Hagy.....I agree in part with what you're saying, but as far as recruiting, BYU has already been losing quality LDS recruits to the BCS schools, like USC, CAL and Oregon. (i.e. H. Ngati, Ben Olsen, etc.) These kids have been choosing these schools for much of the same reason that kids from Texas back in the 80's and 90's (and still do today , but not as frequently) went out of state. To play in a power conference with the potential to win a natl. champsionship every year. Quite frankly, to want BYU to remain as "a big fish in a little pond" is cowardly. There are good recruits out there, LDS or not, who would go to BYU if BYU was a natl. title contender year in and year out, and played teams besides New Mexico, UNLV , Wyoming, and San Diego st every year, just to name a few.
My beef with BYU fans , even though I am a BYU alum, as a whole has always been that they complain about no respect from the rest of the country when frankly BYU hasn't done anything to earn it. Yes they have been consistently winning those games but against who?
For instance, Gary Crowton's first year at BYU. He had Doman at QB and Staley at RB. BYU comes in with a new offense and, off the top my head, they win what ,their 1st 10 - 11 games? That looks great on paper but the problem is that those wins were not against quality opponents, nor were the wins impressive. (Just because a team is in a BCS conference doesn't make it a qaulity opponent.) They would squeak by teams the weaker MWC teams and then everyone in the BYU nation would claim that BYU deserves a shot at the title. Please.......They then lost their las two to non-conference opponents, the last one being to Louisville, who at the time was an up and coming non-BCS team. This seems to be BYU's argument every year, and yes it gets old.
I had to choose, I would choose a 10-2 LSU team who plays in the SEC, or an 11-1 TEXAS team, etc to play in the natl title game vs an undefeated BYU team who barely gets by weaker MWC opponents anyday. Remember, there are many who point to BYU's '84 natl. title as the reason for why we have the BCS today. A natl. title was decided by a 3 point win vs. a 6-6 Michigan team. Please........
If there is one mid-major non BCS team that had a legitmate argument, it would have to have been 04' Utah, Myer's last year. That team not only won every game but did so in convincing fashion. BYU has yet to do that. To hear Cougarblue's arguments is like watching an old re-run over and over, the plot like the argument is always the same and it never changes. I do like Bronco Mendenhall, and what he's done with the program: (1) by reintroducing the old uni's, and (2) dtfczxfdf$#r b BYU plays with that old BYU swagger which has been fun to watch. But until BYU either (1) runs the table with not only wins ,but flat out dominant wins, or (2) joins an elite confenrence where they play quality opponents week in and week out, then BYU's argument will always be the same, annoying as hell and weak.
