BYU’s “Quest for Perfection” – Part II (A Ute’s Perspective)

This was supposed to be BYU’s magical season. With QB Max Hall returning for his senior season, a talented Harvey Unga coming out of the backfield, and an all American candidate in TE Dennis Pitta, BYU was surrounded by a plethora of talent. Sure the Cougs lost WR Austin Collie to early draft entry, but the core group of WR was solid.

One week into the season and an impressive W over #3 ranked Oklahoma, led by an aggressive and stingy defense, expectations for this season skyrocketed. After a 54-3 blowout of Tulane, BYU found themselves in the top 10, checking in at #9. The nation was abuzz about BYU. Talks of National Championship dominated the internet, radio airwaves, and ESPN. Could a non-BCS school actually squeeze into the National Championship picture? It was 1984 all over again. BYU was poised for a run at the National Championship………………

Wha, wha, what happened?????? Back to reality. I feel like I’ve seen this script before. BYU starts strong. BYU falters. BYU gives up a million points to everyone. It’s déjà vu all over again. To be fair, no one expected BYU to go to Arlington, Texas and beat Oklahoma, which now sits with a fine record of 6-5. My shock was how easy it was for BYU fans to forget about the deficiencies that haunted this team last year. A defense doesn’t go from dreadful to stellar over a summer. A quarterback prone to bad decisions and interceptions doesn’t change with a few extra reps.

Can anyone really say they are surprised at the way BYU’s season has played out? Did anyone really expect BYU to run the table? This is the EXACT same team as last year. Compare results of common opponents from last year and you will notice that they are eerily similar.

Let’s also remember that BYU was ranked as high as #8 in the 2008 season until stumbling down the stretch. BYU is currently sitting at a respectable 9 – 2. Is this good enough when the goal is perfection?

I fully expect the Cougars season to end the same way it did last year. A loss to the University of Utah followed by a pounding in a bowl game. I mean why wouldn’t it? Everything else has played out according to the manual. BYU will continue to strive in its quest for mediocrity………um, I mean perfection. Welcome to the Holy War!

Written by Frances Sullivan

BYU Jumps Utah in 2 of 3 Polls

When the rankings came out Sunday, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. 3 MWC teams in the top 25 still, and BYU ahead of Utah. To be honest, I was fully expecting BYU to drop out of the top 25 after a marginal victory (24-19) over 0-10 New Mexico. But I'm glad to see the Cougar's busting back into the top 20. And as always, I was glad to see Utah lose. A wise Cougar fan once said, "A Utah loss is almost as sweet as a BYU win." Couldn't have said it better.

Most Cougar fans have had enough hopes shattered this season watching BYU, but I must say it is time to get your hopes up just once more. If BYU can knock off a tough AFA and squeak by Utah at home, the season is looking, well . . . pretty solid. Especially, when there is a chance of playing USC in the Las Vegas Bowl! That thought brings jubilation to my heart. So with the last two regular season games at home, it's time to "rise and shout" once more and hope BYU comes to play.

I don't mean to turn this blog into one that does nothing other than bash the BCS. But given that there is nothing particularly noteworthy with BYU football right now, I cannot resist. I was browsing ESPN.com during my lunch break today and came across the latest bowl game predictions from two ESPN analysts. One set of predictions caught my eye and I wanted to share with you all why.

Bruce Feldman predicts that the BCS games will be as follows:

BCS National Championship Game: Florida vs. Texas

Fiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. Penn State

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Cincinnati

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. TCU

Rose Bowl: Iowa vs. Oregon

Do you see what I see? If these turn out to be the actual match-ups, it could very well be that the winner of every single BCS game ends the season undefeated: Florida/Texas, Boise State, Cincinnati, TCU, and Iowa. How great would that be? Can you imagine the chaos? There is no doubt that such an ending to the college football season would dominate any discussion of the BCS for years to come. It should be interesting in the next several weeks to keep a close eye on this.