BYU Football 2014 Opponent Tracker: Week 6

A one-stop article so you can check in and see how BYU 2014 opponents fared in last week’s action. Keep up-to-date to see exactly how strong BYU football’s 2014 strength of schedule is. 

UConn (1-4) – BYE 

UConn’s lone win came in a struggle against FCS squad Stony Brook. The Bob Diaco rebuild project in Storrs is going to take a long time.

Texas (2-3) – 7-28 loss vs. Baylor

The Longhorns were competitive in this game with the high scoring Baylor Bears. The Longhorn defense shut out Baylor’s offense in the first offense, which was eye opening.   Offensively, the Horns are still a long way to go. Horns will battle to get bowl eligible the rest of the way. Not going to be easy with how bad the offense is. Next up is the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Shootout in Dallas.

Houston (2-3) – 12-17 loss vs. UCF

What a wild finish this past Thursday in Clutch City. Houston loses the football at the end of the game in a play that would have resulted in a touchdown, and a UH win. It was a big loss for UH who was looking to rise in the American Athletic Conference pecking order.

Virginia (4-2) – 24-19 win vs. Pitt

Don’t look now but the Hoos are atop the ACC Coastal division with undefeated Georgia Tech. UVA has already played five home games this season. Four of the Hoos remaining six games are on the road, but the schedule is manageable. At Duke next week will be a great test after a bye, and then November 1^st could determine the Coastal crown with the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.

Utah State (3-2) – 35-20 win @ BYU 

You know what happened. Here’s a somber thought, USU gave up 20 points to Idaho State. Yes, the whipping boy for BYU that always takes a fat payday to play on senior days. First win for the Aggies in Provo since 1978. With how bad the Mountain West Conference is this year, the Aggies could make a run for the MWC Championship Game again.

UCF (2-2) – 17-12 win @ Houston 

The Knights have had an interesting season so far. They’ve only played one home game, and we are in October. They battled with Penn State in Ireland, but ultimately came up short, and then were run off the field in the second half against Missouri.

The win over Houston was a big one for UCF. This Thursday’s game with BYU is expected to be a blackout where the Knights don their black uniforms.

Nevada (3-2) – 46-51 loss vs. Boise State

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Nevada fell in a heartbreaker at home against Boise State on Saturday night. But one thing we’ve learned about the Wolfpack to this point of the season, this team is much better than we thought.

Boise State (4-2) – 51-46 win vs. Nevada

The Broncos bounced back after that devastating loss against Air Force in Colorado Springs. The Bryan Harsin era isn’t off to the fast start many in Bronco Nation envisioned when he stepped in for Chris Petersen, but this team is still tough to beat on the blue turf. BYU will have their hands full when they meet later this month.

Middle Tennessee State (4-2) – 37-31 win vs. Southern Miss

The Blue Raiders have quietly pieced together a nice season so far. The Raiders only two losses these years are against Minnesota and Memphis, who is one of the most improved teams in college football. The Blue Raiders should go bowling again this season, and will compete for a Conference USA crown.

UNLV (1-5) – 10-33 loss at San Jose State

The Rebels went to a bowl game last season and extended the contract of head coach Bobby Hauck, but the Rebels are now back to their familiar place as bottom feeder in the Mountain West Conference. This team is terrible.

Savannah State (0-5) – 7-14 loss vs. Norfolk State

Breaking news: the Tigers were within a touchdown of their opponent. It’s newsworthy when Savannah State doesn’t cough up 70 points. I know folks were upset about the recent home-and-home announcement with UMass, but let me ask you this, would you rather sit through a senior day in November with BYU taking on Savannah State or UMass, who is an FBS team?

California (4-1) – 60-59 win @ Washington State

One fourth quarter choke job against a team that is now in the AP top 10 is preventing the Golden Bears from being an undefeated team, and probably in the top 25. Cal’s offense in year two of Sonny Dyke’s system is flourishing. The Bears were in a classic late-night west coast game this past Saturday against Washington State on the Palouse. The Bears coughed up 734 passing yards to Wazzu’s Connor Halliday, but they still came away victorious.

Looking at the remaining schedule for BYU, the toughest game after this week’s tilt with UCF is definitely Cal.

Overall opponent’s record year to date: 30-33