If you grow up in Utah, that naturally makes you think BYU has significance throughout the US. That simply isn't the case. Anyone old enough to remember 1984, especially if you lived outside of Utah, remembers that MOST football fans and pundits were bewildered by BYU being awarded the championship in 1984. BYU's football legacy is crushing weak schools for a few decades and getting gifted a championship in 1984 because the stars alligned. 

Some people will say, "I live in SEC country and all of my friends know and respect BYU!". You mean your friends from church? You mean that people trying to engage you in conversation will talk to you about your team, just like they would with a Wagner grad?

Hey, my alma mater has no football legacy. Our claim is limited to, well, Lawrence Taylor played for us and we finished 4th once. I have lived this life in DC, VA, NC, Atlanta, UK, Utah, Seattle - when people do mention BYU to me, I know I am the only person with whom they have discussed BYU.