Something big is building down in Provo

[snoscythe]

[youtube]zyhAyh8cgwU[/youtube]

[BroncoBot]

[youtube]zyhAyh8cgwU[/youtube]

[Cougarbib]

Smartasses. I almost "brewing" instead of building, but thought better of it.

But the point is, I think this is going to be a special year. The best since 1986. Maybe even the best since 1984. The ingredients are all there. And the lack of hype surrounding an obviously experienced and talented team only reinforces my feeling.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Define Special. For me, 10-3 would be a special season with this schedule including the Bowl game.

11-2 would be very special.

12-1 would be unconscious special

13-0 would be unbelievably extra special

I am thinking we get 9 counting the Bowl Game. Maybe 10.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

I would say special means something we haven't done for a very long time. 10 and even 11 win seasons have become common and so are not "special". I believe a 12-1 or even 13-0 type season is in the works, barring major injuries. There is no team on our schedule that we cannot beat. Not one. And with a veteran and hungry team, I expect big things. IMO, anything less than 10 wins is a MAJOR disappointment

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

"Something We Haven't Done For a Long Time"

Ok - let's try to run with that

We have not played 6 BCS opponents in the same season in a long time
We have not played 4 BCS road games in a long time
We have not played BSU in a long time
We have not played ND in a long time
We have not played GT in a very long time, if ever
We have not seen the beginning of the end of U Rivalry in a long time

So we have all of that going for us whether we win or lose

And even at 8-4
We likely get a 2nd consecutive win over USU to set things back to the way they should be
Get the Hawaii Rivalry back as it should be with a 2nd win
We get 2 PAC Wins

And at 9-3
Well that would mean we beat a davored BCS team (BSU, U, ND, or GT) on the road.

BACK to YOUR definition: How long has it been since BYU did that?

Throw in a Bowl Win - how could a real fan call that a failure. How could it not be special. Help me remember the BYU team that ever went 10-3 vs this kind of schedule especially with the unbalanced road games.

Here is some help:

BYU has never done that.

BYU did go 13-0 with a marquis win over a 6-6 Michigan team in 1984.
BYU did have a 2-3 seasons with 1 loss when playing WAC cupcakes.

10-3 with this schedule will mean BYU had to beat a really good team on the road. How often has that happened? And yet, some unrealistic fans expect that to happen 4 times this year.

A schedule like this killed Detmer's senior season. But you expect more from Riley Nelson.

Interesting.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Y 4 Ever]

"Something We Haven't Done For a Long Time"

Ok - let's try to run with that

We have not played 6 BCS opponents in the same season in a long time
We have not played 4 BCS road games in a long time
We have not played BSU in a long time
We have not played ND in a long time
We have not played GT in a very long time, if ever
We have not seen the beginning of the end of U Rivalry in a long time

So we have all of that going for us whether we win or lose

And even at 8-4
We likely get a 2nd consecutive win over USU to set things back to the way they should be
Get the Hawaii Rivalry back as it should be with a 2nd win
We get 2 PAC Wins

And at 9-3
Well that would mean we beat a davored BCS team (BSU, U, ND, or GT) on the road.

BACK to YOUR definition: How long has it been since BYU did that?

Throw in a Bowl Win - how could a real fan call that a failure. How could it not be special. Help me remember the BYU team that ever went 10-3 vs this kind of schedule especially with the unbalanced road games.

Here is some help:

BYU has never done that.

BYU did go 13-0 with a marquis win over a 6-6 Michigan team in 1984.
BYU did have a 2-3 seasons with 1 loss when playing WAC cupcakes.

10-3 with this schedule will mean BYU had to beat a really good team on the road. How often has that happened? And yet, some unrealistic fans expect that to happen 4 times this year.

A schedule like this killed Detmer's senior season. But you expect more from Riley Nelson.

Interesting.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Man, you can sure be a raincloud.

Now, Eyeore, to address your points - we have recently played both ND and GT - and recently beaten both. So don't act like we haven't been there before.

Second, your comment about playing 6 BCS teams is kind of silly. First, WSU and OSU aren't exactly Florida or USC In fact, based on early preseason standings, neither is expected to do much of anything. We should have a much easier time with both of them than we would against, say, San Diego St or Louisiana Tech or a bunch of other "non-BCS" teams.

Also - BSU is in the MWC - so they aren't "BCS". And they just lost a host of their best players - including the winningest QB in NCAA history, six (6!!!) NFL draft picks, and most of their starting D. They are NOT the same team as last year, or any of the last 4 years. At best, they will be at the level of that team back in 04 that we were 1 easy FG away from beating on their home turf with one of our worst teams in 30 years.

And third - we really only play 2 truly good teams (and maybe just 1). Here is how the toughness of our schedule breaks down:

Tough:
@ ND
@

Moderately Tough:
@GT
@BSU

Not Tough:
All the rest

I don't know how any self respecting Y fan could say that they would be happy with a 9-3 season this year, with all the senior leadership and talent that we have, just because that would mean we have managed to beat the juggernauts of USU and UH for 2 consecutive years and managed to actually win 1 road game against a non-WAC team.

I look at this schedule, and I look at our team, with a senior QB with drive, passion, the ability to improvise, and with strong leadership skills, surrounded by potent offensive weapons, including two NFL-caliber WR and a diverse backfield, and with an experienced and nasty D that can keep other teams off the field and out of the end zone - and I see the opportunity for a special season. One that will go down as one of the best in Y history.

You mention Brandon Doman's senior season, and how a schedule like this 'killed' it. Wrong. Doman went 12-2 in his senior season. And he did it with a TERRIBLE defense (and, as it turns out, a joke of a coach). And had the best RB (and maybe the best FB player of any position) in the history of BYU football not gotten injured, I believe BYU goes undefeated that year. (You must be thinking of Lavell's last season - which was mired by poor QB play, injuries, and yet they still managed to beat a decent UVA team, and , both on the road)

The biggest difference between this year's team and 2001 is this time around, we have an experienced and talented defense that is fully capable of shutting teams down. We don't have to outscore a team like Wyoming. We don't have to hope our QB can convert a 4th and long to beat tough teams like New Mexico and UNLV. There are only 2 games this season that are in any real danger of getting out of hand, and neither of those games are unmanageable.

So my opinion remains, despite your skepticism, that this year has the makings of a special season - one like we haven't tasted since 1996 or even earlier. The ingredients are all there - experienced and talented team, senior QB, strong and experienced D, moderately tough but manageable schedule - with big enough names on it that we will get noticed when we beat them.

This is the year we have been waiting for. And I look forward to your frown turning upside down as the season progresses.

[Cougarbib]

Reading Comprehension Error

I actually mentioned Detmer's senior season - Ty Detmer - defending Heisman Trophy winner Detmer. Remember him. I did not mention Doman's senior team. That team did not play this kind of schedule. BYU has almost never played this kind of schedule.

Get out of denial.

And just how recent we're those ND and BSU games. I did not say we never played them. I forgot to mention BSU is 3-0 over us and that those wins happened before BSU started going undefeated regularly and winning BCS Bowls.

And you bring up a loss - to prove our likelihood of winning.

I have stated many times that BYU will be competitive in every game. But the underdog in those 4. There are a couple of other games that could go the wrong way.

I may or may not get more giddy after I see what pops with WSU on the field and what the Big 4 look like in their first few weeks

Meanwhile, you might want to read recent reports about our kicker, Riley Nelson complaining that he hasn't had the same 5 OL in front of him in Spring or Fall due to nagging injuries - so when will they have the opportunity to Gel? Maybe read about TE nagging health issues. Lack of an experienced back-up QB, etc. ask U how that worked out for them last year. Hint: after beating BYU by 44 points, U finished the season ranked behind Y and managed to lose to Colorado, iirc.

But go ahead and assume that PAC wins are meaningless. U went 4-5 or something like that and did not play Oregon or Stanford. That U. The one that beat us 54-10 at home. That U.

It is just a bit premature to claim all of the pieces are in place and you are still in denial about how BYU has fared vs these very type of opponents. Va Tech is no better than the FSU team that kicked BYU's can twice - very recently when even more pieces were supposedly in place for the loss in Provo.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Y 4 Ever]

Reading Comprehension Error

I actually mentioned Detmer's senior season - Ty Detmer - defending Heisman Trophy winner Detmer. Remember him. I did not mention Doman's senior team. That team did not play this kind of schedule. BYU has almost never played this kind of schedule.

Get out of denial.

And just how recent we're those ND and BSU games. I did not say we never played them. I forgot to mention BSU is 3-0 over us and that those wins happened before BSU started going undefeated regularly and winning BCS Bowls.

And you bring up a loss - to prove our likelihood of winning.

I have stated many times that BYU will be competitive in every game. But the underdog in those 4. There are a couple of other games that could go the wrong way.

I may or may not get more giddy after I see what pops with WSU on the field and what the Big 4 look like in their first few weeks

Meanwhile, you might want to read recent reports about our kicker, Riley Nelson complaining that he hasn't had the same 5 OL in front of him in Spring or Fall due to nagging injuries - so when will they have the opportunity to Gel? Maybe read about TE nagging health issues. Lack of an experienced back-up QB, etc. ask U how that worked out for them last year. Hint: after beating BYU by 44 points, U finished the season ranked behind Y and managed to lose to Colorado, iirc.

But go ahead and assume that PAC wins are meaningless. U went 4-5 or something like that and did not play Oregon or Stanford. That U. The one that beat us 54-10 at home. That U.

It is just a bit premature to claim all of the pieces are in place and you are still in denial about how BYU has fared vs these very type of opponents. Va Tech is no better than the FSU team that kicked BYU's can twice - very recently when even more pieces were supposedly in place for the loss in Provo.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

I misread detmer for domain. But detmer lost several key skill players to graduation for his senior year. The cupboard was not full. Not even close. And that fsu team he faced was much better than any team on our schedule this year.

Any one who watched the yewt game last year knows it was a fluke, and that it was at least partly due to division on the team caused by heaps.

You act like a Pac label makes a team better. Tis not true. We handled OSU easily on their turf last year, despite the fact that we were just starting to figure out who we were as a team. Do you really think that they are going to be leaps and bounds better this year? Are they going to improve more than we will? Do they have no ?? Is wsu going to be unstoppable in their first game with a new coach, and with the same players that haven't managed to accomplish anything over the past 4 years?

And what does VA techs comparison to fsu have to do with anything?

You can choose to ride into this year full of skepticism and pessimism if you want to. But I see plenty of reasons to be excited, and there's no way I let you rain on my parade.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Brayden Green]

"Something We Haven't Done For a Long Time"

Ok - let's try to run with that

We have not played 6 BCS opponents in the same season in a long time
We have not played 4 BCS road games in a long time
We have not played BSU in a long time
We have not played ND in a long time
We have not played GT in a very long time, if ever
We have not seen the beginning of the end of U Rivalry in a long time

So we have all of that going for us whether we win or lose

And even at 8-4
We likely get a 2nd consecutive win over USU to set things back to the way they should be
Get the Hawaii Rivalry back as it should be with a 2nd win
We get 2 PAC Wins

And at 9-3
Well that would mean we beat a davored BCS team (BSU, U, ND, or GT) on the road.

BACK to YOUR definition: How long has it been since BYU did that?

Throw in a Bowl Win - how could a real fan call that a failure. How could it not be special. Help me remember the BYU team that ever went 10-3 vs this kind of schedule especially with the unbalanced road games.

Here is some help:

BYU has never done that.

BYU did go 13-0 with a marquis win over a 6-6 Michigan team in 1984.
BYU did have a 2-3 seasons with 1 loss when playing WAC cupcakes.

10-3 with this schedule will mean BYU had to beat a really good team on the road. How often has that happened? And yet, some unrealistic fans expect that to happen 4 times this year.

A schedule like this killed Detmer's senior season. But you expect more from Riley Nelson.

Interesting.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Man, you can sure be a raincloud.

Now, Eyeore, to address your points - we have recently played both ND and GT - and recently beaten both. So don't act like we haven't been there before.

Second, your comment about playing 6 BCS teams is kind of silly. First, WSU and OSU aren't exactly Florida or USC In fact, based on early preseason standings, neither is expected to do much of anything. We should have a much easier time with both of them than we would against, say, San Diego St or Louisiana Tech or a bunch of other "non-BCS" teams.

Also - BSU is in the MWC - so they aren't "BCS". And they just lost a host of their best players - including the winningest QB in NCAA history, six (6!!!) NFL draft picks, and most of their starting D. They are NOT the same team as last year, or any of the last 4 years. At best, they will be at the level of that team back in 04 that we were 1 easy FG away from beating on their home turf with one of our worst teams in 30 years.

And third - we really only play 2 truly good teams (and maybe just 1). Here is how the toughness of our schedule breaks down:

Tough:
@ ND
@

Moderately Tough:
@GT
@BSU

Not Tough:
All the rest

I don't know how any self respecting Y fan could say that they would be happy with a 9-3 season this year, with all the senior leadership and talent that we have, just because that would mean we have managed to beat the juggernauts of USU and UH for 2 consecutive years and managed to actually win 1 road game against a non-WAC team.

I look at this schedule, and I look at our team, with a senior QB with drive, passion, the ability to improvise, and with strong leadership skills, surrounded by potent offensive weapons, including two NFL-caliber WR and a diverse backfield, and with an experienced and nasty D that can keep other teams off the field and out of the end zone - and I see the opportunity for a special season. One that will go down as one of the best in Y history.


The biggest difference between this year's team and 2001 is this time around, we have an experienced and talented defense that is fully capable of shutting teams down. We don't have to outscore a team like Wyoming. We don't have to hope our QB can convert a 4th and long to beat tough teams like New Mexico and UNLV. There are only 2 games this season that are in any real danger of getting out of hand, and neither of those games are unmanageable.

So my opinion remains, despite your skepticism, that this year has the makings of a special season - one like we haven't tasted since 1996 or even earlier. The ingredients are all there - experienced and talented team, senior QB, strong and experienced D, moderately tough but manageable schedule - with big enough names on it that we will get noticed when we beat them.

This is the year we have been waiting for. And I look forward to your frown turning upside down as the season progresses.

Very well posted.

10 wins is the minimum acceptable win count or the season is a failure. We play a bunch of patsies half the season, and the other half of our "tough games" will barely be bowl elligible, and they will lose whatever crappy bowl game they play.

Senior qb. Literally the best secondary we have seen in a decade, maybe 20 years even. Probably the most athletic secondary we have EVER had at byu, in terms of speed and depth. The list goes on and on. LIke last year, we live and die with the performance of the offensive line. Last year we crashed and burned with the OL getting routinely dominated, even sometimes against average teams (see UCF)

In fact, I rescind my previous statement. 10 wins, and at least *someone* drafted in the NFL or this season is a failure.

[Brayden Green]

But really, it comes down to our offensive line and Riley Nelson. We have switched effectively from an offense that can score at will and a bend AND break defense, to a defense that will be near tops in the nation, and an offense that cannot score against average teams. If RN and the Oline can move the ball it will be a special season. If they can't, it will be another Alamo bowl type season.

[BroncoBot]

Correction BlueisBetter, This is the best secondary on paper. We haven't seen them on the field together. I still think the 06 walk on secondary was one of the best secondary units BYU has had in the last decade.

We'll have a lot of questions answered in less than 3 weeks.

[SpiffCoug]

I don't think 10 wins is the minimum number acceptable. I think eight is. The ONLY games that would be acceptable losing are the four tough road games. BYU should win the other eight. The toughest games in those eight are all at home (Wash St, Ore St, Utah St).

Losing any or all of the four tough road games would be disappointing, but we're potentially playing some VERY good teams on the road. When looking at each of those games individually, you can see BYU losing each of them without even really having to think too hard about how difficult going to Utah, Boise St, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech will/could be.

But winning just eight games would be a barely passing grade - like a D grade. It would be a highly disappointing season.

I expect us to win eight games.