Following a 38-7 loss to TCU on Saturday, all three Utah papers that cover the Brigham Young Cougars offered varying views of the past, present and future of the Cougars program.
After being blown out by TCU for the second consecutive year, the program’s struggles against top teams have been magnified. Despite defeating then-ranked No. 3 Oklahoma to open this year, the Cougars have gone on to lose two games at home by an average of 28.5 points per game against Florida State and TCU. Under Bronco Mendenhall, the Cougars are 2-7 against ranked teams.
Salt Lake Tribune’s Gordon Monson believes that the program has reached its “ceiling” due to the school’s strict Honor Code. He writes that the school can have great seasons but they are not going to reach an elite level that Mendenhall strives for and that the school should temper expectations.
Then there is the thought that the Cougars are the victims of their own success, and that fans should enjoy the winning teams at BYU.
As fans of programs of schools such as Ohio State and Oklahoma can attest, this type of criticism and analysis won’t go away until you win the big one.
