The Cougars have the potential to go undefeated and be ranked in the top ten. I don't know that it will happen this year, but it could. Who knows what this year or those that follow, will bring in terms of win-loss records, titles, and ranking.

More important will be the way the success is achieved. It won't be done in the world's way. It will be done the BYU way. When it happens, the light will shine not only on the success, but on how it was achieved.

Hengst wrote:

timmyboy wrote:

In the first place, let's be sure to divorce playing in the BCS with being a top national team. These two things are not the same. Hawaii proved it last year. Pittsburgh proved it in 2004. Notre Dame proves it all the time. Being BCS-worthy only has a little to do with being a top team.

Now that I got that out of the way, maybe we can reframe the question - is BYU really a Top 10 team?

Well, let's see if I can list 10 teams that I think will be better next year ;)


USC
Georgia
Missouri
Florida
West Virginia
Ohio State
Arizona State
Texas
LSU
Oklahoma

I probably could have thrown auburn and Wisconsin in there as well.

Wisconsin? You're joking right? Need I remind you that they are from the big-sucky-10 and that they barely beat Vegas last year? Wisconsin and Michigan were way overated last year. Auburn is a maybe even though they lost alot. But the rest I'll definately concede. The only team I think we could for sure beat on that list is West Virginia. The rest I would be inclined to say a loss but that is before we see how the season plays out.

Hengst wrote:

jmchess1 wrote:

It was? What was BYU final ranking? Did I miss something?

I think they were 15 or 16. They were not a top 10 team, a top 10 team would not have lost to Arizona.

By the end of the season they sure were a top 10 team. The way they were playing then they could have beat anybody outside of the top 8 in my opinion. The TCU game was their real coming-of-age game, especially for John Beck. But let's not forget out we got screwed out of a TD by the pac-10 officiating crew in that game either that would have likely changed the whole rest of the game thereafter by knocking the cats on their heels. And that was just one of the blown calls. In 2006, they were literally two plays away from being undefeated. They were a top ten team no matter what any of the 'pundints' say.

Snoscythe

Steve Slaton was a huge part to the WV offense, but his loss will not be felt.

IMHO Noel Devine (a freshman last year) is going to be Great for them next year. His stats last year, with limited touches, are amazing. When they played Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, he only touched the ball 13 times, and still ran for 108 yards. He had 136 yeards on 5 touches against Maryland. Being the number 1 RB for WV this year, and playing in the "soft" Big East he will put up 1500-2000 yards.

He has some highlight videos online if you want to check him out.
Bush like speed and agility.

Hengst wrote:

timmyboy wrote:

In the first place, let's be sure to divorce playing in the BCS with being a top national team. These two things are not the same. Hawaii proved it last year. Pittsburgh proved it in 2004. Notre Dame proves it all the time. Being BCS-worthy only has a little to do with being a top team.

Now that I got that out of the way, maybe we can reframe the question - is BYU really a Top 10 team?

Well, let's see if I can list 10 teams that I think will be better next year ;)


USC
Georgia
Missouri
Florida
West Virginia
Ohio State
Arizona State
Texas
LSU
Oklahoma

I probably could have thrown auburn and Wisconsin in there as well.

Just for clarification, this is a list of teams that will improve next year (as opposed to teams that will be better than BYU), right?

Ohio State and Wisconsin I think deserve to be on a list of improved teams. Wisconsin should go from awful to bad and Ohio State should go from mediocre to decent. Neither team was better than BYU last year and neither will be better next. The Big T11en is a freaking joke-right on par with the Big East.

Suffice it to say, whether BYU actually goes undefeated or not this year reamains to be seen obviously. But certainly the last two years should show that this team can compete with virtually anybody in college football. But they sure as hell have the potential to go undefeated this year and it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to assume so.

If the past two seasons are an indication of anything, its that Bronco learns from his mistakes. We haven't seen a repeat in that department yet. Plus, it's hard to beat pac-10 teams AND their officials on their home turf. I still wonder if we'll be able to pull it off in Seattle. But I have no doubt that we'll pound the bruins in Provo and TCU doesn't worry me one bit. The only games I am at all concerned about are washington and yewtah. In my opinion, you can chalk the rest up as victories no quesions asked. But those two, I am willing to admit I am worried and give us a 50/50 shot at winning them. If those stats hold then we ought to at least win one of them, which will give us an 11-1 record heading into the bowl game which should still be good enough for a BCS bowl next year. I think that would be a pretty good season myself but I'm not ruling out the possibility of going undefeated. The potential is there.