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PROVO — It seems like before each college football season the question comes up: Will this be the year that BYU finally busts the BCS? The Cougars' archrival, Utah, and TCU both accomplished the feat twice and were later snatched up by BCS conferences. Boise State has also been there twice. Heck, even lesser programs like Hawaii and Northern Illinois have reached that status.
So one could wonder why BYU, a program that once won a national championship, can’t experience the same fate. This proud football program's final shot is this year as the controversial BCS morphs into the new College Football Playoff system next year.
Coming off an 8-5 season — below par by BYU standards — that led to the firing of the entire offensive staff, it seems to be a far-fetched thought that the Cougars could actually be playing in one of the big-time bowls at the end of this year. But national experts, including Phil Steele, author of his comprehensive College Football Preview magazine, don't rule the Cougars out — even though the Cougars are playing perhaps their toughest schedule in history.
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“Absolutely,” said Steele on the radio show I co-host, "Gunther and Graham" on 1320-AM KFAN, when asked whether BYU could be a BCS team this year. “If you follow BYU and how they have been doing in these big road games — I mean they just waxed Georgia Tech (last season), could have beat Notre Dame on the road, could have beat Boise State if not for that failed two-point conversion on the road. They've been close with some of the big games before, so yes the possibility exists."
Here are four reasons why BYU is being considered by some national experts as this year’s possible BCS buster:
1. Schedule
With seven BCS teams on the Cougars' schedule, including a home tilt against Texas and road battles at Wisconsin and Notre Dame, the system would be hard-pressed not to put them into one of the big bowls if they could win out or even suffer just one loss. While it won’t be easy to win at Virginia, Utah State, Houston and Nevada or even against Utah, Boise State and Georgia Teach at home, it’s not entirely out of the question either. The downfall, of course, is that under coach Bronco Mendenhall the Cougars have not won many big games. That would have to change this season.
2. Star power
It started last season with Ziggy Ansah, who rose to being the fifth overall selection by the Detroit Lions in this past NFL draft, and now the torch has been passed to Kyle Van Noy. After an outstanding junior season that was essentially capped by single-handily winning BYU the Poinsettia Bowl, Van Noy is being projected by most college football experts to have a monster season. The Sporting News just listed him as the 13th-best player in college football and already many of the NFL draft pundits project him to be a certain first-round pick. On offense, wide receiver Cody Hoffman returns. Despite the team's mediocre quarterback play, he caught 100 balls for more than 1,200 yards last season. Those two impact players alone have put the Cougars on the BCS radar.
3. Defensive trust in Bronco Mendenhall
When you have Van Noy returning on a defense that finished third in the country, expectations for a similar performance are expected. However, that will be difficult considering the question marks along the defensive line with the loss of Ansah and Romney Fuga. But don’t be surprised if Mendenhall is able to coach this unit to be a top 20 defense, which could be enough if the offense is able to improve.
4. Quarterback upgrade
With the Riley Nelson era finally over, one should expect that Taysom Hill will be a significant upgrade at the most important position on the field. Before his freak injury against Utah State last year ended his season prematurely, one could see he was more athletic and accurate when throwing the football. With a more experienced offensive coordinator in Robert Anae and an up-tempo system that will fit his skills better, you have to believe this unit will put up points that could make up for a defense that isn’t quite as dominant. At the same time, you still can’t be sure how he’ll respond in big-time games or how quickly the new offensive staff will become a cohesive group.
In past years when BYU had BCS dreams the Cougars fell flat on their faces. (Remember the "Quest for Perfection" season?) So maybe in the upcoming season when expectations are more tempered the Cougars will rise up and shock the college football world.
It’s doubtful, but BYU fans could always hope. Kevin Graham co-hosts "Gunther and Graham" 3-7 p.m. on 1320 KFAN. He is also the founder and editor of SportsMashup.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KevinGrahamKFAN and like him on Facebook (SportsMashup).
