Reading that article, and remembering the season, it's likely the 1984 Cougars aren't the best BYU team of all times, and weren't the best team that year. However, the key part is that nobody else was willing to play in the Holiday Bowl against them, although the bowl game tried. Washington could have done so, and if they'd beaten BYU, instead of Oklahoma, they'd be the national champions now.

I'm not sure I agree with this part, though:

Now because of all the changes in college football, it’s hard to imagine a program like BYU ever getting a fair shot at another National Championship.

If BYU were undefeated at this point next year, given their schedule, they'll have beaten Utah, Minnesota, Michigan State, Missouri, and Boise, and you can guarantee they'll be in the conversation.