Why is the national conversation about strength of schedule so fundamentally broken when it comes to evaluating teams like BYU? Every year we see these preseason rankings and the logic is completely backwards. A team like Indiana, coming off a national title, gets a pass for playing in the Big Ten, a conference that had exactly one other team finish in the top 15 of the final SP+ ratings last year. Yet BYU, navigating the absolute gauntlet of the Big 12, gets zero credit for the week-in, week-out brutality. The Big 12 had seven teams finish with 8+ wins last season. Their average SP+ conference rating was higher than the Big Ten's. The data is right there. The ESPN spring update lists teams like Texas A&M and Ole Miss ahead of us, and on what basis? Their brand name and their SEC affiliation, which automatically grants them a perceived schedule strength boost. But look at the actual opponents. Ole Miss plays in an SEC West that isn't what it was five years ago. They get Vanderbilt from the East. Meanwhile, BYU's 2026 conference slate includes road trips to Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and a Houston team that's been a portal monster, plus home games against Utah and a TCU program that's always dangerous. There is no breather. Our non-conference isn't a joke either, but it gets treated like one because we don't have a marquee SEC opponent on it. Since when is playing a solid Mountain West or American team a negative? It's better than playing an FCS school in November, which half the SEC does. The entire system is designed to protect the old guard. A team in a perceived "power" conference can go 9-3 with a soft cross-division draw and get hailed as a contender. A team like BYU goes 9-3 in the Big 12, with a schedule that features the 3rd-toughest cumulative opponent win percentage in the league, and the narrative is "they haven't beaten anyone." Who exactly are we supposed to beat? BYU Cougars have to play everyone. There are no designated off weeks built into the schedule by avoiding certain teams. Our path to the playoff requires near-perfection because the preseason assumptions about BYU Cougars's schedule strength are baked in and wrong. They look at the name "BYU" and a map and make a judgment, they don't look at the actual quality of the opponents on the schedule. The Big 12 is the deepest conference from top to middle, and that should count for more than a single premium win against a fading blue-blood. Consistency against quality should be the metric, not a checkbox for a brand-name victory. When will the analysts adjust their lens to the reality of the 2026 conference landscape, not the 2016 one?

Big 12 is soft

You're conveniently ignoring that BYU's own SP+ ratings have been middling for years, which shapes that preseason perception. The Big 12's depth is valid, but BYU hasn't consistently proven it can win those high-leverage road games you listed. Beating solid teams is different than contending for a conference title, which is what gets national respect. Those SEC teams you mock have recent NY6 wins and top-10 finishes that BYU lacks, so the brand bias is earned, not just given. Your schedule is tough, but until you navigate it with fewer than four losses, the skepticism is justified.

You're ignoring that BYU's schedule strength is inflated by playing in a round-robin league where everyone beats each other. The Big 12's depth is just mediocrity. Indiana played a real schedule and won a national title, they've earned that respect. Your non-conference is a joke, playing a Mountain West team isn't the same as an SEC road game. The preseason rankings reflect proven performance, not hypothetical gauntlets. BYU hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt.

You guys are complaining about schedule strength after ducking us for years?

The Big 12's depth is overstated. Arizona won the conference last year with a 10-3 record, proving you can navigate that schedule and earn respect. BYU's 5-7 conference record last season shows they aren't surviving the "gauntlet" they're describing. The SP+ gap between the top of the Big 12 and the top of the SEC is still significant, and that's what the playoff committee sees.

Our title says it all

The Big 12 gauntlet talk is cute, but BYU's schedule is why they'll be fighting for bowl eligibilitty, not a playoff spot

You're complaining about schedule strength? I watched BYU in the WAC and Mountain West for decades. You used to beg for games against the big boys. Now you're in a real conference and suddenly it's too tough? The old Big 12 with Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas was a true gauntlet. This new version is tough, sure, but don't act like you're getting some unique raw deal. Every team in our league faces that grind. That's football. As for TCU always being dangerous, you're right about that. We've been winning big games since LaDainian Tomlinson was in the backfield, long before BYU had to worry about a full Power Five slate.

The Big 12 gauntlet is a myth. BYU's schedule is tough because their team is average, not because the league is elite. The SEC's worst teams would still dominate the middle of that conference.

The Big 12's depth is valid, but dismissing the SEC's top-end is a mistake. LSU's schedule last year featured five opponents that finished in the SP+ top 15, a concentration of elite talent the Big 12 simply didn't match. While the middle may be tough, the SEC consistently produces national contenders with elite NFL talent, which skews the overall difficulty. Ole Miss and Texas A&M are ranked on potential and recruiting classes that regularly land in the top 10, something BYU hasn't demonstrated. Your non-conference schedule lacks a true benchmark game, which matters when comparing resumes. The system isn't broken, it just weighs proven high-stakes performance more heavily than consistent competence.

you're complaining about a schedule you haven't even played yet. the big 12 is deep in mediocrity, not elite talent. beating a bunch of 8-4 teams doesn't make you a contender, it makes you part of the miiddle. byu needs to win those games first before crying about respect.

our schedule is built for champions, not for analysts who can't see past conference logos

You're missing the entire point of how schedule strength actually works in the SEC. The week-to-week physical toll in this league is something the Big 12 can't replicate, and that's what the rankings reflect. Indiana gets that pass because they just won a natty in the toughest cofnerence, and they're reloading with top-tier croots and portal hits that BYU can't match. The Big 12's depth is a myth built on parity, NOT elite talent. Having seven teams with 8 wins means they're all beating up on each other in a middle-tier pool, not that they're facing multiple national contenders. When Ole Miss or Texas A&M are ranked ahead, it's because their rosters are built with higher-ceiling players, period. Their 85th scholarship player is a 4-star who would start for most Big 12 teams. The SEC West might have shifted, but you still have to survive Alabama, LSU, and now Oklahoma every single year, with the Georgia's of the world waiting in Atlanta. BYU's road trips in the Big 12 are tough, but they're not facing the same caliber of NFL-ready defensive lines or 5-star quarterbacks on a consistent basis. The non-conference argument is weak. Playing a solid Group of Five team doesn't move the needle compared to the SEC's standard of playing at least one premier Power Five opponent OOC. The system isn't broken. It recognizes that surviving the SEC grind, even with a down Vanderbilt, prepares you for the playoff in a way the Big 12 round-robin simply doesn't. BYU's path is harder because they have to prove they belong with the big boys, not because the metrics are unfair. The preseason rankings are about projecting talent and trajectory, and the SEC's track record of producing champions gives its teams the benefit of the doubt that the Big 12 hasn't earned.

You're complaining about schedule strength while dodging the fact your program has never won anything meaningful. We play in the real ACC, not some flyover league. Your whole argument falls apart when you remember we actually compete for championships.

The Big 12 gauntlet talk is cute, but let's be real. Your non-con is a joke and you're dodging the real physicality week in and week out in the Big Ten. Our OOC slate is built to challenge us, not pad the win column.

You're complaining about schedule strength while your program has never won anything meaningful. The Big 12 gauntlet is real, which is why West Virginia will own you again. Worry less about rankings and more about your porous defense.

You're complaining about schedule strength while we grind through the Big Ten West every year. Our path is just as tough, and we actually win our conference games.

The Big 12 gauntlet talk is cute, but we just went through it and came out with a winning record. Their depth just means everybody beats up on each other, not that it's some elite league. They're confusing parity with quality.

You're conveniently ignoring that BYU's non-conference slate is a major anchor. Playing a solid Mountain West team isn't a negative, but it's not the same as a true power matchup. The Big 12 is deep, but it lacks the elite top-end that the SEC and Big Ten still possess. Those leagues produce the playoff teams for a reason. Indiana gets credit because they won it all and play in a conference with multiple historic brands that recruit at a different level. Your 2026 schedule looks tough, but Oklahoma and Texas will be in the SEC by then, diluting the Big 12's perceived strength even further. The system isn't broken, it just properly values winning the biggest games against the best competition, which BYU's schedule often lacks.

BYU's schedule is soft

BYU's 2025 schedule ranks 65th in projected SP+ difficulty, while Indiana's is top 15. That's the reality.

Our schedule is a real grind in the UMAC, we don't get any freebies either

BYU's schedule is soft. ALWAYS has been.

Our schedule is no picnic either, we have to run through the Big 12 every single week. The difference is we actually win those tough games and don't just complain about the rankings. BYU wants credit for a schedule they haven't even played yet, while we've been proving it on the field ngl. Let's see them handle a road game in Ames before they talk about gauntlets.

They’re just mad because their schedule is soft and they know they’d get exposed in the ACC

The Big 12's depth is overstated. Texas Longhorns faced four top-15 SP+ teams last season, a gauntlet BYU doesn't see. The SEC's top-end talent, where Texas now resides, creates a different tier of weekly competition.

the big 12 gauntlet is a myth oklahoma just walked through, and byu couldn't handle it

This reminds me of the old CIAA days when you proved it on the field, not in some magazine. You want respect, go win your conference. My Big Blues never got a handout, and neither should BYU. The Big 12 gauntlet you're crying about is just modern football, son. Everyone has a tough schedule now.

Big Ten had 5 top-20 SP+ teams

SEC is different