BYU finished the season ranked 25th in the USA Today/Coaches poll, and just out of the rankings at 26th in the AP poll. As predicted they needed one more of the teams just ahead of them to lose in the AP to sneak in and it didn't happen.
In fact, BYU could blame, or thank, USC for the final reckoning. The Trojans finished ranked 6th in the AP poll, nudging BYU down one spot and out of the rankings, but were ineligible for the coaches poll, therefore letting the Cougars sneak in.
All in all, it was a fitting way to end the season, as it was symbolic of the season itself. Good but not always good enough. And, despite its 10-3 record, hadn't really proved itself worthy of a ranking, having beaten the teams that it should have, and lost when given an opportunity to play themselves in. Once could argue both sides, and fittingly the rankings also rewarded them with a finish on both sides of the cutoff.
I think BYU was able to squeeze in the rankings because of the ESPN coverage it received. If we had the same record in the MWC we would not be ranked due to the limited exposure we would have had. I think we were very fortunate in that respect.
ReplyDeletePart of what held us back was the lack of quality teams we played. Had there been a 16-team non-BCS playoff we probably would have had a couple more quality wins on our resume. There are many other good reasons to have a non-BCS playoff such as money and exposure, but having more quality opponents would be a huge draw.