The original post said we should all root for BYU b/c of the church. I say it'll be easier when BYU starts embracing values I aspire to. Arrogance and conceit are not part of that. Think what you want, but unless ESPN is lying here the shirts said "quest for perfection".

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3333765
"If the expectations weren't clear already, a fashion statement this spring has reinforced them.
Players are sporting T-shirts that read "Quest for Perfection.""

I get the motto. I can live with that. But the difference between Utah and BYU in 2008 was BYU felt entitled to it and Utah went out and earned it.

Unless you saw a different game, I saw a cocky top 10 BYU team completely ill-prepared and over-confident going into the 2008 TCU game. As if the same predictable game plan that beats UNM and CSU would work against the #1 defense.

BYU is a terrific program. 4 top 25 seasons is amazing given the constraints of the program. BUT it's not elite. It's doesn't rattle the system and it's not all that unique. BSU, TCU and Utah are all ranked this year already. BYU isn't. If that trend continues, how is BYU the best of the non-BCS?

BYU wasn't considered because of Utah not necessarily religion. The two are interehcangeable. Utah was the easier path of two comparable programs offering the same market. I'm not saying Utah's better or more deserving but since Utah had a strong program with fewer strings attached there was no need to look further.

BYU can blame religion but it's just as practical to blame Utah's emergence and the Y's own failure to truly distance themselves from Utah and other non=BCS programs since 2000.

Any objective observer would say BYU would fall behind BSU, Utah and TCU over the last 10 years.

http://blog.philsteele.com/2010/07/02/mwc-team-of-the-decade/

I don't see how taking fourth entitles a program to upward mobility. Nor do I think it's a coincidence the top 2 were the only non-BCS teams to receive an upgrade.