BYU's September Schedule Sets Up Nicely for a New Quarterback

The Jake Retzlaff era at BYU has officially come to an end. On Friday, the senior quarterback announced his plans to withdraw from BYU and finish his college career at a different school.

There will be a three-way battle for the starting quarterback job between McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier. The battle will likely last most, if not all, of Fall camp. The three quarterbacks have varying level of college football experience, but they all have one thing in common: none of them have taken a snap for BYU.

Fortunately for BYU, the September schedule is favorable for a new quarterback earning their stripes. First, BYU kicks off the season on August 30th against Portland State. That will be a great opportunity for the new quarterback to get some live reps against inferior competition. Regardless of the quarterback situation, BYU will be heavily favored in that game.

The next week, BYU hosts Stanford in Lavell Edwards Stadium. After losing their head coach in March, Stanford lost multiple starters to the transfer portal including wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier to BYU. Stanford also lost Bear Bachmeier to BYU who was competing for the starting quarterback job. Stanford is projected to be one of the worst teams in the Power Four. Regardless of who lines up at quarterback, BYU should be favored in that game as well.

After the first two games, BYU has a bye week. Typically, a bye week so early in the season is not advantageous. In this scenario, however, it might be. An early bye week will give the new BYU quarterback the chance to prepare for the first road game of the season at East Carolina.

The road game at East Carolina is a dangerous one. The Pirates are coming off a successful 2024 season and they have given BYU fits in the past. However, BYU will be the more talented team. On paper, BYU should win that game regardless of the quarterback situation.

Last but not least, BYU travels to Colorado to take on the Buffaloes to open up conference play. Like we saw in the Alamo Bowl, BYU's primary advantage will be along the lines of scrimmage. This is a game where BYU will lean heavily on running backs like LJ Martin and Sione Moa. A heavy rushing attack could be the ideal recipe for a new quarterback experiencing his first conference action.

Nnothing is guaranteed in college football and wins can't be taken for granted. It's possible that one of these four teams is better than we expect them to be. However, BYU has built a really solid roster around the quarterback position. Whoever wins the job will not need to go out and win games for BYU right away. Regardless of who wins the job, they are set up to have some early success in 2025.