ESPN FPI Believes BYU Has One of the Most Favorable Schedules in Power Four

The BYU football program is looking to build off on an 11-win season in 2024. The Cougars were on the wrong side of Big 12 tiebreaker rules that kept them out of the Big 12 championship. The schedule is setting up for BYU to potentially make another run at the Big 12 championship according to ESPN FPI.

The Cougars have one of the most favorable schedules among Power Four schools according to FPI. BYU's strength of schedule ranks 74th nationally, second to last among Power Four schools ahead of only Houston (75).

The Big 12 has seven teams in the preseason top 25 in FPI. BYU is one of the seven. Of the other six teams in the top 35, BYU is only scheduled to play two of them: TCU (32) and Texas Tech (35).

BYU isn't scheduled to play any FPI preseason top 25 teams.

Here are the Big 12 teams in the preseason FPI. BYU's 2025 opponents are in bold font.

1. Kansas State (21st nationally)
2. Arizona State (24)
3. BYU (29)
4. Kansas (30)
5. TCU (32)
6. Baylor (33)
7. Texas Tech (35)
8. UCF (37)
9. Iowa State (45)
10. Utah (46)
11. Colorado (49)
12. Cincinnati (53)
13. West Virginia (66)
14. Oklahoma State (67)
15. Arizona (69)
16. Houston (75)

There's a possibility that BYU will have to be without its starting quarterback in 2025. If Jake Retzlaff can't go, the schedules sets up in a way that BYU could still be in position to contend for the Big 12 championship if they find a servicable replacement.

Here are the strength of schedule rankings for the rest of the Big 12.

1. Oklahoma State (39th nationally)
2. TCU (48)
3. Baylor (50)
4. West Virginia (55)
5. UCF (57)
6. Utah (58)
7. Iowa State (59)
8. Kansas (60)
9. Cincinnati (63)
10. Kansas State (64)
11. Arizona (65)
12. Colorado (67)
13. Texas Tech (69)
14. Arizona State (73)
15. BYU (74)
16. Houston (75)

The strength of schedule rankings will adjust as the season progresses. Big 12 teams will climb in the rankings and, as a result, the strength of schedule rankings for Big 12 teams will likely rise.