Who have we really beaten since 2009? Really--where's the quality win on which to hang our hat?

And the Ute thing? It isn't just a coincidence that they're in their best run in history. Part of that was achieved as a result of completely dominating BYU, both on the field and in some very key recruiting battles. Utah didn't entirely rise to prominence during Mendenhall's tenure here--just mostly. The whupping at the hands of the Utes isn't some unrelated trick of fate--it's a key indictment vs. Bronco. Utah has built their program into the more appealing, and successful in-state power, and we've been helpless to curtail that success or keep up.

Bronco's BYU has done a lot of the same things we did in the average Lavell year--we beat the teams vs. whom we have the better talent, which are largely mid-major also rans, P5 bottom feeders or teams on a down year. We lose on rare occasions to teams with inferior talent. We get absolutely embarrassed at least once in most years (more of a Bronco thing than a Lavell thing, if memory serves).

What's new under Bronco is that our rival absolutely kicks our butt and we fail to rise to the level of numerous other mid-majors, past and present, who've elevated their program all the while BYU remains stagnant or regresses. Add in an unprecedented (at least since I can remember) dearth in NFL talent, some particularly unheralded recruiting classes, and a very unimpressive revolving door of assistant coaches, and the word "amazing" seems a farther and farther cry from what the current state of BYU football actually resembles.

Despite the significant challenges that go with the BYU gig--challenges I think I tend to chronicle as often as many--there are still plenty of built-in advantages that enable us to bring in talented players and field competitive teams.

Bronco is neither incompetent nor amazing. I don't see where he delivered results that fit either of those adjectives before BYU, and while he got off to a very impressive start as our head coach, the last several seasons have entailed mediocrity. We still have a chance to break that trend this season, but it's far from a done deal.