When Utah scored their famous 57-28 victory over BYU in 1988, Provo Daily Herald columnist penned an article stating it was a changing of the times in Provo. He said it was a signal of the end of BYU dominance in the WAC. They would still be good, but not just dominant.
The same kind of reality is falling into Boise this season. This weekend, Boise State dropped the first game to a team from the State of Utah since they were members of the Big Sky Conference and lost at Weber State in 1993. Boise State has been very successful in football since it's inception in 1968. The Broncos, at both the I-AA and I-A levels, have only suffered 5 losing seasons. There are not many teams in the country that have experienced that kind of success. Since 1968, BYU has endured 9 loosing campaigns. However, teams with the kind of success that the Broncos have had are a rarity.
The most successful college football team in history, the Michigan Wolverines, average 9 wins per season. Nobody wins 10 games per year every year. It just doesn't happen to anyone. No matter what happens in Boise the remainder of the season, it's simply not time to panic. I can foresee at least 3 more wins at BSU this season. If you run the kind of program where 8 wins is a bad season, you should be pretty darn happy with that. Being happy with that reality is a sign of humility.
Players of the Week
BYU 37 Boise State 20
BYU POW: QB Taysom Hill
399 Yards and 3 TDs passing, 69 Yards and 1 TD Rushing
USC 19 Utah 3
Utah POW: The Defensive Line
Held USC to 30 Net Yards Rushing with a long of only 13 yards
Southern Utah 19 Idaho State 9
SUU POW: QB Mike Sharp
178 Yards Passing 157 Yards Rushing with 1 Touchdown
By Conference
PAC-12
Washington RB Bishop Sankey
241 Yards Rushing and 2 Touchdowns
FBS Independents
BYU QB Taysom Hill
MWC
Wyoming RB Shaun Wick
234 Yards Rushing in the loss to San Jose State
Big Sky Conference
Eastern Washington QB Vernon Adams
Tossed 6 Touchdown Passes vs. Montana
Games of the Week
PAC-12
Stanford 20 Oregon State 12
FBS Independents
Navy 24 Pittsburgh 21
MWC
Fresno State 35 San Diego State 28
Big Sky
Northern Arizona 17 Cal Poly 13
Power Rankings
PAC-12
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. Arizona State
4. UCLA
5. Washington
6. Oregon State
7. USC
8. Arizona
9. Utah
10. Washington State
11. Colorado
12. California
FBS Independent
1. Notre Dame
2. BYU
3. Navy
4. Old Dominion
5. Army
6. Idaho
7. New Mexico State
MWC
1. Fresno State
2. Utah State
3. Boise State
4. San Diego State
5. San Jose State
6. UNLV
7. Wyoming
8. Nevada
9. Colorado State
10. New Mexico
11. Air Force
12. Hawaii
Big Sky
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana State
3. Montana
4. Northern Arizona
5. Southern Utah
6. Cal Poly
7. Sacramento State
8. Portland State
9. North Dakota
10. UC Davis
11. Idaho State
12. Northern Colorado
13. Weber State
Projections
BYU
Current Record: 6-2
Projected Wins: Idaho State, Nevada, USC (Fight Hunger Bowl)
Borderline: Notre Dame
Projected Loss: Wisconsin
Projected Finish 9-4 at worst, 10-3 at best
Utah
Current Record: 4-4
Projected Wins: Colorado
Borderline: Washington State
Projected Losses: Arizona State, Oregon
Projected Finish: 5-7 at worst, 6-6 at best
Utah State
Current Record: 4-4
Projected Wins: Hawaii, UNLV, Colorado State, Wyoming, Navy (Armed Forces Bowl)
Projected Finish: 9-4
Southern Utah
Current Record: 6-3
Projected Win: Weber State
Borderline: Northern Arizona
Projected Loss: Montana State
Projected Finish: 7-5 at worst 8-4 at best
Weber State
Current Record: 1-8
Borderline: Idaho State
Projected Losses: Portland State, Southern Utah, Montana
Projected Finish: 1-11 at worst, 2-10 at best
Note about quarterbacks:
BYU is the only school in Utah with a quarterback who has remained healthy all season.
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