Many students struggle to wake up for their early classes. But at BYU, getting up before dawn to take part in a nationally televised pregame show is apparently no problem at all.

Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” made the trip to LaVell Edwards Stadium Saturday ahead of the No. 14-ranked Cougars matchup with Arizona, and despite the tailgate starting at 6:30 a.m. and the live broadcast starting 90 minutes later, there was a sea ​​of ​​royal blue flooded the west stadium parking lot for the largest pre-show crowd in “Kickoff” history.

“We’re only in college once, BYU is 5-0 and Fox is in town,” said BYU student Garrett Glauser. “Why shouldn’t we be here?”

Glauser’s tailgate experience started well before sunrise Saturday morning.

He and his friends lined up for the event that started at 11 a.m. Friday and were eventually joined by hundreds of other students and fans who camped out overnight to ensure they were seen on Fox’s cameras once the show was live .

“Every Saturday morning I would alternate between GameDay and Fox, just enjoying college football and all the hype it brings,” Shawn McDougal said. “So when they announced that Fox was coming to Provo, I didn’t believe it at first, I was so excited. Why not spend a night for it? I never thought they would come to BYU. This is a dream come true.”

The overnight campers set up tents, set up hammocks and even had projectors showing Friday’s game between Utah and Arizona State — with raucous celebrations following the Utes’ 27-19 loss.

Penina Nacua – the mother of current Cougars receiver Tei Nacua and Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua – even stood along the line to deliver a generous amount of fast food to the hungry fans.

When the live broadcast finally started Saturday morning, Fox analysts were caught off guard by the overwhelming initial noise from BYU supporters.

The crowd screamed, sang, danced and shook the ground as if the set were a nightclub. The game against Arizona wouldn’t start for another six hours, yet the fans acted as if the Cougars had already won by three touchdowns.

Students say BYU’s 5-0 start to the season has electrified the campus, especially given the surprise of it all.

Over the summer, the Cougars were picked 13th in the preseason Big 12 Poll, and now they’re being discussed as a legitimate contender to crash the conference championship game.

“It was crazy to see that they would only win four or five games all season, that’s just crazy to think now,” Glauser said. “Expectations were very low all summer, and to show them now was crazy.”

Fellow student Trevor Wach added, “It just shows the culture Kalani (Sitake) has built for this team.”

Speaking of Sitake, he made a cameo in “Kickoff,” where he received a hero’s welcome from his hometown fans and shared a tender moment with friend, Fox analyst and former Utah head coach Urban Meyer, whose presence in Provo drew many a boos .

“If your rival likes you, you’re doing something wrong,” joked Meyer, who went undefeated against BYU during his two seasons at the helm of Utah football.

Other notable guests included Texas head coach and former Cougar Steve Sarkisian – who appeared virtually before his team’s Red River Rivalry game with Oklahoma – and Hall of Fame QB Steve Young, who praised current BYU passer Jake Retzlaff for his performance to date in 2024.

And of course there was Cosmo the Cougar, who parachuted in, hindered Young and three fellow analysts, performed his famous table push-ups stunt and ended the morning by jumping through a ring of fire.

To some casual observers, Cosmo’s antics were shocking. But in Provo, locals call it “Saturday.”

As much fun as the fans had with their cheers, gestures and more during “Kickoff,” a win over Arizona to move to 6-0 and possibly vault into the top 10 of the AP poll would bring a whole other level of hysteria around Cougar summons. Village.

While BYU students say they’re having a blast with the recent football frenzy, they’re just as happy that the players are enjoying the ride, too.

“You can tell they’re all very united and they’re all having fun,” said student Brock Fillmore. “It’s clear they want to win and work hard, but they’re not super stressed on the sidelines, they work together, they love each other and there’s a real brotherhood. They get hype from the crowd, it just motivates the crowd to get even more hype and it gives the team more energy.