The Mid-Season Report Cards are a subjective look using objective numbers with a look toward the remainder of the season as well. Teams are being reviewed in random order once they reach 6 games.
BYU has faced Oklahoma, Florida State, and four non-BCS teams…and none of it matters. Well, it does, but the second half of the season is going to be crucial for the Cougars. If they go 6-0, they may still have a shot at making a BCS game. The league title is still up for grabs as well. But this is about the first six games, not the last six.
- Wins: A-. The Oklahoma upset was amazing, but what on earth happened with that FSU game? The Seminoles have shown to have little to no defense, but something just went wrong that day. Beating MWC competition in Colorado State at UNLV is a good sign for the rest of the year, and an in-state win over Utah State is never a bad thing.
- Offense: A. The Cougars have the 13th ranked Total Offense and 8th ranked Scoring Offense in America, both leading the MWC, and putting up 38.67 points per game. Of course, the MWC’s two best defenses are coming up on the schedule…
- Defense: B. The BYU Defense ranks 50th nationally, but only 5th in the league. They may not face an offense quite like FSU in their conference games coming up, but they will have to continue to improve if BYU is going to survive Utah & TCU.
- Special Teams: B-. A 10th ranked punt unit keeps them from a C, because the return game is not as good- 7.22 yards per punt return means that opportunities to set up the powerful offense could be being missed.
- Turnovers: D. -3 on the season, and turnovers played a big part in the loss to FSU. Cut those turnovers down sooner, and BYU could be 6-0 right now and probably in the top 5.
- Grading Curve: Bonus Points. The upset of Oklahoma, even without Sam Bradford in the second half, is worth some extra credit. Most observers would have expected 5-1 or even 4-2, just with a different mix of wins and losses than we’ve actually had.
- Final Grade: A. 5 wins, a place in the top 20, and still an outside shot at a BCS bowl means that your first half has been a success.
Remaining Games:
- at San Diego State
- TCU
- at Wyoming
- at New Mexico
- Air Force
- Utah
Best Case Scenario: 6-0 through the second half, Boise State loses a game, BYU ascends to the top 12 after beating TCU & Utah and plays in the Fiesta Bowl.
Worst Case Scenario: 3-3. They lose to their big rivals, and get tripped up by Wyoming or Air Force, both trap games before/after big matchups.
Prediction: Probably 5-1 and second in the league, but I predict we’ll know a whole lot more on October 24. By then, Boise will be done with Tulsa (that’s tomorrow night), their biggest remaining obstacle, and the BYU-TCU game will determine if BYU stays alive for that BCS spot. Right now, I don’t think Boise is going to lose, and I don’t think that a MWC team will get a second BCS bid over a second place BCS conference team in an at-large capacity.