Read Bleacher Fan and Sport Geek’s argument for which team they believe fumbled their chance at a BCS berth.
We are four weeks into the college football season. Some teams that started at the top are still there (see Florida and Texas). Some teams began at the top but have fallen back a bit with early losses (see Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Southern Cal). Other teams are making a surprising run (see Houston and TCU). While it is still relatively early in the season, some teams have absolutely blown their chance to play in a BCS game. But, no team choked as much as the BYU Cougars.
The Cougars came into the season ranked in the top 25 in both the Associated Press poll (20th)and the coaches poll (24th). They started the season off with a game in Arlington, Texas against the Oklahoma Sooners. It was a game not many expected the Cougars to win. But, behind a strong game from quarterback Max Hall (328 passing yards), the Cougars upset the landscape of the BCS early on with a shocking 14-13 victory.
Cougar Nation was making noise and college football fans were taking note. Hall was sneaking up on some Heisman contender lists, too. Talk had began about what would happen if BYU finished with an undefeated season. Surely they could get past an average FSU team that was making the trip out west, right?
WRONG!!!
Not only did they lose but they got embarrassed in their home stadium! 54-28!!!!!! The Cougars were put to sleep, and so were their BCS chances! For a conference that is screaming for BCS attention, it was a devastating loss, not only for the Cougars but for the entire Mountain West Conference. We have debated on this website whether or not the MWC deserves an automatic BCS bid. What leg does the MWC have to stand on now that it has been proven that BYU cannot even play a competitive game on its home field with a an average team from the ACC?
BYU had visions of making a run toward glory. Now those visions have faded away and slipped into darkness. That is not to say that BYU cannot have a fine season. They can. And they still have a couple of conference showcase games on their schedule. A homecoming game against TCU (I thought scheduling a cupcake for homecoming was the norm) and the regular season finale against Utah appear to be the only potential roadblocks in the final eight games of the season. There would be nothing wrong with an 11-1 regular season.
But when 12-0 was within reach, it could be viewed as a disappointment, especially after riding the wave of beating Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the wave turned out to be a dud as it washed ashore and the Cougars were nowhere to be found. Instead of playing in a BCS bowl game, the Cougars, barring a wild ending to the season, will likely be playing in a lower-tier bowl game, regardless of what they accomplish the rest of the season.
You dropped the ball BYU! You dropped the ball when Loyal Homer was rooting for you! You blew it! It was a fumble in a big game, and no, the ground did not cause this fumble! Deal with it!
