While I don't ever think we should lower what we want to become, I do believe anyone that knows football and BYU football can see the inherent disadvantages with BYU football.

1. The Honor Code - Many non-Mormon (and even many Mormon) players do not want to abide by the honor code. This hurts recruiting and even hurts getting guys that are here playing.
Solution - Not much. Bronco has handled the honor code about well as he can the past year or so. I would obviously like to see the University change a few things with the honor code (I love the honor code, I don't love the self righteous people that have to report others for disobeying the honor code when it has no effect on them whatsoever).

2. Academic Requirement - This is another very real problem. We have lost many players because they couldn't make it at BYU academically. Would we have been better with Star Lotulelei for 4 years? Of course.
Solution - Again not much. Lower requirement? Possible, but when players don't make it academically it doesn't help. Make classes easier? Nope. Cheat like North Carolina? Again no thank you. While other schools face similar or even more difficult academic situations, this is a very real problem for BYU. Notre Dame largely hasn't been Notre Dame for the past 15 years and this has been their biggest complaint.

3. Money/Conference Affiliation - While I do believe BYU has made the very best of their situation, they are not in a P-5 conference (even if they are seen on that level by many) and do not receive the millions of dollars that come from such affiliation. ESPN has helped us make the best of our situation, but again the money disparity is large.
Solution - Get into a P5. BYU is doing everything they can to do this (short of Sunday play, which isn't going to happen). This is part of the problem that there is....

4. Not enough money to attract quality coaches. Bronco is paid well below what he could make on the open market (do you think UCLA was going to offer him more or less money than he currently makes? I would guess his pay would have doubled). Now when you get down to the OC/DC and position coaches we pay MUCH less than everyone else. Do you want to come coach at BYU or make double and go coach at Minnesota? This puts us at a disadvantage and this particular one is one that Lavell didn't have to face (at least not anywhere near this level).
Solution: Get into a P-5 conference and get more money and then actually spend that money. BYU could spend more than they currently do so I am not sure even the additional funds would make a huge difference. Hopefully they would in all sports and guys like Terry Nashif and Nick Howell would need to cut their teeth at a smaller school before entering the staff.

So given all of these disadvantages (there are a couple of advantages as well) who would be able to turn BYU into a national powerhouse? I'm not sure a young Lavell could do it. Harbaugh, Meyer, Saban...??? Well we know those guys aren't coming to Provo. One they aren't endowed members and two they would absolutely laugh at the money.

So who do you get? Who would do better than we are currently doing? (I think the program is headed in the right direction and one loss certainly isn't going to make me believe otherwise no matter how depressing it was). So are we doomed to be stuck where we are at? No, I don't think so. I would like to have seen what we would have been able to do with our Senior QB and RB. We certainly have some hurdles we have to overcome, but I like where we are at from a recruiting and staff standpoint.

I guess the question comes down to this: Given the unique set of circumstances that surround BYU Football, what would you expect from the football team? I think we are in a pretty good place... of course that is an ever changing proposition. If you would have told me the team was going to go 10-3 against the schedule this year I would have been happy before the season started. Now we have lost Taysom and Jamaal so I would have said 9-4 would have been a miracle for Bronco. Why has this changed?