BYU Football: Enjoy the big moments like these

BYU Football’s upset in Madison over No. 6 Wisconsin was just what Cougar Nation needed. These wins don’t come every day, so let’s enjoy the moment.

The 1980 Miracle Bowl.

1984’s National Championship.

Beating No. 1 Miami in 1990.

The Cotton Bowl win in 1996.

Beck to Harline in 2006.

Beating No. 3 Oklahoma in 2009.

Now you can add knocking off No. 6 Wisconsin in Madison to the list of most memorable moments in BYU Football history.

While this win might not be biggest on that list, it may be one of the most important for one reason.

Rejuvenation.

Everyone in Cougar Nation needed a win like this. The coaching staff. The players. The fans.

The program has seemingly stalled in the last decade or so. It’s stalled as an above average team that can’t get over the hump into elite territory. For many BYU fans that hasn’t been enough.

Look at proud programs like Florida State, Florida, USC, Pitt, and Texas. They’re all struggling through downturns in their program.

For the most part BYU has avoided those downturns. The Cougars have had only five losing seasons since 1974. That’s 39 out of 44 years of at least .500 football.

But with winning comes more expectations, and a string of eight-win seasons wasn’t enough for some fans. Not when Utah gets a shiny new toy called the PAC-12.

There are legitimate problems. Seven straight losses to the Utes. Inconsistent quarterback play. The debacle of a season that was 2017. Put all these things together and what do you get?

Apathy.

A fanbase that’s become used to disappointment. Numb to losing games that matter. Resigned to being good but not great.

It was going to take a big moment to restore hope in the program. A statement win. Something like a road win against the No. 6 team in the nation.

These type of moments don’t come around too often. Maybe once every 5-10 years. But for programs like BYU, those big moments have come steadily enough to keep the program nationally relevant and the fanbase optimistic.

Both of those things were in some serious danger after last season. This win was just what the doctor ordered.

BYU is back in the Top 25 for the first time in four years. Everyone’s taking notice. And the program finally looks like it’s headed back in the right direction.

The road won’t be smooth head. The Cougars are still going to lose games. They’ll probably still lose one or two this season that they shouldn’t.

But a win this big is enough to make up for those. It’s enough to give fans something to be fans about.

Things are looking up. For once, let’s not look to the future and start finding all the negatives.

This was a giant moment for BYU Football, and let’s enjoy it.