2021 BYU Cougars Football Thread

[Moliere]

Utah is not going to win on Friday.

[USUC]

Independence bowl against UAB... fuck right off.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Independence bowl against UAB... fuck right off.

They should turn it down as a matter of principle.

[LVAllen]

Umm...

Turns out no, we don't want 'Bama. At least not Walmart brand 'Bama.

[Omaha 680]

So transparent what the committee did boosting Pitt and Utah to 11 and 12. See, everyone? The top 12 teams went to the NY6 bowls. Everything works great.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Moose, you start one more game thread and I am going to ban you.

[BigFatMeanie]

I don't love the Independence bowl but I'm not sure what else people were expecting after a second loss. BYU was contracted to the Independence bowl against a CUSA opponent before the season even began, and that's exactly what they got. This bowl game was all about independence (no pun intended). BYU beat the following teams that all got, arguably, better bowl invites this year, either due to location, date, or opponent:

Arizona State
Utah
Utah State
Virginia
Washington State

Heck, even Boise State got a better bowl invite because of conference affiliation. Also, the lack of a conference championship game didn't help as it's all about "what have you done lately."

Lastly, UAB is the kind of team that could easily upset BYU as BYU doesn't historically have a great record playing football in the South.

[PaloAltoCougar]

BYU wasn't going to get a better invite, but this one has no upside in the absence of a 30-point blowout by BYU. UAB is a good, if not great, team. Plus I'm haunted by a couple of historical tidbits which I hope are not repeated. Fans of a 1990 10-2 BYU team, with Heisman Ty, thought they'd get a better bowl game or opponent and were mildly bummed to be playing Texas A&M. It was the ugliest BYU game I've attended, except perhaps for Jake Heaps v. Utah at LES. And I'm still bothered by the undefeated Men's BB team (in '88), ranked no. 2, losing to UAB. I hope Kalani has the team ready for what could be a tough game.

[Bo Diddley]

I don't love the Independence bowl but I'm not sure what else people were expecting after a second loss. BYU was contracted to the Independence bowl against a CUSA opponent before the season even began, and that's exactly what they got. This bowl game was all about independence (no pun intended). BYU beat the following teams that all got, arguably, better bowl invites this year, either due to location, date, or opponent:

Arizona State
Utah
Utah State
Virginia
Washington State

Heck, even Boise State got a better bowl invite because of conference affiliation. Also, the lack of a conference championship game didn't help as it's all about "what have you done lately."

Lastly, UAB is the kind of team that could easily upset BYU as BYU doesn't historically have a great record playing football in the South.

Yep, hold onto the rock against BSU, and we get a better bowl.

I'm optimistic that our offense will overcome UAB's strenth of defense. We may well match up well against them.

[Bo Diddley]

BYU wasn't going to get a better invite, but this one has no upside in the absence of a 30-point blowout by BYU. UAB is a good, if not great, team. Plus I'm haunted by a couple of historical tidbits which I hope are not repeated. Fans of a 1990 10-2 BYU team, with Heisman Ty, thought they'd get a better bowl game or opponent and were mildly bummed to be playing Texas A&M. It was the ugliest BYU game I've attended, except perhaps for Jake Heaps v. Utah at LES. And I'm still bothered by the undefeated Men's BB team (in '88), ranked no. 2, losing to UAB. I hope Kalani has the team ready for what could be a tough game.

That's a part of the black hole in my BYU sports memory. I was on my mission trip.

[SeattleUte]

So transparent what the committee did boosting Pitt and Utah to 11 and 12. See, everyone? The top 12 teams went to the NY6 bowls. Everything works great.

Utah is top 11 in three polls decided by three different sets of voters. Tenth in the sportswriters' poll.

Let's not be an anti-vaxxer.

Pac 12 was down this season, but no matter how you slice it, Utah slaughtered an Oregon team twice that was ranked number 3 and was positioned for the Final Four, and has been the dominant Pac 12 team for 15 years. I know Washington fans would die for this moment. Utah has slaughtered Oregon twice in 14 days, Washington has beaten Oregon twice in 14 years. The only thing history will wonder is what my if Cameron Rising had been Utah's starting quarterback from the start.

The Rose Bowl is always a big deal, and no mean achievement. There are Pac 12 teams who haven't been there in decades. Arizona, never. UCLA not since 1999. The way Utah won the conference is a also big deal. In sports, it's about how you finish. The PAC 12 championship would inevitably go through Oregon.

[Lost Student]

Utah slaughtered an Oregon team twice that was ranked number 3 and was positioned for the Final Four, and has been the dominant Pac 12 team for 15 years

Good stuff as always, SU

[SeattleUte]

Good stuff as always, SU

It's roughly true. I don't like Oregon. Obnoxious nouveau riche. And I'm also a Husky fan. Would rather beat them than anyone, but I'm a person who gives the devil his due.

[clackamascoug]

It's roughly true. I don't like Oregon. Obnoxious nouveau riche. And I'm also a Husky fan. Would rather beat them than anyone, but I'm a person who gives the devil his due.

I agree - gotta hate those 1st gen billionaires - and their entitled inner circle.

When can you get rid of the nouveau tag - asking for a friend?

[BlueK]

Going to good bowl games was something independence wasn't going to be able to deliver and BYU always knew that, IMO. They tried to do their best, but it was too hard to make a deal that any p5 league was going to allow. The p5s were not about to enter into agreements that would have them let go of a slot in any bowl game they liked and the better bowl games themseves viewed it as too risky to sign with a single team. It will be nice having good bowl games to go to in the near future.