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PROVO -- BYU began a memorable 2011 with a New Year's Day victory over Fresno Pacific 93-57. Now, nearly 365 days later, a historic year wraps up with one last game in the friendly confines of the Marriott Center.
While many revelers will be singing, "should old acquaintance be forgot, and never thought upon," BYU will be welcoming a new year in a new league.
Gone are traditional opponents BYU has literally been playing for decades. Front-range foes Wyoming and Colorado State began playing the Cougars in 1929 and 1936 respectively. San Diego State was added to the mix in 1941, and New Mexico just a few years later in 1950. Even Mountain West newcomer TCU first tipped against the Cougars in 1953, long before the Horned Frogs became a regular on the Cougars' slate.
Not including Utah, which is a rivalry unto itself with 253 games between the two schools, the Cougars have played its other seven MWC rivals 633 times. BYU won 75 percent (476) of those games. In fact, the only MWC school with a winning record against the Cougars is UNLV (16-18).
While the faces are changing this year, BYU's expectations for greatness remain undiminished.
BYU has amassed an impressive 29 regular season conference titles since it first joined a league in 1918. That places the Cougars into a tie for seventh among all NCAA Division I programs to win league trophies. BYU trails only Kansas (54), Kentucky (51), Penn (37), North Carolina (35), Utah (32), and UCLA (30).
For BYU to add to its string of conference titles, it will need to get to know new conference foes such as Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, along with the rest of the West Coast Conference, in a hurry.
To date, the Cougars have posted a 42-19 record against WCC teams. Dave Rose has led BYU in 11 of those match ups, posting a 9-2 mark.
Loyola Marymount spoiled Rose's coaching debut in 2005. Rose then led the Cougars to nine straight victories over WCC teams, including a clean sweep last season of 2011's co-champions Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.
Perhaps it is only fitting that Rose's first time coaching in a WCC league game was also a loss, this time in a sloppy affair against Saint Mary's.
Fortunately, BYU can follow the blueprint it used to perfection while winning six MWC crowns in the league's first 11 years; sweep the lesser opponents, win all conference home games, and steal one or two road victories against the top teams in the league. The only difference is instead of UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State, those top teams will be named Saint Mary's, Gonzaga, and possibly Santa Clara or San Francisco.
BYU's historic first home WCC game tips at 4:05 pm on December 31, when the San Diego Toreros come to town.
"This is a starting point, and we'll go from here," said Rose after that loss to LMU in 2005.
170 Rose-led BYU victories later, the sentiment is exactly the same as the Cougars mark another milestone in their long and storied history.
David Gale is a BYU graduate, former television news producer, and lifelong BYU fan. See more of David's thoughts at planetbyu.com or follow him on twitter @planetbyu.
