College Football Top 10: No. 9 BYU
College Football August 14th. 2008, 2:20pm
Surprised? Don’t be. Eleven wins each of the last two years from the Cougars, two Top 20 final rankings, and no, Steve Young isn’t QBing this team. Ty Detmer, either. But, the offense returns 10 starters, including QB Max Hall, an Arizona State transfer who will probably finish in the Top 10 for the Heisman Trophy. An unbeaten regular season will do that for you. Yup, we just went there. The defense has some holes, but it’s not like punchless UCLA or Washington are going to do anything about it. Utah? Maybe. The off-the-field issues? Perhaps.
A BCS Bowl game and a major college gig for coach Bronco Mendenhall await.
68 Responses to “College Football Top 10: No. 9 BYU”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:22 PM
Mormons can’t play football
August 14th, 2008 at 2:23 PM
Next thing you know they’ll want the right to vote.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:23 PM
Hawaii of 2007 called. They want their preseason prediction back.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:23 PM
Joseph Smith didn’t believe in the incidental face mask.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:24 PM
How is their DEFENSE doing?
Also, who the hell do they play? They are this years Hawaii… maybe.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:24 PM
This isn’t that crazy, Tennessee finishing 10 is crazier.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:24 PM
“dumb dumb dumb dumb dumnb”
August 14th, 2008 at 2:24 PM
OSU returns 10 much more talented starters on both sides of the ball and they aren’t in the top 5? I call shenanigans.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:25 PM
You got UT #10? BYU #9? “Ay yo Dre, stick to producing!”
August 14th, 2008 at 2:25 PM
BYU? Is Appalachian State next?
August 14th, 2008 at 2:25 PM
UCLA and Utah will both beat BYU.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:25 PM
BYU 2008: See Hawaii 2007, and with the same BCS bowl result.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:26 PM
CBH – Tenn. is less crazy because of their schedule. A 9-3 team could legitimately be No. 10. If BYU loses they’re going straight to the land of also-rans in the No. 15-20 range.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:26 PM
The more surprising thing is that the post didn’t read like this:
BYU has this issue and that issue, and they pretty much suck at this, and there are question marks here, and they probably won’t do well at this so we have them at #9.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:26 PM
little known fact – at BYU, if you finish in the top 10 in the Heisman vote, you get invited by Warren Jeffs to help diversify the gene pool.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:26 PM
Props Ritty. You are the faster reader and typer.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:27 PM
I was kind of hoping after last year’s Hawaii fiasco that the trend of putting (potentially) undefeated teams from crap conferences in BCS games was over.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:27 PM
BYU enters this season with a 10 game winning streak, the nations longest. 10 returning offensive starters and only 3 on defense.
This offense will do damage against the MWC. I like this pick TBL
August 14th, 2008 at 2:27 PM
If not lower.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:28 PM
@Oh No Romo – please don’t open that pandora’s box… last thing anyone wants is the Mormons voting.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Give BYU Tennessee’s schedule and see what happens.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Mormons can’t play football
Steve Young begs to differ.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:32 PM
Never heard of them.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:32 PM
But what’s the point of that Ritty? No one thought Hawaii was legitimately a Top 10 team, but if BYU goes undefeated as TBL suggests and as is certainly a possibility they would be ranked 9th.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:33 PM
@ritty- are we playing the what if game? i dont like that game
August 14th, 2008 at 2:35 PM
and the Salukis are Final Four bound this year for Basketball.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:37 PM
Screw that, Mason is going back.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:37 PM
I agree with you CBH…but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop bitching about the whole process. Hawaii did a lot to erase the legacy Boise State established but then again Boise St. had been a legitimate team playing big games for a couple of years prior to beating OU… wait, BYU would likely beat OU in a BCS game.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:37 PM
Now we get into the fun game of ranking teams prior to the season. Do you rank them how you see them finishing? Do you rank them as how good you feel they are today? Do you rank your conferences teams higher because it helps your team? COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRE SEASON RANKINGS ARE STUPID!
August 14th, 2008 at 2:38 PM
BYU would likely beat OU in a BCS game.
Agreed.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:38 PM
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRE SEASON RANKINGS ARE STUPID!
Agreed.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:39 PM
UCLA’s starting QB is out so I wouldn’t worry too much about that game. Washington could cause problems because of Locker, but BYU should win that game. That makes Utah the key game.
BYU has been in the top ten defenses the last two years. I think they also have the longest streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:40 PM
Which OU are you talking about? No one gives a shit about Oklahoma… however, the Mighty Mighty Bobcats of Ohio University would spank that team full of Mormons.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:40 PM
I believe it OUMike, Frank Solich is at helm.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:41 PM
@cbh – damn skippy. Although for some strange reason SI has them ranked 106 out of 119 schools. Odd.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:45 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/08/14/wrestler.medal/index.html
Bronze medals suck!
August 14th, 2008 at 2:45 PM
Does that include any players returning from recruiting/missionary trips to the South Pacific?
August 14th, 2008 at 2:45 PM
I can’t wait till’ we get to day 10 and have MU at #1.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:46 PM
@roeth- Linebacker Ah You, whose father Charles played at BYU and his brother, C.J. plays for the St. Louis Rams, is returning from a church mission. that will help. That is all i know
August 14th, 2008 at 2:48 PM
@cbh
I would have done the same thing if I thought I had gotten fucked over by a judge.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:48 PM
RexKramerDangerSeeker slept with the entire team.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:51 PM
I watched the Utah-BYU game at a bar in Park City last year, and even though Utah lost, they looked like the better team. The game is at Utah this year, so they probably should win.
The interesting early season game for this region is Utah-Michigan. If Utah cannot beat Michigan the entire Mountain West Conference is a fraud, and hopefully none of these teams go to a BCS game.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:52 PM
wilson, If the Mizzou team from this year looks anything like the one that destroyed Arkansas last year in the Cotton Bowl, they are going to be a tough ass team.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:52 PM
BYU vs. Utah will be must see TV…
can’t believe im saying that, but it’ll be some good football.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:53 PM
Ok I don’t buy this one at all. Could they finish #9 in the traditional (aka flawed) rankings? Possibly. Do they start the season at #9, or are they the 9th best team? No.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:54 PM
It would help if TBL explained if this was his preseason or postseason predictions.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:54 PM
@Spencer – in such a game, do all the players’ wives (multiple wives for each player) get primo seats? What about mothers… do only the biological mothers get primo seating, or can all of the non-biological mothers also get good seats?
August 14th, 2008 at 2:55 PM
Well it has to be preseason, which are inherently kind of silly, but they are fun for discussion.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:55 PM
Ark, Tony Temple was a solid RB, but I think we all know that he could never run for 220 yeards again. Ever. We’ll see how the loss of Rucker hurts them. Martin Rucker was a monster in college. The whole package. I seen in the paper today that he just had surgery on his knee and is out for the browns for 4-6 weeks. Sucks for him. He’s going to equate to a very good TE for the Browns.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Mags is still bitter about Robbie Bosco and the 1984 Holiday Bowl that won the Magic Underpants their Nat’l Championship.
@roeth: Just wait until TBL’s volleyball preseason rankings. PSU is stacked this year with all six starters coming back.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:56 PM
amen. where would this team finish in the Big East? probably 5th behind WVU, SF, Rutgers and Louisville. Hell, would they even be able to beat UConn? Doubtful. Boise State ruined it for us all, now there HAS to be a small-conference team in the BCS despite Hawaii literally getting raped.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:57 PM
Next up….
#8 FIU
TBL is clearly going for shock value with these rankings.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:57 PM
OUMike…of course…how else do you think they could fill the stadiums in Utah?
August 14th, 2008 at 3:00 PM
And there shouldn’t be. It is stupid and is for the “feel good” story… really none of those schools should be given the oppurtunity even if they run the table. Hell AUBURN went undefeated one year and wasn’t even given the oppurtunity, why give it to some shit school?
August 14th, 2008 at 3:01 PM
despite Hawaii literally getting raped.
Was that UGA’s last act before he died?
August 14th, 2008 at 3:01 PM
Hell AUBURN went undefeated one year and wasn’t even given the oppurtunity
You are talking about two different things, none of those teams will play for the national title, but that year Auburn played in a BCS bowl, the Sugar Bowl.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:02 PM
Mags…right on. plus, boise doesn’t get the respect it deserves. they have talented players, same as in the WVU mold, who were overlooked and all congregated at one program. a bunch of good JUCO’s and overlooked recruits who were incredibly and creatively well coached. they’re the exception, not the rule.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:02 PM
Polygamy > Marrying your cousin
August 14th, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Wilson, Arkansas never had a chance in that game from the second they stepped on the field, but nonetheless, even if they didn’t have a stand-in coach who didn’t know what he was doing that game, they would have gotten destroyed. Was Temple a senior last year? If so, who do they have to replace him?
August 14th, 2008 at 3:07 PM
@NSR – that is an absolute statement. It really depends on the hotness of your cousin and the hotness of the multiple wives.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:13 PM
No teams from Utah should ever be ranked in the top 10 for one reason and one reason only – that state doesn’t sell real beer. Only that 3.5% alcohol bullshit.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:19 PM
I agree. It is easier to get a gun here than a 12 pack of cold real beer.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:23 PM
I knew there was a reason I have never been to Utah.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Never been there either but I used to work with a dude from SLC and he couldn’t get over the fact that we had 5.5%+ alcohol beer here in Nebraska. I didn’t know any different. Then he told me about the law in Utah. Not cool.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:31 PM
Side note – The movie ‘SLC Punk’ has a little side story on the whole beer thing. Good flick too.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:39 PM
SLC punk is an awesome movie… Heroin Bob!
August 14th, 2008 at 3:40 PM
August – Heroin Bob is the shit!
August 14th, 2008 at 4:05 PM
if you give me the points and BYU, ill take it.