won by the Baltimore Colts in OT over the NY Giants. Over 45 million people watched that game on TV and saw Johnny Unitas throw 349 yards (187 of which went to received Raymond Berry) and engineer a 73-year two-minute drill to tie the game. Mark Bowden (author of Black Hawk Down among others) wrote a book on the game called The Best Game Ever in which he has Andy Reid help him break down game film from that game.

While the jump in popularity of pro football, the AFL began playing in 1960 playing a more open brand of football and sustain its momentum enough to force a subsquent merger and Super Bowl. At that point, it become lights out for college football until the 1980s and ESPN. 

As you mentioned, it didn't help that the dominant powers of college football in the 1970s were so run heavy: Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma were all veer-option or wishbone teams, Alabama transitioned from Namath and Stabler into a wishbone team as will, USC was "Tailback U," and Michigan and Ohio State had their 10-Year War playing smashmouth football.

While it's hard to say that BYU invented passing football, BYU did show that teams could win at the NCAA level through a pass-heavy offense based on sophistocated Bill Walsh West-Coast offense principles.

One thing I should point out is that BYU didn't pioneer the Air Raid offense. That offense was invented by Hal Mumme and Mike Leach based on BYU's passing play concepts but with important modifications to route combinations, personnel groupings, and formations. There's a great article on the relationship between BYU's classic offense and the Air Raid here: http://smartfootball.com/offense/the-air-raid-offense-history-evolution-weirdness-from-mumme-to-leach-to-franklin-to-holgorsen-and-beyond