Stanford Football: Top Storylines to Watch vs. BYU

This is one of the more intriguing stories in all of college football. Originally signing with Stanford out of high school, even joining the team for the start of spring practice, true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier entered the transfer portal after Stanford fired Troy Taylor, promptly joining BYU.

After Bear announced that he was transferring to BYU, his brother Tiger, a wide receiver at Stanford for the past two seasons, went to BYU as well. Now the two brothers face off as teammates against their former school for the first time, where their hunger to win is as high as it's ever been.

Bear became the first true freshman starting quarterback ever for BYU, and with a lack of experience, the Cardinal will look to take full advantage of that and get the upper hand against their former recruit.

Can Ben Gulbranson Rebound?

After dominant performances at spring practice and training camp, Gulbranson earned the starting job for the Cardinal over guys like Elijah Brown and Dylan Rizk, bringing up the question as to whether or not he could be the answer for this season.

But a tough outing against Hawaii in Week 0, where Gulbranson completed only 50% of his passes for 109 yards and an interception, contributed to a heartbreaking 23-20 loss.

Week 2 is crucial for Gulbranson, who is playing to keep the starting job, and if he can deliver a strong performance against a good BYU team, it will set the right tone for the rest of the season.

Frank Reich's First Power Five Showdown

In his first season ever coaching college football, Reich will get the chance to coach against a Power Five school for the first time in his career. And there is no better way to start than facing off against the No. 23 ranked team in the country in BYU.

The differences in the college game and the pro game are massive, and if Reich wants to see any sort of success this season, making the necessary adjustments will be vital. Against Hawaii, Reich came under scrutiny when he failed to use any of his three available timeouts towards the end of the game, preventing Stanford from having enough time to score for the win.

A tougher opponent in a Big 12 school leaves even less room for error. If Reich wants to prove himself in college football, a good outing against a Power Five team will go a long way. Stanford enters the game as huge underdogs heading into Provo.