Patrick Kinahan: No surprise BYU experiencing growing pains

PROVO — Nobody with any sense of realism thought it would be easy, as the modified saying goes, and BYU can testify to its accuracy.

Right on schedule, the Cougars are finding the transition to Big 12 football is difficult. Heading into the final month, they are doing reasonably well (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) but two embarrassing defeats suggest the gap to the top is large.

Two trips to Texas, starting with Texas Christian and then last week to Austin against the Longhorns, BYU was smoked by a combined score of 79-17. To make it worse, the games weren't as competitive as the numbers might indicate.

The coaches can say they need to look at the film all they want after every game, but it will keep showing them the same things. BYU is not good enough yet to compete at a high level in its new conference.

But don't panic just yet. Give it time first.

"Our players try hard. They give us all their effort," coach Kalani Sitake said after the Texas loss.

Sure enough, almost always, praising the effort and resiliency is code for losing. Truth is, as anticipated, the roster needs an upgrade in talent.

History has shown teams struggle when stepping up to what is now known as a Power Five conference. Look no further than former Mountain West members Utah and TCU. Over the last three years in the MWC, Utah's collective record in conference was 21-3. Overall, including 13-0 in 2008, Kyle Whittingham's teams were 33-3.

The Utes, who began play in the Pac-12 for the 2011 season, had three consecutive losing records in conference before breaking through at 5-4 in 2014. Combined with three nonconference and bowl wins, after suffering two straight losing seasons, they broke through to go 9-4.

Privately, during the transition phase, the coaches knew most of the Mountain West holdovers weren't good enough to consistently compete in the Pac-12. Once recruiting cycles kicked in, Utah has been a perennial contender for the conference championship.

The transition from the MWC to the Big 12 was even more extreme for TCU, which finished the last three seasons in its former conference with a combined 23-0 record and, obviously, three consecutive championships. Overall, Gary Patterson's program was 36-3 in its final three MWC seasons.

But it all changed when Big 12 play began in 2012. TCU's first two seasons in the new conference produced losing records at a combined 6-13. The Horned Frogs then won the conference in 2014, winning the Peach Bowl, and tied for second the following season. Interestingly, the program began slipping in 2018 and ultimately led to Patterson being replaced after the 2021 season.

In terms of struggling initially, the Cougars are following a similar path. Compared to rival Utah, the difference is BYU had two years to prepare for the Power Five transition rather than the 12-month notice the Utes had.

Sitake and his staff started recruiting to the Big 12 in Sept. 2021, but as usually is the case with many incoming players, church missions delay their arrivals by two years. Accounting for a higher level of competition and missions, BYU recruits often require three years before making an impact on the field.

For perspective, only one win away from bowl eligibility, BYU is in much better position than the other three programs transitioning from the Group of Five to the Big 12. Houston, Central Florida and Cincinnati, which are the three worst teams in the Big 12, have a combined 1-14 record.

At least the Cougars are still winning at home, having gone 4-0 to date. The next step is finding a way to break through on the road, where they are winless.

"I feel good about our team and our culture and where we're at," Sitake said. "Obviously, the (Texas) score doesn't indicate our identity. We're still building on things and just trying to progress as a team."

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