Both football and basketball are finished for the academic year. It’s clear that one team stood above the rest when considering both sports, and that’s the BYU Cougars.
Football and men’s basketball- they’re called the “big money” sports in college athletics. Usually, if schools can find a way to thrive in both, they’re set financially for years to come. It also brings in the most eyeballs of any other college athletics combined.
Since joining the Big 12, BYU has taken their opportunity for more exposure and revenue and ran with it. BYU is thriving.
And for the 2024-2025 “academic year,” counting 2024 football and 2024-2025 men’s basketball, no athletics program in the Big 12 Conference tops BYU.
Both BYU’s football and basketball teams finished No. 13 in their respective final AP polls. Only Houston had more combined football and basketball wins than BYU, however, for the Cougars in red, that was heavily skewed by a stellar basketball season that saw them reach the national title game. Their football team won four games and missed a bowl. BYU beat them head-to-head on the gridiron.
BYU was the only Big 12 team to finish inside the top 15 in both football and basketball.
Did a few football and basketball teams reach higher heights individually than BYU? Sure. But when considering both sports together, BYU is the superior athletics program.
In football, sure Arizona State made the College Football Playoff after winning the Big 12. That included a head-to-head win over BYU late in the year. They even gave Texas a scare in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals.
Of the football teams, the Sun Devils had the best season, finishing No. 7 in the final AP poll after making the playoff.
However, their basketball team left a lot to be desired. They went 13-20 and missed the NCAA Tournament by a large margin. The Cougars beat them on the hardwood both times they squared off.
Let’s not forget to mention the Utah Utes both missed a bowl game and missed the NCAA Tournament. They are one of just four Big 12 teams that did that (along with Cincinnati, UCF, and Oklahoma State).
The only team that gives BYU a run for their money here is Iowa State.
The Cyclones had the inside track to win the Big 12 in football, before getting utterly smashed by ASU in the title game. Still, they finished 11-3 with a final ranking of 15th, after winning the Pop Tarts Bowl over Miami.
In basketball, they won 25 games, just one less than BYU. They made the NCAA Tournament and won their first round matchup. However, where they fail to beat BYU is two-fold in basketball.
First, BYU went 2-0 against Iowa State in basketball, including a win in Ames, one of the toughest venues for a road team to win in the entire country. Then the Cougars sealed their dominance over Iowa State by beating them again in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
Also, BYU got farther into the NCAA Tournament than the Cyclones, making it to the Sweet 16. They finished 13th, four spots higher than Iowa State.
Those two teams were the only ones to finish ranked in both football and men’s basketball. They also were the only two teams to both win a bowl game and make the NCAA Tournament. While they did not meet up in football, BYU clearly won the upper hand in basketball.
Kansas might have ruined BYU’s special season in football, but BYU returned the favor in basketball by handing the Jayhawks one of their worst losses in program history. Plus, the Cougars got farther in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Kansas missed a bowl game.
No Big 12 team had a better football and men’s basketball season than BYU.
