We had success in the Bronco era because we were in the MWC...lower competition. I've said this many times but we will never be able to recruit enough top-end players to compete consistently against an Independent or P5 schedule. Very few kids who aren't LDS are going to come to BYU due to the HC restrictions.

Sure, we'll get a few Jamaals but those are few and far between. So we are essentially stuck with LDS kids and there just enough top-end LDS players out there to compete at a high level. Even if we landed ALL of them (never going to happen), injuries, transfers, and suspensions are going to occur. BYU and the HC are just not conducive to elite CFB.

That said, I still hope for the occasional 9-10 win season that may come every 4-5 years and I will still watch ever game, win or lose.

***If you have time and are really bored, you can read my "essay" on this here:
http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=18503504