except for 1984 and maybe 1996.

I'm not saying that being a BYU fan isn't frustrating, but I think the recent losses to Utah and success Boise State has had at not losing the dumb games while winning some big ones is making people have inaccurate memories and expectations for BYU to do consistently something it never really did before. Also, the conference stuff is freaking people out.

BYU's magic years in the past happened when the right pieces came together. That really hasn't happened for BYU under Bronco except for maybe Beck's Sr. year. It only really happened for Lavell a couple of times. Imagine the 2012 defense with the 2009 offense.

BYU elevated to another level under Lavell and then dipped towards the end of his career and under Crowton. I think they're basically back up to the same point under Bronco as they ever were under Lavell. They have recruiting limitations that make depth and timing of talent very important, and they still tend to lay frustrating eggs. This is how it has been for almost 40 years.

Hopefully they can ratchet things up yet another level under Bronco, or whoever else may take the helm. I think P-5 inclusion is important, but it wouldn't be fun for me if BYU isn't a front runner in any conference they may join. They simply need to get better. Another level better. It will be interesting to see how everything washes out.

Some stupid losses:

1979: Indiana (only loss)
1980: New Mexico (only loss)
1983: Baylor (only loss)
1985: UCLA, UTEP
1986-1988: a bunch of dumb losses in there
1990: Oregon, Hawaii
1992-95: a bunch of dumb losses in there
1997-2000: a bunch of dumb losses in there
2001: Hawaii
2002-2004: ouch
2005-2014: pretty similar to previous non-Crowton years.