ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After the shellacking that BYU received by the Michigan Wolverines, Cougar Nation began debating whether BYU's season is effectively over or not. I, myself, started hearing two voices in my head about whether the Cougars are still playing for anything. Call it an angel vs. a devil on my shoulders, or an optimist vs. a pessimist or whatever you want.

Here is the debate that was raging in my head, and in the heads of many other BYU fans. I'll let you, the reader, decide which side of the fence you are on.

Argument 1

BYU is not playing for a conference championship, has nothing left to play for

In the days of LaVell Edwards, the head coach always stated that his primary goal was to win a conference championship. There were years, most notably in 1984, where the Cougars were also relevant nationally. However, Edwards never had as his goal to win a national championship or even have an undefeated season. He knew that those types of seasons were called special for a reason. Under Edwards, BYU would routinely lose one or two games in non-conference play but improve on a weekly basis with an eye towards winning the conference championship. Now, BYU does not have any championship to play for, which means it has nothing left to play for.

Counterargument 1

Not playing for a conference championship doesn't mean there's nothing left to play for

When BYU played against Utah in 2009, it was not competing for a conference championship. TCU had already won the Mountain West when the Utes and Cougars met that year. Still, BYU came out and played inspired football because it was a very good team that was playing a very good opponent.

The Cougs did not wallow in self-pity and say that their season was over because they could not win the conference championship. The win over Utah and a thumping of Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl helped BYU end the season as the 12th ranked team in the nation — a very good season for just about any college football program.

This year's Cougars still have two quality wins against great opponents this year and can still finish the year highly rated, like the 2009 team.

Argument 2

BYU won't play in a New Year's Six bowl game now, so it has nothing left to play for

One of the realities of independence, as mentioned above, is that there is no conference championship to win. A conference championship, if you are in a Power 5 conference, ensures that you will be playing in what's dubbed a New Year's Six bowl game. For teams that are in a Group of Five conference, if they win their conference they are also guaranteed one of the big bowls if they are the highest ranked team not in a Power 5 conference. BYU is in neither.

In order for the Cougars to make a big bowl game, they would have to be taken as an at-large team. This loss seals the Cougs' fate that they will not play in one of these games, which are the only bowl games that actually matter.

Counterargument 2

Few teams in the NCAA play in a NY6 bowl

The idea that a season is pointless if the team does not make a New Year's Six bowl is an outrageous expectation for just about any team. Fans in Columbus, Ohio, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, might realistically have this expectation every year as they routinely finish near the top in recruiting. But a team outside of a power conference that has as limited of a pool of recruits as BYU? That's just silly.

Cougar fans need to be grounded in reality, just like almost every other fan base in the nation.

Argument 3

BYU's season does not matter now because it already knows its potential bowl destination

As talked about above, BYU does not have a snowball's chance in Vegas of making a major bowl game now. As such, even if the Cougars win out, they already know where they are going. That's the reality in a world where the Cougars need to secure bowl ties before a down of football is even played.

Knowing where you are going to be playing takes all of the excitement and magic out of a season. Who cares if BYU goes 10-2 or 6-6? Either way, it is going to the same bowl.

Counterargument 3

BYU has frequently known which bowl it was going to play in, but it did not mean its season was pointless

Technically, BYU fans do not know which bowl game the Cougars are going to because the team is contractually obligated to both the Hawaii and Las Vegas Bowls and it won't be immediately decided which one they will go to. Technicalities aside, the thought that independence is far different than playing in the Mountain West or WAC because we already know which bowl BYU is going to is inaccurate.

From 1978 to 1993, BYU played in the Holiday Bowl 10 times out of its 14 bowl appearances. The Cougars knew for many years that if they won the WAC, they almost assuredly were going to the Holiday Bowl. Still, that did not take away the buzz and excitement of putting together a strong season. Just because the Y. knows where it is going to be playing, does not mean that the way it gets there matters less.

So, which side of the fence are you on, now? I, personally, am undecided. Prior to the season, I went on the record as saying this is a 10-win team. That was before Taysom Hill suffered a season-ending injury, Jamaal Williams withdrew from school and the Cougars' most important defensive player, Travis Tuiloma, was sidelined by a knee injury.

As it is, it is amazing that the Cougs are 2-2. Still, the loss against UCLA was heartbreaking and the defeat to the Wolverines was ugly. It will take good coaching and leadership to convince me and the team that the Cougars are still playing for something.

Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor and can be reached at DylanCannon86@gmail.com or via twitter @DylanCannon11. Listen to his weekly podcast, "Cougar Talk," on YouTube.

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