no doubt that this is a blow (and potentially a BIG BLOW) to the program as BYU was seemingly just emerging into a possible regular contender with some of the better programs in the country. It's been years since BYU got this much buzz in pre-season polls, and it seems highly unlikely that those same projections endure after the coach POPE fallout.
That being said, everyone knew that this move for Pope was lurking in the future - and the future is now, unfortunately, as next season was looking pretty promising.