The BYU Cougars just shut the lid on a 10-2 regular season in their second season of Big 12 competition. That's the most wins the Cougars have enjoyed since the Covid-tampered 11-1 campaign in 2020, but double digits in the victory column is a major milestone as a power conference member.
Teams in this position rarely sharpen the guillotine when the wins keep coming. BYU may be putting their offensive coordinator on the chopping block regardless.
In Aaron Roderick's career with the Cougars, he's sent two quarterbacks to the NFL Draft, operated some of the most high-powered offenses in college football, and adapted his production to a higher level of competition in the Big 12 Conference. His body of work is impressive, and shouldn't go unappreciated.
Even after a brutal 2023 campaign that saw Jake Retzlaff become one of the most harshly ridiculed quarterbacks in a power conference, A-Rod was able to rally his team and bounce back into an offense that highlights his quarterback's strengths while simultaneously minimizing his shortcomings.
There was a point in the year when Retzlaff's name was thrown in Heisman conversations--if only briefly--as he became the face of BYU football across national media outlets. Much credit has to be directed to the Cougars' OC.
So why, after all the wins, a psuedo "QBU" revival, and the successful reclamation of Jake Retzlaff, are many calling for the job of the meritorious party?
When BYU's first offensive series in their season finale with Houston ended with a humiliating fumble on a trick play, I turned to my friend in a fit of disbelief, pleading, "They were moving the ball so well, why think too hard and try a trick play when it really isn't necessary?"
His response was pointed and certain: "That's the A-Rod experience."
BYU's offense has a proclivity for attempting trick plays. At times, they work to perfection, like the double pass against Arizona this season. But when they fall short, it only drives criticism and frustration from those hoping to see a successful offense continue to march down the field.
Offensive predictability, of course, often plays into the defense's hands. The occasional trick play or bold play call can spark a scoring flamethrower, but too much of anything can become a significant weakness, and the Cougars' offense went from unstoppable in the early season to dreadfully predictable and containable in the latter half, starting with BYU's narrow victory against Utah.
Both of BYU's losses to Arizona State and Kansas were only one successful offensive drive away, with miscues stunting the Cougs in their first loss to the Jayhawks, and a totally stagnant effort in the first half against Sparky leading to yet another inescapable comeback effort.
It's too early to say what the right action could be. Roderick is a seasoned coach at the collegiate level, and I'm a keyboard warrior criticizing his decision-making capability. Clearly, I'm not the right one to ask about a situation of this magnitude.
The Cougars will still battle in a bowl game this year--and a high-profile one at that. I won't be crying over a ranked matchup in the postseason, and it's possible that A-Rod continues to build an even stronger offense next season.
With the regular season now a memory, rumors will fly about how Kalani Sitake can develop his football program in Provo. Does a shakeup at the top spark a new era of offensive prowess, or could the Cougars be making a huge mistake by shopping for a new head their attack?
Would a coaching change be tinkering too much with a good thing, or are the cracks in the foundation simply too significant to ignore?
Big moves could be coming this offseason.