Not sure what rock you were under prior to 2003 that it was the first time you had heard of BYU. Having lived most of my life outside of Utah (CA, NM, TX, NH, MA and FL), I have found that the vast majority of people that have any knowledge of the college football are not only aware of BYU, they are fairly highly aware of it. The casual fan can almost always name Steve Young, Ty Detmer and Jim McMahon. They probably can't name Tanner Magnum, but how many starting QB in the NCAA can you name today outside of your team?

No one is claiming (nor ever has) that BYU has the same position in college football as Notre Dame, Michigan or USC. However, to state that BYU has no national presence is simply absurd. Once again----you are from Ohio (or at least appear to be from your board name). Regardless of how you came into contact with BYU, you are someone from outside of Utah that is now a fan of the Cougs. That is the definition of "national presence".