BYU missed out on Big 12 title game, but still produced a most unexpected story

BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts runs after a long catch against the Houston Cougars in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

BYU beat Houston 30-18 in a freezing cold, sloppy mistake-fest late Saturday night that featured seven fumbles.

It was the final regular-season game in a unique and unpredictable campaign. After starting the season 9-0, the victory broke a two-game losing skid for BYU.

Some will mourn what could have been for BYU. They’ll lament how close the Cougars came to a berth in the Big 12 championship game, a top-10 ranking, and perhaps a spot in the College Football Playoff. It’s easy to point to a handful of plays — those soul-crushing moments against Kansas and Arizona State — as the culprits to a season that might have been.

But let’s take a step back and appreciate the big picture: a 10-2 season, a share of the Big 12 regular-season title alongside Iowa State, Colorado and Arizona State, and an undeniable claim to join ASU as the surprise program of the year in the league. And that’s with a fraction of the resources those other programs are working with.

Now let’s be clear: 10 wins is a crowning achievement for this program. It’s light years ahead of where BYU was picked to finish when the preseason polls came out back in July. The Cougars were picked to finish in the conference — about as far back as you could go — and most “experts” figured they’d win four or five games at best. But Kalani Sitake, his staff, and the players had other ideas. ideas.ideas.deas.eas.as.s.eas.deas.eas.s.s..se that, dollar for dollar, BYU got the most out of every penny spent.

In fact, if BYU were an investment, it would be the stock of the year. A penny-ante operation producing one of the best returns in college football. It’s no small feat to squeeze out 10 wins…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/byu-missed-big-12-title-075816637.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-12-01 07:58:00

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