BYU is unique in positive ways. It also does more to stymie its own success than any other program I’ve encountered. I don’t know who to even compare us to. Notre Dame apparently draws a firm line in the sand with academics in some regards. That’s my best guess.

While Boise isn’t very popular around here, they are an underdog story that’s much easier to root for. They are in a small, isolated market where football doesn’t have nearly the religious attachment it does in other parts of the country, but they’ve beaten the odds consistently to build a quality program. They don’t put the parking break on their own prospects for success; they aren’t heaping additional rules on themselves, they fund their program as best they can, they have a tradition of quality coaches and fundmental play, and they’re trying to win.