Can BYU do Better Than 7-5 this Season?

I had to hide my face for a few days after the pathetic performance vs. Air Force this last week. I thought BYU has a great shot at starting the season 2-1 with a victory over Washington to open the season. After the game Saturday, I honestly wonder how likely it is that BYU will end the season over .500. Seriously, does anybody think BYU stands a chance against FSU? Me either. Then the Cougs play a decent Nevada team and a Utah State team that hung with Oklahoma. I think best case, BYU ends the season as a 7-5 team and the Armed Force Bowl. Fantastic momentum leading into the new adventure of going Independent . . .

Who Should it Be?

My expectations were well exceeded in the home-opener of BYU vs. Washington. With three difficult games to start the season, I figured the Cougs would be lucky to win one game (which would most likely come against Air Force). With questions about their offensive line, their defense, and of course their quarterbacks, I thought BYU would look a lot more sloppy than they did. I was pleasantly surprised. Here's my brief synopsis of the game:

• Defense was a B- at best. Yes, they managed to make a few key stops, but Jake Locker is not the Heisman hopeful that everybody projected he would be. Washington's lack of offense was more a product of the lousy play calling than the Cougar defense. The defense missed several tackles and the secondary played the same as they always do . . . 10 yards off the receiver and hope to tackle him after he catches the ball.


• DiLuigi was the hero. He filled in for Harvey Unga nicely and brings a solid dual threat on the ground and through the air. He showed some nice bursts of speed and found the holes. I have to also credit the offensive line for opening holes and giving the QBs some time.


• WRs looked lousy. 6-8 dropped balls that should have been caught. O'Neal Chambers looks a lot more athletic this year, but he still needs to figure out how to hold on to the ball or we can start calling him Steve Slaton soon.


• QBs looked solid. I'm the biggest antagonist of all when it comes to starting 2 QBs, but I have to admit that I enjoyed watching both play. Riley Nelson showed moments of brilliance and reminded me of a poor man's Tim Tebow in many ways. On paper he looked a lot better than Heaps, but we'll talk about that in a second. Nelson showed leadership and scored the game winning TD. Props for that. Heaps looked nervous but is clearly the better QB. Unbelievable arm strength and accuracy for a freshmen. Though he didn't throw for any TDs, he would have had at least one (and possibly two) if his receivers could catch the bullets he was throwing. I like his potential and think he has a 100% better chance of winning the Heisman in his career than Jake Locker has in his.

I hated the rhythm of the game with the dual QB system. I'm fine with a different QB in a couple of series but definitely not alternating every series like they did. So the million dollar question: Who would you start for the rest of the season?