BYU Cougars Crush Texas – Now What?

Texas 2014 Game

BYU Cougars Crush Texas – Now What?

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After an impressive showing against Texas, here are the biggest questions for the remainder of the season:

Does Texas suck or are the Cougs really that good?

  • Texas is a bit dysfunctional but they will still probably go 8-4 on the year – or better. So yes the Cougars are good. Their defense is very good. You simply aren’t gonna run over them or through them.

So then how did the Cougs win by so much when Texas has better athletes?

  • Though I’ve been a critic of Bronco now for several years, you have to give him credit for building a great defense, largely based on scheme, effort and belief. Not to mention some pretty good players. Ziggy, Van Noy, Kaufusi.
  • Another key answer to this question is Tasyom Hill. He was the best athlete on the field Saturday night and he was wearing a Cougar uniform. A single player can still dominate a college game. Vince Young used to do it for Texas. Reggie Bush did it for USC. Johnny Manziel did it for Texas A&M. You could probably argue that players #2-22 for BYU were not as good as the guys in Orange. Doesn’t matter – BYU’s #1 is so dangerous. If you can’t stop Taysom, you won’t stop BYU.

Where does BYU go from here?

  • Undefeated most likely. Let me say that again – it is very likely BYU can run the table or lose only once. I don’t see BYU being favored by any less than a touchdown in any of their remaining games. Central Florida, Boise State and Cal are the only possible exceptions. BYU should still win though. (BYU is an 18.5 point favorite against Houston this Thursday night)

Will an undefeated season get BYU into the college football play-off?

  • No – They would not be deserving. The schedule is just not strong enough.  A second place team from the PAC-12 or SEC would still be better than BYU in my opinion.

Will they really have to settle for the crappy Miami Beach Bowl at 12-0 or 11-1?

  • 11-1 yes, 12-0 no. It is highly possible that an undefeated season gets them some “BCS” attention.
  • Remember, the Rose and Sugar Bowls will serve as the “ semi-final games” this year for the new play off but the other big games remain – Fiesta and Orange. What they have also done is turned the Cotton Bowl and the Peach/Chik-Fil-A bowls into premiere New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day games. So 6 games with 12 spots. Cougs won’t make 1-4 but very likely they end up in the top 10 or 12 and receive an invite.
  • Don’t be shocked if the Cougies get invited down to Phoenix to help fill up the stadium for the Fiesta Bowl. Now the majority of Cougar fans may rev up the minivans and suburbans, stay in their brother-in-law’s buddy’s Grandpa’s basement and eat $5 Little Ceasars pizza every night while in town. Despite their penchant for not dropping big bucks on flights, hotels, and beer, it is very possible you could have 35,000 – 40,000 Cougars fans clad in blue for a West Coast New Year’s Day bowl game.

Will this impressive win over Texas get BYU an invite to join the BIG 12?

  • The Big 12 of course only has 10 teams. There is speculation they will need to expand to 12 teams so they can create two divisions like everyone else, thus creating the need for a money producing and strengthening of schedule conference championship game like the other Power 5 conferences play. BYU has certainly shown well against the most relevant team in the Big 12. The estimated 6,000-7,500 BYU fans in attendance Saturday night certainly didn’t go unnoticed by the Big 12.

Will Taysom win the Heisman?

  • No, but he will get invited to New York as one of the finalists. He now has a signature play that you will see 500 times more as he continues to move up the Heisman watch list – Taysom Hill hurdles defender

And finally, the most important question: Will Taysom stay healthy?

  • The answer to that will really tell the tale of the remainder of the season. He still takes way too many hits.

If Taysom can stay on the field, this is the year to jump on the bandwagon. Great QB, great defense and a very manageable schedule that does not include Utah could translate into a magical year.

                                        Chillin in Austin with Willie Nelson

Matt Nielson has been writing about the college sports landscape in Utah and the Intermountain West since 2010. When he’s not pretending to be a professional blogger, he works full time as a residential real estate agent and house flipper. Matt graduated from Brigham Young University in 2000. He and his family reside in Salt Lake City, UT.

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  1. Scott J.
    Scott J.09-08-2014

    The Texas game must’ve been a blast to be at. Here’s hoping that Taysom can stay healthy and the Cougs can keep winning!

  2. Kristina
    Kristina09-08-2014

    Maybe since it’d be a vacation those Cougie fans will go big and use a Papa John’s coupon or something when they’re down in Arizona!

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