What was 2018 SOS? According to Sagarin it was 69th.
2017 - 74th
2016 - 75th

That’s below the average for Bronco’s teams during the MWC timeframe.

Below is a link to a summary someone posted elsewhere on SOS during the past 10-11 years.

Independence does present the unique challenge of front-loading the schedule with nearly all the difficult opponents in the first 4-5 weeks of the season. It’s much harder to end the season ranked if you start out 1-3 or even 2-2.

Another factor is playing so many good or very good P5 programs on the road.

Last thing: the schedule during the independence era has a much higher standard deviation than during MWC years. In other words, Indy schedules range from Michigan and LSU (on the road) to Wagner and McNeese State (home). There is much more variability in independence than there was in the MWC. Much weaker teams at the bottom, much stronger at the top end.

Comparing MWC average SOS to that of independence does not show significant difference. What’s different is the number of higher ranked opponents now.

BYU’s record against P5 bowl-qualifying teams is abysmal. There are more of these now than we saw in the MWC - but that’s the price paid for getting BYU football in front of more people.

I wish there was a way to spread out the tough games throughout the season, but that’s another harsh reality of being independent.

If BYU wants to be included in the P5 world of college football, dumbing down the schedule will only hurt. I like the idea of testing the program with the likes of Wisconsin, LSU, Michigan once or twice a year. Sitake himself has said doing that shows where they need to improve (which is basically everywhere). It’s a valuable way to gauge the team against the nation’s top programs.

My feeling is that there was significant improvement last year, and I’m optimistic there will be more in 2019. If Sitake and his staff can keep the improvement going, there is a much better chance for a NY bowl or maybe even the CFP if/when it expands to 8 teams.

I just don’t see getting there if the schedule is even weaker than it is now.