Many BYU fans are petulant children. We are at 9-3 in a season where we have had to play with a depleted defense and running back corps, the loss of a Heisman-quality quarterback, having to start a 2nd string, freshman quarterback fresh off of his mission (who really could have used a strong, consistent RB corps), etc.

How in the world can there be so much ignorant negativity given the challenges and the successes of BYU this season? How can such a fantastic win (yes, a blowout win over USU, given the behavior of much of their fan base, IS a fantastic win) be overshadowed by so much negativity on CB. I almost feel like many people wanted BYU to lose just so that they could vent their rage at Bronco even more. The win denied them that "pleasure."

I really have a hard time understanding the animosity that many of you have toward Bronco. It isn't being realistic or objective to slam on Bronco, Anae, or any of the other coaches this season. What they have done given the circumstances is remarkable. Can you blame losses on them? Sure, but you can also do that for any player or coach on ANY team. Losses happen. BYU vs. UTEP in 1985 happened. A Ty Detmer-led team getting waxed by Hawaii happened. I have been around long enough to see those. I still can't accept that some of them happened. It hurts. In some cases, I still get angry just thinking about it (Washington in 1996 for example).

From my perspective, many BYU fans are now beyond taking things for granted. They have forgotten how bad things could really be. They are at the point of killing the goose that is laying the golden eggs – all because they have unrealistic expectations of coaches and players.

A large number of fans could not wait for Roger French to retire. Now they praise and remember him fondly. Many fans were counting down the days when Lavell would retire. In fact, in the last couple years of his coaching career, Lavell stopped doing his coaches show because of the rude fans that would call in – thank goodness he didn’t have to suffer through the modern internet fan boards. Fans in his last years wanted someone new that could come in and "take BYU to the next level." That's when Crowton happened. Those were dark, dark days for BYU. Anyone who experienced them should be very, very careful hoping for a new coach to "take BYU to the next level."

Crowton was THE coach that met the qualifications of the type of coach that many of you now wish Bronco was. He was a good guy. He was LDS. He came with an impressive coaching resume (both NCAA and the NFL). He recruited in the traditional power school way and he coached in the traditional power school way. Yet, his career at BYU is a very clear lesson of why such methods will NOT work at BYU. It takes a very unique individual to lead BYU to success. A good coaching resume says NOTHING about how well a coach will do at BYU.

Lavell was that type of coach, AND so is Bronco. IMO, any fan who defends Lavell and attacks Bronco is the equivalent of the Pharisees who praised past prophets only to stone current ones.

As hard as this may be to believe, BYU is currently in a golden-age of football (actually, it is in a golden age of sports in general). Under Bronco Mendenhall, BYU is one of the winningest teams in the last ten years – Top 20 actually (link: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/best-college-football-teams-past-10-years-best-record-boise-state-ohio-state-most-wins).

This is while playing harder schedules, both because the last years of the MWC had better teams than the old WAC did and now as an Independent. The current difficulty isn’t just based on SOS, but is also based on the distance traveled, and the unfamiliarity of playing new teams – it is like playing a bowl game EVERY week.

Those of us (the vast majority, by the way) that support Bronco are not blind. We are not so enamored to not be frustrated when we see silly or even stupid mistakes. I think that the difference is that many of us have clear memories of what it really WAS like during many of the Lavell years (which takes NOTHING from the greatness of Lavell) and have the Crowton years branded into our football souls. My criticism of the current coaches and players is greatly tempered by decades of watching BYU football under one of the greatest coaches to ever coach the game as well as another one who had ALL of the measurables that fans wanted.

BYU may not be competing for a national championship (yet), or playing in NY6 bowls (yet), but the fact is that ALL of the football cards are stacked against BYU right now, which is NOT BYU’s fault. Yet, despite this, BYU is STILL having success with winning seasons every year, having players find success in the NFL, actually winning bowl games (Bronco is 6-4), playing on some of the biggest stages against some of the most storied teams, etc. All of this is happening while the team is also fulfilling the greater mission of BYU and the LDS Church with firesides, Thursday’s Heroes, etc.

If it is the firesides and the scripture quotes that are bothering you, then I think you need to rethink what kind of institution BYU is and what it actually represents. Football at BYU cannot EVER be separated from the mission of its sponsoring institution. It is that mission that makes BYU the brand that it is – that fills opposing team venues and brings the eyeballs that ESPN wants.

I will say it again: what Bronco and the other coaches are managing to do (both on and off the field) is REMARKABLE given the circumstances of this season and every season.

Obligatory disclaimers:

1. No, I am not settling for mediocrity and I don’t think that coaches should be free from criticism.
2. Losing to Utah and USU stinks. There is no getting around that. Losing to USU is, however, an anomaly.
3. Losing to Utah on the other hand is different because Utah now fields quality teams. All of the BYU coaches (NOT just Bronco) need to improve their coaching against Utah. That, I believe, is what is really driving much of the animosity towards Bronco and Anae. That I can accept, but I still think it would be a HUGE mistake for the overall football program at BYU if Bronco were fired because of those losses.