Those of us who have been highly critical of Brigham Young University’s ill-fated 2011 decision to leave the Mountain West conference and go it alone as a college football independent have had a field day mocking that decision over the past several years. It was a bad idea at the time, and it’s looked even worse as the years have ticked by, with the once powerful Cougars being relegated to an afterthought.
Some forget that BYU was crowned National Champions in 1984, even though they didn’t play on New Year’s Day. It was a much different time back then. The Cougars played in the Western Athletic Conference and were obligated to play in the Holiday Bowl as league champs. But beating Michigan and going 12-0 is still going 12-0, and no one could match them that season. Their quarterback, Robbie Bosco, finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
That was the last time a team from a non-Power Five conference won the national title, mythical or otherwise.
Since going independent, BYU has been to eight bowl games – the Poinsettia twice, the Armed Forces Bowl, Idaho Potato Bowl, Miami Beach Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Fight Hunger Bowl and last year, the Hawaii Bowl. They’ve gone 4-4, including the game in Miami that featured an ugly free-for-all brawl with Memphis at the end of the game. Hardly the stuff of legendary programs.
Things have definitely not been trending in a good direction for BYU football over the past decade.
Then came 2020. The year when all bets are off.
As an independent, it was strictly up to BYU if they played football or not this fall. No conference to answer to and no one else’s rules to abide by. The school administration never hesitated to play the season, it was just a matter of whom they’d get to play and when.
The scheduled season opener with fellow independent Army was postponed by the coronavirus, but since then – even as the pandemic rages in their home state of Utah – they’ve gotten all their games in, including tilts against Troy, Louisiana Tech, Texas San-Antonio, Texas State and Western Kentucky. None of the above would add much to a team’s “strength of schedule” in an ordinary season.
They’ve also beaten Navy, and a decent Houston squad in the All-Cougars Bowl, which certainly means something. Then, last week – in what many were calling an “elimination game” – BYU went out and dismantled Mountain West power No. 21 Boise State 51-17, a win that moved the Cougars to #8 in the polls with an 8-0 record.
Now the idea of playing on New Year’s Day – or even getting into the College Football Playoff – is not all that far-fetched. BYU has two games left, against North Alabama and San Diego State. Win those and finish 10-0, and they will almost assuredly get a bid to a New Year’s Six game, even if unbeaten #7 Cincinnati also finishes unbeaten. There’s no rule against two non-power five teams getting in.
Getting into the four-team playoff (if all of this actually happens, of course — the virus will still have a say-so) is a different story. Even at 10-0, it’s unlikely that the Power Five folks will let an outsider crash that party. A lot of crazy stuff – crazier even than Notre Dame beating Clemson twice – will have to happen. Only a massive COVID outbreak will keep pre-ordained Alabama and Ohio State out. Notre Dame probably punched their ticket (unless the field storming COVID spreading post game episode derails things) and Clemson is still in at this point. Texas A&M and Florida would each have to lose more than once. Those teams might have to lose three times in order for Cincinnati or BYU to snatch away an invite from a Power Five team. The Pac 12 just started and if Oregon plays enough games and goes unscathed, they will be considered, as would an Indiana team whose only loss would be to Ohio State.
So the path to getting into the playoff is steep. Really steep. But the chance to play on New Year’s Day, which they’ve never gotten to do before, is right in front of them.
In short, not being in the Mountain West conference, or any conference for that matter, has finally benefited BYU. In this strangest of seasons, it may have presented them the opportunity to finally get that big bowl invite they’ve long coveted, even if this unbeaten season won’t get them to the same mountain top their last one did.
Next year – provided we have a normal, typical college football season – BYU’s decision to go independent a decade ago will go back to being a really bad decision.
Listen to Mark Knudson on Monday’s at 12:30 with Brady Hull on AM 1310 KFKA and on Saturday mornings on “Klahr and Kompany” on AM 1600 ESPN Denver.
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