if you trend out Crowton's last 3 yrs the program was on an upswing and he was winning more each year despite increasingly tougher schedules the likes that no other BYU coach before or after have ever faced. Bronco took all of that experience and budding talent and a significantly easier schedule (2004 schedule was 11th toughest, Bronco's first schedule in 2005 was 65th) and managed to win one more game than Crowton despite all the advantages he inherited.

This wasn't a program in decline, it was a program set to explode and was loaded with young future NFL players who went through the painful process of learning and cut their teeth in a very difficult environment with very difficult schedules. Playing for Bronco they faced very easy schedules and all that hard work under Crowton paid off for them.

Bronco was very fortunate that he wasn't the HC that replaced Lavell.