and I understand why, but the landscape of college football has changed and they got caught flat footed. Complicating the situation is the play on the field has been good by a non P5 team, but doesn't show any signs of being able to compete at a higher level. The rhetoric the past few years is all that really endures at this point because the results don't live up to it.

My thought from the beginning of independence is that they needed to build the program's depth and talent through recruiting and be prepared when an opportunity for P5 inclusion came along. This, with the understanding that P5 inclusion was the goal and independence was never the destination. Instead they waited a couple of years to implement a better recruiting model, better strength training and nutrition, emphasis on building depth at all positions, etc. I guess it ties into the "BYU will do more with less...or believes it can get away with doing less and still compete...or it will not participate in an arms race."

Mix in the performance on the field and it is easy to get frustrated with the state of BYU football.