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From Bruce Feldman
The Brigham Young Cougars' victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday was their first over a top-three team since Sept. 8, 1990, when they defeated the then-No. 1 Miami Hurricanes.
It is hard to call someone a "BCS contender" after one game (the Florida Gators did lose in September last season, as well), but how realistic are BYU's chances of entering the national title discussion now?
Reason to trust Bruce Feldman: So far (with Sunday/Monday games still to go) he's 15-4 on his first Saturday picks. So to see what he thinks about the futures of BYU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Florida, LSU, Alabama and other programs, you must be an ESPN Insider. Insider
First: Don't dismiss the win, saying it was fluky because OU's Sam Bradford didn't play for half the game. The physical BYU defense, after all, was the reason Bradford couldn't play. While Bradford was in the game, the offense didn't have a play of more than 18 yards.
I was also impressed by how well the Cougars' suspect O-line held together against a deep and talented Sooners defensive front. OU managed four sacks and got a lot of pressure, but it wasn't like BYU's game against TCU last season. QB Max Hall was superb, lighting up the OU defense for 328 yards. He converted on three key third-down plays and a fourth-down play on the Cougars' game-winning drive. The performance is even more impressive when you factor in that BYU was missing starting running back and back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher Harvey Unga, who was held out of the game nursing a hamstring injury.
BYU's current position is interesting: The Cougars have already beaten one top-five opponent and are likely to get three other ranked teams (FSU, TCU and Utah) on their schedule. Two of those three figure to have a shot at being ranked in the top 15 when they play BYU. (If FSU beats Miami on Monday night, it would help the Seminoles' case.)
If the Cougars can run the table, BYU could -- could -- have a résumé that compares well to anyone's. Heck, it might sound blasphemous, but that résumé might have twice as many wins over top-20 opponents as the résumé of the Big Ten winner -- especially if it's the Penn State Nittany Lions. Even Florida, with one of its top opponents (Georgia) losing Saturday, might not end up beating four top-20 teams this season, and that could
include an SEC title game opponent.
Right, it's waaay early, but we'll see.
The other side of the coin: Oklahoma
Many have pointed out the Sooners' recent struggles in openers -- they also lost to TCU a few years ago -- and in bowl games. So, in games in which Bob Stoops and his staff have a good amount of time to prepare, their performance isn't great. That's a little harsh, but it is what it is.
It'll be interesting to see how quickly Bradford can get back. My colleague Seth Wickersham texted me something related to this, saying that former Utah QB Alex Smith had a similar injury a few years ago and it was "brutal" because it hurts like heck and makes the QB wonder if he's damaging his arm for good.
It is hard to call someone a "BCS contender" after one game (the Florida Gators did lose in September last season, as well), but how realistic are BYU's chances of entering the national title discussion now?
Reason to trust Bruce Feldman: So far (with Sunday/Monday games still to go) he's 15-4 on his first Saturday picks. So to see what he thinks about the futures of BYU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Florida, LSU, Alabama and other programs, you must be an ESPN Insider. Insider
First: Don't dismiss the win, saying it was fluky because OU's Sam Bradford didn't play for half the game. The physical BYU defense, after all, was the reason Bradford couldn't play. While Bradford was in the game, the offense didn't have a play of more than 18 yards.
I was also impressed by how well the Cougars' suspect O-line held together against a deep and talented Sooners defensive front. OU managed four sacks and got a lot of pressure, but it wasn't like BYU's game against TCU last season. QB Max Hall was superb, lighting up the OU defense for 328 yards. He converted on three key third-down plays and a fourth-down play on the Cougars' game-winning drive. The performance is even more impressive when you factor in that BYU was missing starting running back and back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher Harvey Unga, who was held out of the game nursing a hamstring injury.
BYU's current position is interesting: The Cougars have already beaten one top-five opponent and are likely to get three other ranked teams (FSU, TCU and Utah) on their schedule. Two of those three figure to have a shot at being ranked in the top 15 when they play BYU. (If FSU beats Miami on Monday night, it would help the Seminoles' case.)
If the Cougars can run the table, BYU could -- could -- have a résumé that compares well to anyone's. Heck, it might sound blasphemous, but that résumé might have twice as many wins over top-20 opponents as the résumé of the Big Ten winner -- especially if it's the Penn State Nittany Lions. Even Florida, with one of its top opponents (Georgia) losing Saturday, might not end up beating four top-20 teams this season, and that could
include an SEC title game opponent.
Right, it's waaay early, but we'll see.
The other side of the coin: Oklahoma
Many have pointed out the Sooners' recent struggles in openers -- they also lost to TCU a few years ago -- and in bowl games. So, in games in which Bob Stoops and his staff have a good amount of time to prepare, their performance isn't great. That's a little harsh, but it is what it is.
It'll be interesting to see how quickly Bradford can get back. My colleague Seth Wickersham texted me something related to this, saying that former Utah QB Alex Smith had a similar injury a few years ago and it was "brutal" because it hurts like heck and makes the QB wonder if he's damaging his arm for good.
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