BYU Sports: Is BYU’s success an anomaly or the future?
By Adam Gibby
BYU Sports are ranked men’s basketball, cross country and football as well as women’s soccer, cross country, volleyball and soon to be basketball.
BYU Football is ranked No. 13 in the nation with an outside shot at a New Year Six Bowl. BYU Men’s Basketball is ranked No. 18 and may not lose a game until we are in 2022. BYU Women’s Basketball is undefeated and is coming off a ranked win against Florida State. Men’s and Women’s Cross Country finished 2nd and 7th respectfully at Nationals last week with Whittni Wayment and Conner Mantz winning the individual titles. Women’s Soccer is playing the Final Four at home on Saturday and No. 4 Women’s Volleyball just won the WCC again and is looking to be in a good spot for a run in the NCAA Tournament.
In other words, things are going really well for Cougar Nation.
While there have certainly been other great stretches for BYU Sports, it seems that over the past three years, every program has gotten progressively better. And it’s not like this is a senior heavy class.
Most of these teams aren’t full of a bunch of seniors. Football only has three (although more may leave), basketball is being led by a bunch of underclassmen, and women’s volleyball, soccer, and basketball all have a nice balance of leadership from seniors and underclassmen.
Because of this, instead of this being the golden age of BYU Sports, perhaps it’s the new standard. With BYU headed to the Big 12 and national rankings also having a natural bump up in recruiting from such high rankings, it is reasonable to believe that BYU could continue this path of success.
Of course I’m not saying that BYU Football and Basketball will be ranked every single season, but for the most part, this may become the norm.
If BYU were staying in the WCC, I’d say enjoy this while it lasts. Since the Cougars are headed to the Big 12 soon, along with the better exposure, money and prestige, it may be time to say, sit back and enjoy the ride!