BYU's Record in One-and-Done Games

With this week’s announcement that BYU will play Texas in Austin on Sept 10, 2011, it is worth taking a closer look at BYU’s history with similar games. Since LaVell Edwards took over the program in 1972, BYU has played 25 “one-and-done” games, where there is no follow-up game with the opponent and compiled an incredible 20-5 record. Of those games, 10 have been with schools from current BCS AQ conferences (6-4 record), 7 with other FBS schools (6-1 record), and 8 with FCS schools (8-0). Here is the full list:

Year Team              Level  Site      W/L   Score
2009 Oklahoma         BCS  Neutral  Win   14-13
2009 Tulane               FBS   Road     Win   54-3
2008 Northern Iowa   FCS   Home   Win   41-17
2007 E. Washington   FCS   Home    Win   42-7
2005 Eastern Illinois   FCS  Home    Win   45-10
2001 Tulane               FBS  Home    Win   70-35
2000 Florida State      BCS Neutral   Loss  3-29
1998 Alabama            BCS Road      Loss  31-38
1998 Murray State     FCS  Home    Win   43-9
1996 Texas A&M       BCS  Home    Win   41-37
1996 Arkansas State  FCS  Home    Win   58-9
1994 NE Louisiana     FCS  Home    Win   24-10
1991 Florida State      BCS  Neutral  Loss  44-28
1989 Navy                 FBS  Road     Win   31-10
1985 Boston College   BCS  Neutral  Win   28-14
1984 Tulsa                 FBS  Home    Win   38-15
1983 Bowling Green    FBS  Home    Win   63-28
1982 Georgia             BCS  Road    Loss   14-17
1981 Colorado            BCS  Road    Win   41-20
1980 Wisconsin          BCS  Road    Win   28-3
1979 Texas A&M       BCS  Road    Win   18-17
1979 Weber State      FCS  Home    Win   48-3
1978 UNLV                FBS   Neutral  Win   28-24
1975 Bowling Green   FBS  Home    Loss  21-23
1973 Weber State      FCS  Home    Win   45-14

BCS Opponents
Of the 10 games played against current BCS opponents in the last 38 years, here are a couple of interesting notes…

• Only 1 home game, 4 neutral, and 5 on the road

• 6-4 Record overall

• Wins: 1 win at home (Texas A&M, 1996 Pigskin Classic), 2 wins at “neutral” sites(Oklahoma 2009, Boston College 1985 Kickoff Classic), 3 wins on the road (Colorado 1981, Wisconsin 1980, and Texas A&M 1979)

• Losses: 2 neutral sites (both to Florida State in Pigskin Classics at Jacsonville, FL in 2000 and Anaheim, CA in 1991), 2 road games (Alabama 1998, Georgia 1982)

• The game with Texas will be the first time BYU did a one-and-done with a BCS team at the opponent’s home stadium since playing at Alabama in 1998

• BYU has only played 6 one-and-done’s at the opponent’s home stadium since 1972—Alabama in 1998, Navy in 1989, and then four in a row from 1979-82 (Texas A&M 1979, Wisconsin 1980, Colorado 1981, Georgia 1982)

After the string of one and done road games in the early 80’s, a newly expanded stadium, and some national success, it seems that BYU was able to schedule home and away games with BCS caliber programs without too much difficulty for the next 25 years. It has only been the last 1-2 years that BCS schools are no longer as willing to do so. This could be seen either as the new reality of the BCS—you get what you measure, which is apparently wins, regardless of the opponent—or seen a sign that BYU is no longer respected the way they were for much of the last three decades and its stadium is no longer a sufficient draw/payout for opposing teams. Reality is probably somewhere in between.


FBS (Div I)
• The Cougars have had 7 one time games with other Division I schools, playing 4 of them at home (Tulane 2001, Tulsa 1984, Bowling Green 1983 and 1975), one neutral (UNLV in Japan), and two on the road (Tulane 2009, Navy 1989)

• Aside from the Black Coaches Association Classic with Tulane (and Texas A&M in the Pigskin Classic in 1996 as mentioned above), it has been more than 25 years since BYU was able to bring in an FBS/division I team to play in Provo without a return game.

• BYU has a 6-1 record in these games with FBS teams—the Cougs have not lost a one-and-done game with an FBS team since the 1975 loss to Bowling Green

It is unlikely that any non-AQ FBS teams will show up as one and done games on BYU’s schedule in the near future, as those teams are also feeling pressure to get wins and finding difficulty in filling home games.  The one time visit to Tulane last year is a curiosity, likely transpiring out of a desire to play on ESPN (which a home game would not afford).


FCS (Div I-AA)
• BYU has played 8 FCS teams in one time match-ups, all of them at home, going 8-0 in these games (and avoiding the Michigan-Appalachian State disaster)

• Other than regional rivalry games with Weber State in the early 1970’s, half of these games have been played in the last five years (2008, 2007, 2005, 1998, 1996, 1994), and all of them relatively recently—either a sign of the increasing importance of wins in the BCS system, or a sign of the increasing difficulty of scheduling good opponents.

It is likely that fans will see a continued increase in the number of these games scheduled in future seasons as the team finds it harder and harder to schedule games with comparable programs and needs to fill home slots for revenue generation. Plausibly, there will be no more than one per year, and hopefully (from the fan’s perspective) not in consecutive years.

Best Finishes in BYU Football History

With the season’s final game being played on Thursday and the rankings coming out shortly thereafter, it makes sense to take a look at how BYU has fared in the polls at previous seasons' ends and how this season stacks up against the all-time best.

BYU has finished the season ranked 16 times, this will be the 17th. If the Cougs finish #12 or better as expected, it will be the best finish since 1996 and the fourth best finish of all time. Here is how the 10 best finishes stack up:

Best 10 Finishes in BYU Football History (thru 2008)

Order   Year            Final AP
1         1984 (13-0)     #1
2         1996 (14-1)     #5
3         1983 (11-1)     #7
4         1980 (12-1)     #12
5         1979 (11-1)     #13
(t)        1981 (11-2)    #13
7         2007 (11-2)     #14
8         1985 (11-3)     #16
(t)        2006 (11-2)    #16
10        1994 (10-3)    #18

Other Ranked Finishes
11        1977 (9-2)      #20
12        1989 (10-3)    #22
(t)        1990 (10-3)     #22
14        1991 (8-3-2)   #23
15        2001 (12-2)     #25
(t)        2008 (10-3)     #25

Going into the bowl game against #16 Oregon State, the Cougars were ranked #15 in the AP, which by itself would rank as the eighth best finish of all-time. But with the big win over a ranked opponent, the statement made by several of the other MWC teams (TCU aside), and the losses by teams just above them (Miami #14, LSU #13, Georgia Tech #9, Oregon #7) that should drop several spots, BYU should move up 3-4 spots. Look for them to finish find themselves #11 or #12 when the polls come out. Anything more would be a nice surprise, anything less would be a slight.

25 Years

It has been 25 years since the 1984 football season which saw BYU voted number one in the nation by the AP and UPI voters, bringing the school its only football national championship. This CNNSI article provides a good recap of that season and the controversy that surrounded it at the time. (In honor of the silver anniversary, a 25th anniversary diamond logo will appear on this year’s fan t-shirts and will also be worn on the back of the players’ helmets.) The 1984 season was the culmination of several years of football success by the Cougars, which you could say is what made 1984 possible. In this blog entry, we are going to take a closer look at what transpired in the five seasons prior to 1984 (1979-1983), as well as what the Cougars have accomplished in the 25 years since their accomplishment.


1979-1983 (Five seasons leading up to 1984)
55-9 Record (.859)
5 wins over current BCS teams: Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Washington St, UCLA, Missouri
4 Top 15 final AP rankings (13th, 12th, 13th, 7th)
5 Conference championships
5 Bowl games (3-2)
5 Consensus All-Americans
2 Davey O’Brien Awards
3 Sammy Baugh Trophies
4 Top 5 Heisman finishes (2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 5th)
1 Coach of the Year Award
4 College football Hall of Fame inductees
4 First round draft picks
28 Players drafted (5.6 per year; including NFL ROY, 2x NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, 2x Super Bowl champion quarterbacks)

1984
13-0 Record
3 Wins over current BCS teams: Pitt, Baylor, Michigan
1 Top 15 final AP ranking (1st)
1 Conference championship
1 Bowl game (1-0)
23 Game winning streak at end of season
1 Top 5 Heisman finish (3rd)
1 Sammy Baugh Trophy
1 Davey O’Brien top two finish (2nd)
1 Coach of the Year Award
1 First round draft pick
6 Players drafted (in 1985 draft)
23 Starters were either drafted or signed contracts

Looking at the accomplishments of the 1984 team it is plain to see that it was just a continuation of a string of successes that had been ongoing for five years. It is also clear, based on post-season awards and draft picks, that the BYU teams of the early 1980’s were clearly talented teams. This body of work would say that the 1984 national championship was not a fluke, but the product of well-coached talent stringing together several consecutive years of success on the field. It would likely take another multi-year string of such successes for BYU or any other team outside the current AQ conferences to once again have a chance at a national championship.

Those were definitely glory days for BYU football. In the 24 seasons that have passed since 1984, BYU has had its share of success, but not quite at the elite level like what they were able to do from 1979-1984. Here is what the program has accomplished since 1984:

1985-2008
204-98 Record (.675)
28 Wins over current BCS teams (1.17 per year): Arizona, 2x Arizona St, Boston College, 2x California, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Iowa (tie), Kansas St, Miami, Mississippi St, 2x Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn St, Syracuse, 2x Texas, Texas A&M, 2x UCLA, 3x Washington, Washington St, Virginia
2 Top 15 final AP rankings (5th, 14th)
10 Top 25 final AP rankings
12 Conference championships
18 Bowl games (5-12-1)
1 Heisman Trophy, 3 Top 10 Heisman finishes (3rd, 3rd, 9th)
2 Davey O’Brien Awards, 1 top five finish (3rd)
2 Sammy Baugh Trophies
1 Doak Walker Award
2 Outland Trophies
7 Consensus All-Americans
5 First round draft picks
61 Players drafted (2.5 per year)

Looking over this 24 year body of work and comparing it to the six seasons culminating in a championship, it is not nearly as impressive. Although the Cougars have continued to beat some of the biggest teams in the country and have done so consistently, their overall winning percentage has declined, and (despite several individual honors) based on All-American citations and draft picks (although the draft has changed over the years), it appears that the talent level has dropped off since the early 1980s as well. Most glaringly, the rankings have also dropped off—after five top 15 finishes in six years (79-84), there have only been two in the last 24. During this period, the team would average 8-9 wins, a bowl game (usually a loss), and a ranking every 2-3 years. Above average, but not especially note-worthy and not positioning-for-a-national-championship type performance.

Cougar fans would like to believe that the team has turned a corner once again, however, and is building momentum for a BCS-busting season, or even a national title run again in the coming year or years. If so, then one would expect the team to post 1979-1983 like results for a few years prior to a big breakthrough. And, perhaps it is in the middle of doing just that. Here are the results of the most recent three seasons (2006-2008):

2006-2008
32-7 Record (.821)
5 Wins over BCS teams (1.67 per year): Arizona, Oregon, 2x UCLA, Washington
1 Top 15 final AP ranking (14th)
3 Top 25 final AP rankings (14th, 16th, 25th)
2 Conference championships
3 Bowl games (2-1)
0 Consensus All-Americans
0 First round draft picks
5 Players drafted (1.67 per year)

The rankings, big wins, winning percentage, championships, and bowl games are all very similar to the 1979-84 period. The most obvious difference is the lack of individual honors (awards, consensus All-Americans) and draft picks, a sign of perhaps overachieving with lesser talent. If the program can continue on this trajectory and reload at higher talent levels than have been on the field over the last few years (which appears to be the case looking at those committed, signed last year, on missions, and returning from missions), then BYU might be on track to once again be a challenger in the hunt for the national championship.