But if they keep what they got rolling and win, that will still be a big win given what you've listed above. I will then expect no less than 10 wins for the regular season out of BYU, especially if they manage to stay mostly healthy again in this one.

One other thing that is different now than all those prior years of Gundy success: NIL issues. Rumor has it that NIL stuff has been a hot point over there at OSU and it's been affecting the locker room culture. It may just be hearsay and people looking for a reason to another year of early struggles though. Either way...last year's loss left a sour taste in the mouths of all of the guys we returned this year, which are many, too. I'm sure they've had this one circled on their calendar since the schedule came out and are eager to not only wash that taste out and get some payback, but also use this game as another measuring stick to show their own progress and growth as a team.

So, if I was an OSU fan, I'd be just as nervous as many BYU fans are for the reasons you've laid out above. It's got all the makings to be a good game. But, it could also be one of those games where BYU implodes, allowing Ollie Gordon to rise from the grave as it were and it turns into a long night for BYU. It could also be a game where BYU jumps out early on them and puts them into a big hole, forcing OSU to try to dig themselves out of such a hole with a new QB, only to have things snowball further as BYU's stingy defense capitalizes on their pass attempts and wreaks more havoc on their offense.