BYU football quarterback Bear Bachmeier was shaken up in the loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game.

It raised some questions about the availability of the star freshman for the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Georgia Tech.

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick addressed Bear's status as the Cougars returned to practice, with bowl practices getting underway.

KSL Sports BYU Insider Mitch Harper discussed Bear's status on this episode of the Cougar Tracks Podcast, a daily look into BYU sports.

Also, in this episode of the podcast, Harper proposed that the Big 12 adopt annual opponents in the league as the SEC did beginning in 2026.

Who would be BYU's permanent three opponents? He shared his thoughts.

BYU basketball returns to the Marriott Center after 32 days away to host the UC Riverside Highlanders on December 13.

Finally, Mitch caught up with BYU Passing Game Coordinator Fesi Sitake to preview the upcoming bowl game and discuss Kalani Sitake's long-term extension.

Subscribe to the Cougar Tracks Podcast to stay up-to-date with all the daily episodes.

Cougar Tracks is on YouTube and X every weekday at Noon (MT), and KSL NewsRadio at 6:30 p.m. (MT).

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-tracks/id1146971609

YouTube Podcast: https://kslsports.com/category/podcast_results/?sid=2035&n=Cougar%20Tracks

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2NCF1KecDsE2rB1zMuHhUh

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Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

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