Best Team This Decade?

06 didn't have bad-to-awful special teams like the 09 Cougs and has a much better defense.

The 06 defense with the 4 walkon DB starters has my upmost respect. They were awesome.

2006 was a better blowout win, but 2007 was a better bowl win overall IMO.

If Staley doesn't get hurt they go 14-0. Teams were starting to figure out how to stop the offense by the end though. But no offense had a player like Staley. The 09 team was very complete and had two wins (Oklahoma, Oregon St) that were better than any other team in the decade, so it' d be tough to go against them. By the end of 2006, I think that team was a Top 5 team and I would have liked BYU's chances against just about anyone in the nation.

kitic77 wrote:
If Staley doesn't get hurt they go 14-0. Teams were starting to figure out how to stop the offense by the end though. But no offense had a player like Staley. The 09 team was very complete and had two wins (Oklahoma, Oregon St) that were better than any other team in the decade, so it' d be tough to go against them. By the end of 2006, I think that team was a Top 5 team and I would have liked BYU's chances against just about anyone in the nation.

I think if the coaching staff instructs the kicker to kick the ball out of bounds every single kickoff/punt in the Hawaii game, BYU never ends up playing from so far behind and Staley doesn't break his leg. BYU killed themselves trying to come back that game (and they nearly did it anyway), injuring doman, staley, gilford, and several others so much that they weren't able to contribute in the bowl game.



Seriously, we knew our special teams was suspect and that Hawaii's return man was dangerous. Kick the dang ball out of bounds! (The 40-yard line penalty for out-of-bounds kicks hadn't been instituted yet)

2006 was the only team that played top 15 defense. They get my vote.

Sammich wrote:

If Staley doesn't get hurt they go 14-0. Teams were starting to figure out how to stop the offense by the end though. But no offense had a player like Staley. The 09 team was very complete and had two wins (Oklahoma, Oregon St) that were better than any other team in the decade, so it' d be tough to go against them. By the end of 2006, I think that team was a Top 5 team and I would have liked BYU's chances against just about anyone in the nation.

I think if the coaching staff instructs the kicker to kick the ball out of bounds every single kickoff/punt in the Hawaii game, BYU never ends up playing from so far behind and Staley doesn't break his leg. BYU killed themselves trying to come back that game (and they nearly did it anyway), injuring doman, staley, gilford, and several others so much that they weren't able to contribute in the bowl game.



Seriously, we knew our special teams was suspect and that Hawaii's return man was dangerous. Kick the dang ball out of bounds! (The 40-yard line penalty for out-of-bounds kicks hadn't been instituted yet)

Staley was injured the week before the Hawaii game in the Mississippi state game.

I picked 2006. This team had a good year but it did not win the MWC. The 2006 team got off to a slow start but was better by the end of the year then this years team. The 2006 team had a better overall offense and defense then this years team. 2001 had a great start but they were alwasy a train wreck waiting to happen. That team was giving up nearly 40pts per game. The only reason they won 12 games was because the offense was unstoppable.

Where do I vote for the 2002 Buckeyes?

snoscythe wrote:
Where do I vote for the 2002 Buckeyes?

I was going to ask about voting for the 2004 Trojans, a much better team than any Ohio State team in any year. ;)



As for BYU, this season's team had the most difficult schedule of the 3 prominent teams of the decade (2001, 2006, and 2009). So, I'd rank this year's team the best of the decade. It also had one of BYU's best career passers, best running back, and best TE/TE tandem in school history.

frdbtr wrote:

kitic77 wrote:
If Staley doesn't get hurt they go 14-0. Teams were starting to figure out how to stop the offense by the end though. But no offense had a player like Staley. The 09 team was very complete and had two wins (Oklahoma, Oregon St) that were better than any other team in the decade, so it' d be tough to go against them. By the end of 2006, I think that team was a Top 5 team and I would have liked BYU's chances against just about anyone in the nation.

I think if the coaching staff instructs the kicker to kick the ball out of bounds every single kickoff/punt in the Hawaii game, BYU never ends up playing from so far behind and Staley doesn't break his leg. BYU killed themselves trying to come back that game (and they nearly did it anyway), injuring doman, staley, gilford, and several others so much that they weren't able to contribute in the bowl game.



Seriously, we knew our special teams was suspect and that Hawaii's return man was dangerous. Kick the dang ball out of bounds! (The 40-yard line penalty for out-of-bounds kicks hadn't been instituted yet)

Staley was injured the week before the Hawaii game in the Mississippi state game.

That's right, I had such a bad memory of the Hawaii game I was mentally lumping all the bad things that happened into that game.



I think my point still stands that BYU would have certainly won that game, and definitely played much better in the bowl game, if they had kept away from Hawaii's deadly returner.

2006 was the most well-rounded and solid team this decade. They were what, six points away from going undefeated? And they absolutely demolished a good Oregon team in the bowl game. 2001 was great, but it was Luke Staley, all Luke. He averaged something like 27 pts a game? Crazy, lots of talent, but not as good a coach and no defense.

I voted for 2006 for 1 reason: John Beck. John Beck as a Senior was much better than than Max Hall (though Hall was good).



The defenses were comparable (other than the MLBs, which were much better in 2006).



I think had the 2007 team not lost to Tulsa, it would be getting more consideration. Undefeated in conference for the 2nd year in a row was a pretty good accomplishment.



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That 01 team was loaded.... Ryan Denney, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Justin Ena, Aaron Francisco, Gernaro Gilford, Scott Jackson, Doug Jolley, Matt Payne, Brady Poppinga, Paul Walkenhorst, Brandon Doman, Luke Staley etc.



I have a hard time believing that team (if healthy) wouldn't beat this years team; the issue was health.

craigoscarson wrote:
That 01 team was loaded.... Ryan Denney, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Justin Ena, Aaron Francisco, Gernaro Gilford, Scott Jackson, Doug Jolley, Matt Payne, Brady Poppinga, Paul Walkenhorts, Brandon Doman, Luke Staley etc.



I have a hard time believing that team (if healthy) wouldn't beat this years team handily.

There's no doubt that they were the BYU team that has been most loaded with NFL talent...probably ever in the history of BYU football. But, I don't think that the team played as much as a cohesive unit as the Bronco era teams (could coaching have something to do with this, hmmm...), and that can make a HUGE difference in college football.

craigoscarson wrote:
That 01 team was loaded.... Ryan Denney, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Justin Ena, Aaron Francisco, Gernaro Gilford, Scott Jackson, Doug Jolley, Matt Payne, Brady Poppinga, Paul Walkenhorts, Brandon Doman, Luke Staley etc.



I have a hard time believing that team (if healthy) wouldn't beat this years team handily.

Also, had that team had a real DC, they wouldn't have needed Staley against Hawaii or who they played in their bowl game. It was a team sick with talent, even more so on defense than offense. But, they lived and died by Staley's wheels and the BCS telling them they were unworthy of a BCS bid just before the Hawaii debacle didn't help matters.



The 2001 team had perhaps the most NFL talent on defense since the 1985 team. Further, they had the Doak Walker award winner. But, they still lost their last two games badly. Finishing strong and winning your bowl game is an important factor in whether they are the greatest of the decade.



2006 was just 2 plays away from being undefeated. Had they done that, they would have played in a BCS game and be perhaps the best team ever in BYU history. But the MWC was pretty weak that season as well. The team beat only 1 ranked opponent all season.



2009 is another outstanding team. They defied the odds and beat Oklahoma to start the season. At the time, they were the #3 team in the country. BYU lost badly to TCU, but then so did most every other team TCU has faced this season. The FSU game was an anomoly to an otherwise outstanding season. BYU rebounded to finish the season strong by beating Air Force, :utard:, and Oregon State. The latter two being ranked in the final BCS poll. Finishing the season strong with wins over ranked opponents moves this team ahead of the 2001 team. Although this year's team didn't win the conference, I'm not so sure any team this decade would beat TCU this year.



I really think the MWC is much better now than it was in 2001 or 2006 (the MWC finished the regular season with 3 ranked teams for only the second time in conference history and with its highest ranked team ever). So finishing a strong second to TCU is as good as winning the MWC in other years.

Everyone seems to agree that the 2001 team had the best overall talent on Defense of any team this decade and yet it still gave up nearly 40 pts per game on defense. Too bad we didn't have Bronco as our D coordinator that year, we definately would have gone undefeated if he had been, and then there would be no question what year had the best team.

2006 hands down. No question. That team, despite the two early season close road losses, by the END of the year was better than all but a couple of Cougar teams. I put the 2006 team in the top 5 Coug teams overall.



In fact, here's my all-time top 5:



1. 1996

2. 1984

3. 2006

4. 1990 (right up until Detmer won the heisman - and should have seen Hawaii debacle coming since the exact same thing happened in 1989)

5. 1983



p.s. 2001 can't get my vote, or even consideration for my top 5 ever, because:



A. It was coached by Crowton

B. It had no defense.

C. Any team that needed last-minute drives with key 4th down conversions to be BOTH UNLV and New Mexico is NOT a top-5 all-time team.



Granted, the 2001 team had the best non-QB player that we've ever had at BYU (at least at a skill position), but once he got hurt (again), the team fell apart.

We'll never know how 2001 would have turned out had Staley not gotten hurt vs MissSt.

It would have dramatically changed the face of our remaining games.



I agree that G Crowton did not know defense but Ws are Ws and he's been a 1 yr wonder every place he's gone. That was his 1 yr wonder at the Y and aside from Staley's injury and the subsequent Hawaii game without Staley, I suggest that we could have won out.



If not winning out is what it took to start to bring down the Crowton era (an undefeated season would have bought him enough good will to coach a few more mediocre seasons more than what he got) then I'm good with it.



Again, if the argument is about most talented team, I'd put 2001 up against every team in BYU history; though some would balk at that simply because of who was at Qb, and how many points the D gave up despite having half a dozen future NFLers on the field.



I think I missed Gabe Reid and Reno Mahe on that list too... the amount of guys that were all conference, and got some time in the NFL is substantial.