Once people realize that BYU is essentially the equivalent of a team like Fresno St., it's much easier to enjoy close, hard-fought games like the one BYU played last night, even if BYU comes up short. In fact, I was surprised that the game was as close as it was. It was fun to see BYU have a strong 3rd quarter, it was fun to see some of the backup running backs fight for yards, and it was funny to see some of the same problems repeat themselves like clockwork.

Recognizing that BYU has allowed itself to become (or always was?) an upper to mid-level G5 program takes away some of the sting when BYU annually drops games to teams like Utah State, a 1-win Virginia team, San Jose State, etc. Acknowledging that BYU is essentially a minor-league team doesn't leave you surprised when BYU gets blown out by teams like Utah, Washington, and Oregon St. It's always a bummer to watch BYU lose, but there's far less "sting" to the losses because there is no reasonable expectation (inside or outside the program) for BYU to do anything more than win about 8-9 games a year, lose to Utah, and go to a no-name bowl. Wyoming and San Diego St. would be happy to do that every year.

At the beginning of the year, I expected BYU to win about 8-9 games. Even with the injuries, I think BYU might still get 8 wins.