Does BYU have BCS depth?

I was thinking about this while reading the Juice - JJ thread and thought it merited it's own thread instead of attempting to highjack that thread.



We all know one of the biggest disadvantages of non BCS schools is the lack of depth overall. We have always said the BYU, TCU and utah 1's can play with anyone in the country but fall short beyond that and therein is the biggest reason for the gap between the have's and have nots. In a BCS program, if the starter goes down or needs a breather the guy coming in to replace him is just as good, or almost as good as the starter, while the non BCS teams there can be a dramatic drop off when the 2's or 3's come in.



With all the recent recruits and transfers BYU has gotten over the last couple of years, and the way upcoming classes are shaping up, more and more of the talk is how this is the deepest BYU has been in a long time. The defense, both at DL and LB is stacked more than it has ever been, and on the offensive side of the ball the talent at RB and recievers is incredible. So is BYU there or getting closer to the depth necessary to be a big name school?



The discussions will continue here about one player being better than another player, and A should start over B etc, so is this a sign of a deep team? We know with BCS schools there are very good players that would be stars at other schools, but on their current team never see the field because of better players in front of them. Are we seeing the start of that now with BYU? I think this year we will see very good players not see the field who may have seen a lot of playing time in past years. If the discussions continue about player B should get the playing time over player A that sounds like a team has very good depth to me.



So the biggest question is, I know BYU is ready to be numbered amoung the big schools, but are we as fans ready for that same jump? Are we ready to be viewed as fans of a big time program knowing that very good players, perhaps even our favorite players, may not see the field because of the talent in front of them. Even if we don't agree with it, we still know it is a very good problem to have? I say great BRING IT ON!!

No. Unless you are comparing us to mid-level BCS teams. Then yes. But not top shelf teams.



Looking at certain positions, we have more depth than ever, and are going to continually improve in that area the next 2-4 years. O-line is one position where our depth is really good and getting better. QB another. LB a third. But not sure our RB/WR/TE depth is there yet until I see results on the field. Same with secondary and D-line.



It is getting better, but at some spots we are not elite with depth. Solid, but not elite. But possibly the best BYU has had in 25 years.

I don't see the current depth at QB but give it a couple of years to get the new recruits in starting with Hill. TE has depth but has not been developed yet. We have it at DB but the Safetys is short.



We have BCS conference depth now, not quite BCS game level yet.

I think we have great depth at QB.

scott715 wrote:
We have BCS conference depth now, not quite BCS game level yet.

Interesting thought here. Although I believe BYU does have the depth, how does it get the BCS game level? Is it perhaps more of the mental attitude in feeling confident that when they get on the field they are better than the other team, or does it have to be actual game experience?



I think it starts with the attitude and then sharpen the skills with the game experience. I believe BYU has the depth, has the skill and just needs to get the attitude back, something not seen at BYU since the 80's and it will be watch out.



I think BYU is poised to explode on the college football scene over the next couple of years and once again change the game of college football as we know it.

I hate the whole "BCS" term because it can be used so loosely. It is nothing against you blue42 as you are just using the term that many use as a reference point. I wish the whole BCS term would fade away. The better term maybe could be "Does BYU have top 20/15/10 depth?" No one when talking BCS is referencing Big East conference teams but rather Top Ranked teams.

kiwibacon wrote:
I hate the whole "BCS" term because it can be used so loosely. It is nothing against you blue42 as you are just using the term that many use as a reference point. I wish the whole BCS term would fade away. The better term maybe could be "Does BYU have top 20/15/10 depth?" No one when talking BCS is referencing Big East conference teams but rather Top Ranked teams.

+1



This is really good notion.

Looks guys, we just don't have BCS depth. Simple as that. I mean, look at teams like Wake Forest, Iowa St., Rutgers, Minnesota, Vanderbilt etc. How are we supposed to compete with that kind of talent? Just think how good their 3rd and 4th stringers must be ;)

How many BCS schools land 2 ELite 11 MVP QBs in 3 years?



Do BCS schools really have that much depth? The SEC champion has won the NC the last 5 years, but it has been 4 different teams. Which means, once the star players from that NC team are gone, they are back to middle of the pack.



Just look what Florida and Texas Did last year. Oklahoma in 09 (they were replacing a lot more than a QB that we injured), and the prognostications for Auburn this year are terrible.

kiwibacon wrote:
I hate the whole "BCS" term because it can be used so loosely. It is nothing against you blue42 as you are just using the term that many use as a reference point. I wish the whole BCS term would fade away. The better term maybe could be "Does BYU have top 20/15/10 depth?" No one when talking BCS is referencing Big East conference teams but rather Top Ranked teams.

I am totally offended kiwi!!! ;) I have hated that term ever since its inception and really hate it now they have started using it for basketball as well.

Yes, we have as much, if not much more depth than teams like Duke, NC State, Wash State, Baylor, etc. etc. etc. There are some BCS conferences where we'd compete for the championship and a couple where we'd be 3rd or 4th. Anyhow, yes, we definitely have "BCS depth" (what a stupid term).

We can go round and round with this topic all day.



Yes, BYU has BCS depth.



No, BYU does not have elite level talent comparable to top tier BCS teams. NFL Drafts verify this fact, as do NFL Rosters. We compare favorably to mid-level BCS programs, but not to the LSU, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and USC's of the football world. Which just so happen to total the last 12 NCAA football tiles between them(other than Auburn, who we compare favorably to).



Point being, we are a BCS caliber program, but not an elite level BCS program as of right now. Still have a ways to go to get there. Hopefully this year is a HUGE step in that direction.