BYU's Future

[Jacob]

I am the first to admit I am in melt down mode. But hear me out here.

BYU is a program that is being left behind. The independence thing is an act of desperation. We don't really have anything to play for anymore except for exposure for the Church. And if that is the only thing we can play for, well then I say Amen to the potential of this team and this school's athletic department.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that, long-term, things can get demonstrably better for this team and school. The athletic department should be scuttled a la Ricks. It's not really doing anything now, and it is only gonna get worse.

We will continue to field athletes that can beat Idaho State, but not much else. We might eek out a win against an SEC cellar dweller every now and then. For me, the suffering is not worth it.

Good bye to the university I onced loved and have since lost. Thanks for a good B-school education.

I only got through the firsts sentence of your second paragraph. As someone said to you in another thread: Go to bed. Sheesh.

[Colly Wolly]

I only got through the firsts sentence of your second paragraph. As someone said to you in another thread: Go to bed. Sheesh.

Refute me please on atleast some of my points. I dont want this to be true. What happens to the ESPN deal? I'm thinking it either goes away, or we are playing every Tuesday night next season. Where will be then reputationally and monetarily?

[USCoug]

I have completely lost faith in this football team. I don't even care how they do the rest of the season, these past few games have shown me one thing: they CANNOT handle adversity.

Heaps cannot handle making one mistake in a football game, he's incapable of bouncing back. Once he's in the hole, he's content to just perform damage control and just make conservative decisions. Once that happens, the defense gets worn out and doesn't even attempt to close gaps or tackle a running back. What I saw tonight was disgusting. This team lost their emotion, they lost their will to fight after a few big plays from Utah. I don't want to watch a team that doesn't care. If Doman is going to be on the sideline to help his young players, there BETTER be results. There was no attitude tonight, they just rolled over and let themselves get get plowed.

[MarkGrace]

Damn, people, it's one football game. We've lost before and we're going to lose again.

[Lost Student]

Buck up, folks. I don't think BYU's offensive woes in 2011 are going to affect what conference we end up in. As a wise man once mumbled, "quit focusing on a snapshot in time." I think people are letting the bad loss make them even more pessimistic about the conference situation then they should be.

[USUC]

I'm less concerned about BYU's on field performance than I am about this conference realignment situation. Teams suck and return to glory all the time. But outside of 2, maybe 3 teams, there is a pretty big disparity among programs in BCS conferences (talent, on-field performance, money, etc). With everything pointing to 4 16 team conferences (sans BYU), the divide will be even greater. I don't see how recruiting, support, and money are not affected. Sure I think 16 team conferences aren't sustainable in the current system. But I could see the system changing to accommodate them before I see the system crashing down and everything returning to the way it was. I don't know if BYU has enough pull to make itself relevant among those chosen 64 teams.

[Jeff Lebowski]

To those of you thinking that this game is the nail in the coffin for BYU's chances in expansion, I have two words for you: Colorado Buffaloes.

Besides, with everything else going on it is probably a moot point anyway.

[CJF]

To those of you thinking that this game is the nail in the coffin for BYU's chances in expansion, I have two words for you: Colorado Buffaloes.

Besides, with everything else going on it is probably a moot point anyway.

I don't think last night made bit of difference. Now Pitt and Syracuse officially going to the ACC.......that very well could be the nail.

[Coach McGuirk]

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[creekster]

yes, it was pretty horrible. The second half was one bad moment after another. But come on. It is but one game. These things happen. Wait until the end of the year, see what's happened to the football conferences, and then we can decide how it looks. BUt making final pronouncements now in the fading light of the fireball that Utah dropped on BYU yesterday is not a good idea.

[KillerDog]

I am the first to admit I am in melt down mode. But hear me out here.

BYU is a program that is being left behind. The independence thing is an act of desperation. We don't really have anything to play for anymore except for exposure for the Church. And if that is the only thing we can play for, well then I say Amen to the potential of this team and this school's athletic department.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that, long-term, things can get demonstrably better for this team and school. The athletic department should be scuttled a la Ricks. It's not really doing anything now, and it is only gonna get worse.

We will continue to field athletes that can beat Idaho State, but not much else. We might eek out a win against an SEC cellar dweller every now and then. For me, the suffering is not worth it.

Good bye to the university I onced loved and have since lost. Thanks for a good B-school education.

You're not wrong. I'm in panic mode. You can't lose like that as an independent and too many of the decision makers have been slurping down their own KoolAid. They believe this nonsense about it all being about exposure. They overplayed their hand with the Big XII. I don't know what could happen to fix this but we are in trouble.

[KillerDog]

Hard to believe that a program with such a proud tradition, successful history, and large, loyal fan base could become nothing but a dinosaur.

But, with the rising sun promising to bring nothing but super conference armageddon, and our beloved team having one of its worst performances in its 89-year history, it's a lot easier to believe we're on that road than it was just a few weeks ago...

You really have to wonder what the future holds, as the traditional world of college football seems ready to crumble around us - never mind what happened to our team tonight.

The future holds BYU as one in a list including Yale, Harvard, Army and Navy. they can't compete.

[creekster]

You're not wrong. I'm in panic mode. You can't lose like that as an independent and too many of the decision makers have been slurping down their own KoolAid. They believe this nonsense about it all being about exposure. They overplayed their hand with the Big XII. I don't know what could happen to fix this but we are in trouble.

You have a connection and I don't but i don't see how any BYU might play vis a bis the B12 would affect the likelihood that OU or UT go to the PAC12

[KillerDog]

You have a connection and I don't but i don't see how any BYU might play vis a bis the B12 would affect the likelihood that OU or UT go to the PAC12

Sorry, two separate thoughts. (1) We can't lose like this and be an independent. You have to get people to watch games. (2) We also can't get into a conference because we have overplayed our hand because our critical people believe the hype.

[Jeff Lebowski]

yes, it was pretty horrible. The second half was one bad moment after another. But come on. It is but one game. These things happen. Wait until the end of the year, see what's happened to the football conferences, and then we can decide how it looks. BUt making final pronouncements now in the fading light of the fireball that Utah dropped on BYU yesterday is not a good idea.

Well said.

I suppose it shouldn't be at all surprising after a historic beatdown, but some of the meltdowns here are off the charts (byu football is finished, we may never beat Utah again, yada yada yada).

In my mind I keep comparing this to the BYU-Florida State game in Provo just two short years ago. We knock off OU in the first week and then destroy Tulane the following week. We came home highly ranked to play FSU and they just destroyed us 54-28 (and it wasn't that close). Unlike last night, they took it to us right out of the gate and we were never in the game. It was awful. Yet, somehow it didn't turn out to be the end of the world. We went 11-2 that year, beat Utah, and destroyed OSU in our bowl game.

Now I don't think we are as good this year as 2009, but my point is that you can't abandon ship and lose all hope after one bad loss. Blowouts happen. They haven't happened much with this rivalry (which is remarkable if you think about it), but they happen all the time. As badly as it hurts, there are reasons for hope:

1. We beat an SEC team on the road and almost beat Texas at home last week and Texas went on the road and destroyed UCLA yesterday. Not exactly the hallmark of a "horrible" team.

2. Unlike the FSU loss, we were in it for one half, in spite of some killer turnovers. Yes, the second half was one of the worst halves of football ever, but it was just one half.

3. Unlike the FSU loss (and as CJ documented), this was a perfect storm of turnovers and critical mental mistakes. Much of that is fixable.

4. I still have faith in our defense. You always have a chance if you have a good defense.

5. Our run game is struggling, but these are the same RB's we had last year and they weren't this bad. I think they will make adjustments and figure things out.

6. As Lavell used to say all the time, "You are never as good as you think after a big win or as bad as you think after a big loss".

I am going to wait a few weeks before I put a gun barrel in my mouth.