The 1996 BYU football team

[The_Douger]

I was on my mission during this season. My mom used to send me VHS tapes of the games and I would watch them on P-day sometimes. I have good memories of this year and enjoyed watching the Pigskin Classic game with BYU and TAMU. I also watched the Utah and Wyoming CCG games that year on VHS. I consider this year to be the second best season in BYU history outside of the national championship season.

I was discussing this season with my folks the other day and they seemed to be under the impression that the Fiesta Bowl was angry about something with BYU and so BYU didn't end up getting invited and had to settle for the Cotton Bowl. I told them that I thought the Fiesta Bowl had an automatic tie in with the Big 12, and took Penn State as an at large instead of BYU to play Texas in that game.

Is this correct? I realize this was kind of before the internet and that less information was available, but was there some problem between the Fiesta Bowl and BYU or was it just that Penn State was selected to play Texas? I told my parents that I thought Texas upsetting Nebraska that year made it so Nebraska was still an attractive team for another BCS type of game, and they probably would have been happy to have BYU play Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, but that Nebraska was then invited to the Orange Bowl so the Fiesta took Penn State. I told them that if Nebraska would have not lost to Texas, it probably would have been Texas to a different game, and Nebraska/BYU in the Fiesta while Penn State played in the Orange Bowl.

Any insight is appreciated.

[SeattleUte]

BYU just didn't get a Bowl Alliance bid, probably because there was a question as to whether BYU was even the best team in the WAC. Wyoming's coach made one of the worst calls ever taking a deliberage safety with three minutes to go, or Wyoming would have won. What an idiot.

[smokymountainrain]

BYU just didn't get a Bowl Alliance bid, probably because there was a question as to whether BYU was even the best team in the WAC. Wyoming's coach made one of the worst calls ever taking a deliberage safety with three minutes to go, or Wyoming would have won. What an idiot.

Lol.

[Bo Diddley]

BYU just didn't get a Bowl Alliance bid, probably because there was a question as to whether BYU was even the best team in the WAC. Wyoming's coach made one of the worst calls ever taking a deliberage safety with three minutes to go, or Wyoming would have won. What an idiot.

You have my pity.

[jay santos]

I remember it as simply Fiesta Bowl choosing Penn State over us. This was the beginning of the BCS and as I recall, though they said all the right things, there was really no chance they were going to share their money with non-BCS if there wasn't a really, really compelling reason.

I don't remember anything specific that the Fiesta Bowl or anyone else was angry at BYU or was against us for any reason other than we weren't in one of the big conferences that created the BCS.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I remember it as simply Fiesta Bowl choosing Penn State over us. This was the beginning of the BCS and as I recall, though they said all the right things, there was really no chance they were going to share their money with non-BCS if there wasn't a really, really compelling reason.

I don't remember anything specific that the Fiesta Bowl or anyone else was angry at BYU or was against us for any reason other than we weren't in one of the big conferences that created the BCS.

Jay is correct.

[Bo Diddley]

I remember it as simply Fiesta Bowl choosing Penn State over us. This was the beginning of the BCS and as I recall, though they said all the right things, there was really no chance they were going to share their money with non-BCS if there wasn't a really, really compelling reason.

I don't remember anything specific that the Fiesta Bowl or anyone else was angry at BYU or was against us for any reason other than we weren't in one of the big conferences that created the BCS.

The origins of the BCS go back to the Bowl Coalition, which was in no small part a reaction to BYU winning the NC in 1984. By 1996, we're in the Bowl Alliance period, which kept the NC to the big conferences.

I don't remember any controversy about what bowl we attended that year. But I do agree that 1996 is the second best season we've had (ignoring the fact that we were undefeated in 1983), and possibly our strongest team we've ever fielded. That was fun to be a part of, and the WAC championship game in Vegas is a classic. Glad I was there.

[Flystripper]

Technically it was the Bowl Alliance then, but there was no way we were going to get access being from the WAC. Now it is the BCS and there is no way that we are going to get access as an independent. Some old,same old....

[SeattleUte]

Jay is correct.

It wasn't just politics and money. Penn State's body of work was more impressive.

http://www.totalfootballstats.com/Te...23&Season=1996

BYU feasted on a weak schedule. Same old same old. Indeed, as I noted, it took coaching malpractice by Wyoming's coach to enable BYU to win the WAC.

[TheAzzuri]

I remember it as simply Fiesta Bowl choosing Penn State over us. This was the beginning of the BCS and as I recall, though they said all the right things, there was really no chance they were going to share their money with non-BCS if there wasn't a really, really compelling reason.

I don't remember anything specific that the Fiesta Bowl or anyone else was angry at BYU or was against us for any reason other than we weren't in one of the big conferences that created the BCS.

Jay is correct.

FWIW, Norm Chow said almost exactly the same thing during an education week talk c. 1998.

[TheAzzuri]

Also, I was in the MTC during the BYU/TAMU game. I have very distinct memories of missionaries plastered against the chain link fence trying to hear the loud speakers during the game.

[jay santos]

Also, I was in the MTC during the BYU/TAMU game. I have very distinct memories of missionaries plastered against the chain link fence trying to hear the loud speakers during the game.

Ah the memories. I was in the MTC during football season. I strategically timed a haircut during a game and the barber let me stay and watch the rest of the game. The BYU-Utah game where Detmer racked up a ridiculous amount of TD's and yards on not that many attempts.

[Indy Coug]

Also, I was in the MTC during the BYU/TAMU game. I have very distinct memories of missionaries plastered against the chain link fence trying to hear the loud speakers during the game.

I was in the end zone on the 3rd row, just feet away from KO's TD game winning catch. Awesome game.

[Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

It wasn't just politics and money. Penn State's body of work was more impressive.

http://www.totalfootballstats.com/Te...23&Season=1996

BYU feasted on a weak schedule. Same old same old. Indeed, as I noted, it took coaching malpractice by Wyoming's coach to enable BYU to win the WAC.

Says the guy who probably has a "2004 Utah Utes National Champions" t-shirt stowed away somewhere.

[Borg]

I went to the Cotton Bowl game too....very fun game. Sat right in the middle of a sea of purple.