This was one of the ways that he kept his team focused throughout the year. There were many years (pretty much all but 1984) in which there was a key loss (or losses) early on yet the focus on the comf champ have them something to play for. Yet many on CB question the value of a wac/mwc championship. But it is undeniable that there is some extra motivation when going up against a regional rival. The 52-52 tie against SDSU in 1991 with the Detmer heroic comeback is a perfect example. The conf title was on the line, stakes were high, and it gave extra meaning to that game.

The worst part about Indy is that it sets up the team/players/program up to fail by establishing an "all or none" scenario. The unrealistic expectation of "zero or one loss" while playing schedules loaded with tough teams on the road is totally unreasonable. Very few teams in the country accomplish this. But with that one loss, players and fans feel let down and team/fanbase morale crashes. Then inevitably, we play a bunch of lower eschelon teams, win a few games, end up at 8-5, which is just enough for the hype machine (BYUSN, etc) to get rolling in the offseason and talk of undefeated seasons is happening in July-Aug again. Then losses in sept happen and the vicious cycle starts over. It's painful to watch.

We need a conference ASAP. If not conference is available, then it's time to figure out how to change expectations and set more reasonable goals somehow. This cycle of dashed hopes and dreams every year has got to go.