Another spectacular winning season

[kiwibacon]

Another spectacular winning season...but what does that really mean?

So, on paper we look to have another 10-11 game winning season at worst a 9 win season. Are you happy about the season? Or will you have a moment of disappointment? We will probably go to a bowl game. It will end up being to one of the mediocre bowl games. Maybe some of the reason why others last year were not satisfied with a 10-2 regular season was because our bowl season is nothing to look forward to unless it is one of the big five bowl games. Does our conference affiliation and conference bowl game tie-ins really make the season seem blah? After one loss you go to "xyz bowl" to play another conferences #5 team or to "abc bowl" to play a conference #7 team because they are a fill in team? It seems logical to me to be disappointed with the bowl situation but should that equate to disappointment for the whole season? And if no, what is there to be happy about if the "prize"( read bowl game) at the end of the season does not truly reward the team for its on field play?

I am happy with what our team has accomplished at this point. I think most are...I think most just had our one loss pegged on OU and not FSU. "What if" or "coulda, woulda, shoulda" is just no fun either...but I am still happy with the team.

[Sammich]

It is unfortunate that our perception of a season's success has been tarnished by a rotten bowl tie-in. BYU's record these past three seasons really deserved better than what the Vegas bowl had to offer. And it's probably disappointing to the players also---would BYU have come out so flat against better opponents than they did against UCLA or Arizona? And while disappointing, even bowl losses against great opponents would not sully people's feelings about the season as much. Everything about our bowl situation is bad. Unfortunately, there's also no way that is going to change anytime soon.

[snoscythe]

To me, losing that one game that puts us out of the BCS only affects me during the week when I am am pondering the "what-ifs." Come Saturdays I could care less--I just know we have a great team and I am excited to see them play. While there is the occaisional BIG let down (Tulsa, TCU, FSU etc.), it doesn't seem to taint game days for me.

As far as the bowl games go, I'll still attend our games against middle-of-the-road PAC-10 teams as long as the game is in Vegas, San Fran, or San Diego. Once you start putting it in Albuquerque or Fort Worth in December, that is a bit of a buzz-kill, and it's harder to rationalize putting out the coin for that. The raw part of the deal in my eyes is the "first choice" scenario they have lined up with the Vegas Bowl. Basically, that means no matter how well/bad BYU plays, if they are bowl eligible and the Vegas people think we will still fill the stadium (which we always will), we are going to be in Vegas. That SUCKS. Part of the mystique of bowl games is the "where are we going to end up" and the surprise revelation. For BYU fans, the mystique is gone as we instead play the "is this year the year Vegas changes things up?" game. As long as Vegas has that first choice, and as long as the PAC-10 keeps sending 5 teams to bowls, BYU is going to end up there 80% of the time that we are eligible. That means we are rarely going to get a nice at-large match-up like TCU got last year with BSU, and we are rarely going to play an intriguing team from an east coast conference. That is what sucks about the current bowl situation and the one-loss-and-you're-out set up of the BCS for non-AQs.

[hawkwing]

I have to agree with Sammich. What a great year for BYU, and what a great run. It's very difficult to replace a great QB with another great QB, and to have 4 years of 10+ wins is amazing. I think in future down years we're going to look back at these years and recognize how special they were, even though it's hard now to realize it, because, like you said at the end is kind of a booby prize.

But for me, I've enjoyed going to the Las Vegas Bowl the last 3 or 4 years, I've attended almost every year, and had a great time. I wish we had better opponents, and I wish we got more money, but those are issues outside of my control, and I don't worry about them.

[Mars]

A 12-1 season would be, BY FAR, the best season I personally have experienced as a BYU fan.
-UNDEFEATED in conference
-Most conference championships in MWC history (no ties!)
-Undefeated away from home (2nd time in BYU history?)
-Beehive Boot + Wagon Wheel (State Champs)
-Neutral-site win over a Top 3 team (a first ever for BYU)
-3 wins over Top 25 teams (a first ever for BYU)
-4 double digit-win seasons in a row (a first ever for BYU)
-4 Final Top 25 rankings in 4 years (a first ever for BYU)
-A QB that wins 30+ games overall (a first ever for BYU)
-A QB with 3 10+ win seasons in a row (a first ever for BYU)
-A head coach with a career 75+% win percentage (best ever for BYU)
-A head coach with a career winning record in bowl games (best ever for BYU)
-A RB with the most ever career yards at BYU
-A TE with the most ever career yards and touchdowns at BYU