BYU Football: Is 2019 the toughest schedule ever?
By Adam Gibby
![SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 24: Mitch Harris #98 of the Brigham Young Cougars and teammates celebrate a fumble recovery against the Utah Utes in the first half of a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images) SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 24: Mitch Harris #98 of the Brigham Young Cougars and teammates celebrate a fumble recovery against the Utah Utes in the first half of a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/707656da7e5fddbbd1c0b2856f01c2e332b75b2d64889c01a9f3b21d722bdc8e.jpg)
Too soon to tell
Boise State and Washington are two teams that could be really good or they could be mediocre depending on how the quarterbacks are able to play. Both teams are also losing a lot of other players. Washington ranks 118th in the nation in returning starters with only 11 returning and Boise State is 88th in the country with only 12 returning starters. With both of these teams losing their quarterback and leading running back plus multiple receivers, they could both struggle to score points on a BYU defense that should be top 40 in the nation.
Southern Florida is a wildcard team. Nobody really knows what to expect from them. I would not be the least bit surprised if they went 11-1 this upcoming season, but at the same time it wouldn’t be a shock to me if they went 4-8. In 2018 the Bulls started the season 8-0 and then finished 0-6. They beat two P5 teams, and then lost to Tulane and Marshall. This is a mystery team led by Charlie Strong that BYU won’t know what to expect until a few weeks out.
These teams sort of remind me of the 2016 Michigan State team that on paper seemed really good going into the season, but after so much player turnover, they had a rebuilding year and really struggled.