Article: Money is Killing BYU Football

[YNot]

I think it's a valid point that BYU doesn't have the opportunity to grow in the early season, with some breathing room for mistakes. Would this team be 1-5 if we had played SJSU instead of Utah or Wisconsin?

Also, an extremely valid point that interest in BYU's season tanks drastically after a couple of losses in September, even if to great teams. Not much exciting competition down the stretch and little to play for.

[snoscythe]

Better, more accurate title: "Independence is Killing BYU Football".

Or - more accurately- the article should have the headline "BYU is experiencing a downward trend, like literally every other college football team experiences, even those in conferences."

Not literally every team experiences a historically bad season following a winning season.

You have to go back to pre-Sheide/Wilson days to find a streak of 13 games without 300 yards passing by BYU or a 5-game losing streak.

This isn't a "downward trend", this is a "elevator cables snapped and the emergency brakes fell off" descent.

I can generally agree with that (a bit overstated in my opinion, but for the sake of this discussion - let's go with it) We still don't get to blame the "chase for money" or the schedule on the incredible badness that we're seeing on the field. And blaming the wrong thing keeps us from correcting the right thing - wouldn't you agree?

I would -- but failing to diagnose the severity of the problem by calling it a "downward trend" likewise prevents us from correcting the problem.

[ABYUFAN]

Better, more accurate title: "Independence is Killing BYU Football".

Or - more accurately- the article should have the headline "BYU is experiencing a downward trend, like literally every other college football team experiences, even those in conferences."

Not literally every team experiences a historically bad season following a winning season.

You have to go back to pre-Sheide/Wilson days to find a streak of 13 games without 300 yards passing by BYU or a 5-game losing streak.

This isn't a "downward trend", this is a "elevator cables snapped and the emergency brakes fell off" descent.

I can generally agree with that (a bit overstated in my opinion, but for the sake of this discussion - let's go with it) We still don't get to blame the "chase for money" or the schedule on the incredible badness that we're seeing on the field. And blaming the wrong thing keeps us from correcting the right thing - wouldn't you agree?

I would -- but failing to diagnose the severity of the problem by calling it a "downward trend" likewise prevents us from correcting the problem.

I'll agree that "downward trend" is an understatement if you'll agree that "Killing BYU football" is an overstatement. Then we can meet somewhere in the happy middle.

[mtnradio]

Better, more accurate title: "Independence is Killing BYU Football".

Or - more accurately- the article should have the headline "BYU is experiencing a downward trend, like literally every other college football team experiences, even those in conferences."

Not literally every team experiences a historically bad season following a winning season.

You have to go back to pre-Sheide/Wilson days to find a streak of 13 games without 300 yards passing by BYU or a 5-game losing streak.

This isn't a "downward trend", this is a "elevator cables snapped and the emergency brakes fell off" descent.

I can generally agree with that (a bit overstated in my opinion, but for the sake of this discussion - let's go with it) We still don't get to blame the "chase for money" or the schedule on the incredible badness that we're seeing on the field. And blaming the wrong thing keeps us from correcting the right thing - wouldn't you agree?

I would -- but failing to diagnose the severity of the problem by calling it a "downward trend" likewise prevents us from correcting the problem.

I'll agree that "downward trend" is an understatement if you'll agree that "Killing BYU football" is an overstatement. Then we can meet somewhere in the happy middle.

I'm not so sure that this middle is happy ... but I agree!

I think it's a valid point that BYU doesn't have the opportunity to grow in the early season, with some breathing room for mistakes. Would this team be 1-5 if we had played SJSU instead of Utah or Wisconsin?

Also, an extremely valid point that interest in BYU's season tanks drastically after a couple of losses in September, even if to great teams. Not much exciting competition down the stretch and little to play for.

ESPN could become BYU's best friend. They want good games with good viewership ... they can put some pressure on conferences/AD's to help work on the schedule ...

I doubt they will, but it seems to me that TM could address both money and schedule with one of our partners who also stands to benefit.

[hawkwing]

I doubt ESPN wants to highlight the worst offense in the country on it's mothership. BYU better right the ship quickly or we will be in trouble with the TV deal.

[BroncoBot]

money fixes very few things.
Winning in college football fixes everything.

BYU is making enough money to be just fine without a conference and should be able to win some of the 5 lost games this year. They had a perfect storm of poor coaching, poor qb play, poor offense, mediocre at best defense this year to have it all hit the fan. I don't think we've hit the bottom yet though.

[imuakahuku]

Lavell was 7-4 then 5-6. Everyone seems to think is was the other way around. Kalani and Ty are trying to create a program not just win now and pay in the long run (see GC 2001-2004). We need to support our coaches and give them the time and opportunity to build up the program. In another Lavell way, Kalani and Ty are following in his footsteps by trying to implement a unique offense. I read a whole bunch of posts calling for us to go back to the spread. Most college teams have gone to it Okay, so lets run the same offense that nearly all the other teams are running with less talented players. This was exactly the opposite of what made Lavell successful and following Lavell's example is what can make Kalani successful. Every team out there now faces a spread O so most defenses have tons of experience with the schemes. Good luck becoming a dominant program running virtually the same schemes with lesser talented players.

[Cougarfan87]

Lavell was 7-4 then 5-6. Everyone seems to think is was the other way around. Kalani and Ty are trying to create a program not just win now and pay in the long run (see GC 2001-2004). We need to support our coaches and give them the time and opportunity to build up the program. In another Lavell way, Kalani and Ty are following in his footsteps by trying to implement a unique offense. I read a whole bunch of posts calling for us to go back to the spread. Most college teams have gone to it Okay, so lets run the same offense that nearly all the other teams are running with less talented players. This was exactly the opposite of what made Lavell successful and following Lavell's example is what can make Kalani successful. Every team out there now faces a spread O so most defenses have tons of experience with the schemes. Good luck becoming a dominant program running virtually the same schemes with lesser talented players.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. They are looking at the long game, and it will take some time. I can be patient. I think we will still be bowl elgible...drop Miss. State, but then win at East Carolina. We should easily win San Jose State at home, and by then, hopefully have developed some confidence and go on a roll to finish 7-6, maybe 8-6 after the bowl game if the QBs (Mangum or Critchlow) really start to figure things out. And a non-BCS bowl/playoff bowl was exactly where I expected we would be this year. Now, if we don't go bowling, that will be disappointing, but I fully expect that by next year we will go bowling, and keep building from there. The year after that has a great home slate which would be an opportune time for our pro-style offense led by Critchlow, presumably, to be clicking on all cylinders.

[Mars]

LaVell took over a terrible program. Kalani took over a program going 9-4 most years.

[vancouvercougar]

I have an issue with the title of the article. If Money is killing BYU football, what would NO money do to the program?