BYU/Utah in a BCS conference

[BoylenOver]

I saw this question posed on rival's college football forum.

How do you think BYU and/or Utah would fare in a BCS conference in 2009?

Here's what I predicted for Utah:
PAC-10: 4th
SEC West: 3rd
SEC East: 3rd
Big 12 North: 2nd, maybe 1st
Big 12 South: 4th
Big 10: 4th
Big East: 2nd or 3rd
ACC Atlantic: 2nd
ACC Coastal: 3rd
WAC: 2nd, could be 1st if we play Boise St at home
C-USA, Sun Belt, MAC: 1st

This is probably optimistic, considering travel and a young QB, but looking at these conferences, they've got a ton of dogs that wouldn't beat AFA or CSU this year, nevermind TCU, BYU, and Utah. And you have to factor in if BYU or Utah played in a BCS conference, they'd only be expected to play 2 FBS OOC games, 3 tops.

[RockyBalboa]

Given that I think Utah is gonna finish the season playing in a bowl game in Albuquerque or Boise I think your prognostications are rather generous.

[BlueHair]

I saw this question posed on rival's college football forum.

How do you think BYU and/or Utah would fare in a BCS conference in 2009?

Here's what I predicted for Utah:
PAC-10: 4th
SEC West: 3rd
SEC East: 3rd
Big 12 North: 2nd, maybe 1st
Big 12 South: 4th
Big 10: 4th
Big East: 2nd or 3rd
ACC Atlantic: 2nd
ACC Coastal: 3rd
WAC: 2nd, could be 1st if we play Boise St at home
C-USA, Sun Belt, MAC: 1st

This is probably optimistic, considering travel and a young QB, but looking at these conferences, they've got a ton of dogs that wouldn't beat AFA or CSU this year, nevermind TCU, BYU, and Utah. And you have to factor in if BYU or Utah played in a BCS conference, they'd only be expected to play 2 FBS OOC games, 3 tops.

Here is what I would predict for BYU:
Pac 10 - 6th
SEC East or West - 3rd
Big 12 North - 2nd
Big 12 South - 5th
Big Ten - 5th
Big East - 4th
WAC - 1st or 2nd

[Brian]

Given that I think Utah is gonna finish the season playing in a bowl game in Albuquerque or Boise I think your prognostications are rather generous.

I just finished a college football season on the PS. Louks was second in heisman voting.
I think they are going to another BCS game.

[BoylenOver]

I just finished a college football season on the PS. Louks was second in heisman voting.
I think they are going to another BCS game.

So let it be written! I'm booking a room in Pasadena.

[HotBox]

Here is what I would predict for BYU:
Pac 10 - 6th
SEC East or West - 3rd
Big 12 North - 2nd
Big 12 South - 5th
Big Ten - 5th
Big East - 4th
WAC - 1st or 2nd

3rd in the SEC but 5th in the Big Ten? 6th in the Pac-10? I am not saying I disagree with you on the latter predictions, but 3rd in the SEC? BYU cannot handle speed, never really have been able to.. Team speed is what will kill the Cougars against OK, FSU, TCU and Utah this year, which I predict they will lose 3 of those 4. I just don't see how the Cougars would finish third in the SEC. If that is the case, all of the national pollsters/media who seem to crown the SEC as the best conference overall must all be wrong. I know it is just your opinion, pure speculation, sorry to jump on you like this, but it really caught my attention.

[HotBox]

Happy with 1st in MWC for Now

If the Cougars didn't turn into Kittens last year, I would have enjoyed participating in this exercise. Luckily for you, your team actually played with heart, took advantage of a few mistakes, got lucky and then punched your biggest opponent in the mouth. So speculation of BCS affiliation really isn't a stretch for you.

Meanwhile, the Cougars should be worried about not having to play in 5A high school ranks; that is where they played mentally last season.

[BlueHair]

3rd in the SEC but 5th in the Big Ten? 6th in the Pac-10? I am not saying I disagree with you on the latter predictions, but 3rd in the SEC? BYU cannot handle speed, never really have been able to.. Team speed is what will kill the Cougars against OK, FSU, TCU and Utah this year, which I predict they will lose 3 of those 4. I just don't see how the Cougars would finish third in the SEC. If that is the case, all of the national pollsters/media who seem to crown the SEC as the best conference overall must all be wrong. I know it is just your opinion, pure speculation, sorry to jump on you like this, but it really caught my attention.

I based my PAC 10 ranking on the fact that we rarely beat Pac 10 teams. It took a missed extra point to secure the win against winless Washington. I just looked at the SEC again and I think BYU would be 3rd or 4th in either division. They obviously wouldn't beat Georgia, Florida, Alabama, or LSU. They could beat teams like Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi State many years. I would have them behind Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, and Penn State in the Big 10 most years.

[HotBox]

This is how I would see BYU going against the teams in the SEC you mentioned, ten games, nuetral field:

Kentucky 6-4
Vanderbilt 6-4
South Carolina 3-7
Tennessee 3-7
Arkansas 6-4
Miss St 7-3

Speed, speed and more speed kills. Throw in a solid D and a QB how can stretch the field and the Cougars win % against that team drops below 40% before they even take the field.

[BlueHair]

This is how I would see BYU going against the teams in the SEC you mentioned, ten games, nuetral field:

Kentucky 6-4
Vanderbilt 6-4
South Carolina 3-7
Tennessee 3-7
Arkansas 6-4
Miss St 7-3

Speed, speed and more speed kills. Throw in a solid D and a QB how can stretch the field and the Cougars win % against that team drops below 40% before they even take the field.

It looks like we agree. The records you have for BYU would be good enough for 3rd of 4th in either division most years. Although, I think Tennessee and South Carolina would be more like 4-6 or 5-5. Tennessee has had some great years, but they lost to Wyoming at home last year and came within an extra point of losing to Air Force a few years back.

[Drunk Tank]

Say BYU/Utah were in a BCS conference, how would it affect their recruiting if any? Would more kids be willing to go to these schools, only for the fact that they are BCS? Would it really matter?

[New Mexican Disaster]

This is how I would see BYU going against the teams in the SEC you mentioned, ten games, nuetral field:

Kentucky 6-4
Vanderbilt 6-4
South Carolina 3-7
Tennessee 3-7
Arkansas 6-4
Miss St 7-3

Speed, speed and more speed kills. Throw in a solid D and a QB how can stretch the field and the Cougars win % against that team drops below 40% before they even take the field.

Speed does kill, but it does not kill skill position talent which we have in spades over all those teams mentioned above.

My take in 10 games on a neutral field from last years teams:
Kentucky 8-2
Vandy 9-1
USC 7-3
Tennessee 7-3
Arkansas 9-1
Miss. St. 10-0

Let us not forget that Wyoming!!!!! a team we beat 44-0 beat Tennessee at Tennessee last year. Or that we beat UCLA 59-0 fresh off beating Tennessee. Or that Utah whipped the crap out of Alabama and appeared to be much faster and have vastly superior skill position players.

The SEC was not the SEC of yore last year. There were several teams that were completely unable to throw a forward pass against anyone, possibly even our defense.

[BoylenOver]

Say BYU/Utah were in a BCS conference, how would it affect their recruiting if any? Would more kids be willing to go to these schools, only for the fact that they are BCS? Would it really matter?

I think it would matter. I know a lot of kids have spurned BYU and Utah for PAC-10 schools over the last few years when, IMO, it came down to prestige and competing for a national championship.

And the perception of the two schools would increase overnight. Instead of being "nice Cinderella stories", they'd be solid third-tier college football programs, in the same range as Oregon St, Auburn (although they're on the way down), Iowa, Wake Forest, etc.