No. 12 BYU Cougars (12-2) solidified themselves as one of the country’s ascending football programs on Saturday.
The Cougars capped a landmark 2025 season with a comeback 25-21 win over No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-4). BYU erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit in the victory, outscoring Georgia Tech 15-0 in the final 15 minutes.
No. 12 BYU poised to build off of strong 2025 season
The result gave BYU a 12th win for just the fifth time in program history and first since 2001. It overcame some brutal breaks, including two stops — one turnover on downs, one interception — inside the Georgia Tech 5-yard line, plus a muffed kick that resulted in a six-yard Yellow Jackets touchdown drive, thanks to a poised performance from true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
Bachmeier finished 27-of-38 for 325 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was 9-of-13 for 96 yards in the fourth quarter as BYU stormed back to take the lead. The strong game bodes well for the Cougars’ future.
The young quarterback should only improve as he develops, keeping BYU in contention in the Big 12 in 2026 and 2027 (2028, too, if Bachmeier plays all four years). With head coach Kalani Sitake recently signing a lucrative extension to keep him in Provo, Utah, the rest of the core is also more likely to remain at BYU than head elsewhere via the portal.
Per 247Sports, the Cougars have the second-best 2026 recruiting class in the Big 12, behind conference champion No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-1), the only team they lost to this season (twice).
BYU was on the precipice of a College Football Playoff berth this season, and with the program ending 2025 on a high note, it has every reason to believe next year could be its breakthrough.
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