Big Sky Conference.
In their second Big 12 season, BYU shocked the league with an 11-win season and completed arguably the school's third-best season behind the 1984 national title and the 1996 season in which the Cougars went 14-1.
Due to conference affiliation, those teams each beat three power opponents, but the 2024 team beat nine of them.
Before BYU starts their Big 12 campaign, they host Portland State and Stanford, and travel to East Carolina. Head coach Kalani Sitake enters his 10th season as BYU's head coach and he is 8-1 in season-openers.
This one kicks off Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).
Game Grader
(Opponent-adjusted statistical dominance via Pick Six Previews)
3-year average (2022-24): BYU 49.3 (36th of 68 Power 4) | Portland State N/A
2024 season: BYU 70.0 (10th) | Portland State N/A
2025 projection: BYU (38th) | Portland State N/A
My Game Grader formula is a measure of statistical dominance that adjusts for opponent strength and is a key piece of my preseason and in-season evaluation.
In my annual season preview magazine Pick Six Previews, I selected BYU to finish eighth in a wide-open Big 12 race. Meanwhile, Portland State played their first game on Saturday and lost 42-0 to Tarleton State (No. 8 ranked in FCS).
FCS teams are not evaluated in my Game Grader formula, but their opener was a worst-case scenario.
BYU with the ball
(Opponent-adjusted, per-play rankings via Pick Six Previews)
BYU offense (2024): 29th of 68 Power 4 (52nd passing, 21st rushing)
Portland State defense (2025): FCS, 42 points allowed per game
All eyes will be on the quarterback quarterback after the spring drama surrounding 2024 starter Jake Retzlaff and his July dismissal from BYU. That led to a three-man battle in fall camp between McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourget, and Bear Bachmeier.
Ultimately, the staff selected Bachmeier, the four-star true freshman who spent winter and spring ball competing for the starting job at Stanford. Bachmeier becomes the eighth true freshman quarterback to start a game for BYU, and the first since Zach Wilson in 2018.
But Saturday night, he'll become the first ever to start a season opener.
The receiver room also lost some firepower after spring with Keelan Marion's departure to Miami. Chase Roberts is still an All-Big 12 star to build around as a true No. 1 receiver, and Jojo Phillips moves up into a starting spot.
Last season, the offensive line placed in the national top 40 of both my offensive line run push and pass protection stats. They must replace three starters off that unit, but Weylin Lapuaho is a third-year starter at left guard and line coach TJ Woods has a strong track record of building cohesive lines.
Portland State failed to slow down Tarleton State last week, so look for BYU to score at-will and break in their new starters with minimal resistance.
Portland State with the ball
(Opponent-adjusted, per-play rankings via Pick Six Previews)
Portland State offense (2025): FCS, 0 points per game
BYU defense (2024): 15th of 68 Power 4 (5th passing, 24th rushing)
Against Tarleton State, Portland State rotated three quarterbacks — Gabe Downing, Tyrese Smith, and John-Keawe Sagapolutele — who combined for 169 yards, 51% completion percentage, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions. This was the first time Portland State was shutout by an FCS opponent since 2006, and they were held to just 277 total yards.
It did not appear any of the three quarterbacks stepped up enough to claim the job full time, so we'll likely see all three again Saturday.
BYU returns three full-time starters from the 2024 defense that surged all the way up to No. 15 nationally in my opponent-adjusted metric. The linebacker duo of Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker could end up as one of the best in school history, and both guys earned spots on my All-Big 12 team.
They lost all four defensive line starters but landed two starters from other Power Four teams, including Keanu Tanuvasa (Utah) and Justin Kirkland (Oklahoma State).
BYU should dominate this matchup.
Game prediction
Sitake is 9-0 against FCS opponents, with an average score of 43-12. This one should follow a similar script given Portland State's 42-0 loss to a fellow FCS team last Saturday.
Look for BYU to jump out to a multi-score lead and then melt down the clock and maybe hide some schemes from their Power Four opponent Stanford next week.
BYU 41 | Portland State 10
