BYU Football: 9 Reasons the Cougars Go Undefeated This Season

Oh, is this ever fun.

The summer grass is still green and lush. The first leaf is still 30 days from falling. And every decent football program in America is contemplating the reasons they could skate through the season unbeaten.

Well, we're no different in Happy Valley, Utah. And to prove it, I'm dishing out the nine reasons the BYU Cougars will go undefeated in their first independent campaign.

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1. The Schedule Is Manageable

The Cougars have some names on the schedule, no doubt. Texas, Ole Miss, Oregon State and TCU all bring strong reputations and national respect. Utah, Central Florida and Hawaii are all programs with solid footing and come off very good years.

But that said, this schedule is surprisingly manageable. Ole Miss, Texas and Oregon State are coming off down years. TCU is rebuilding. Utah and Central Florida are in Provo. Hawaii is beatable.

Throw in the other five patsies on the schedule and BYU has a slate it can run through unscathed.

2. The Schedule Will Build Compounding Confidence

While the schedule is manageable, it will also leave the Cougs gaining tremendous confidence each week.

In 2001, BYU was rolling through its schedule by 30-plus points a week. But there was always a nagging feeling that these wins were coming against poor competition.

This year, any game on the schedule can be a W, and a win over each good opponent would lead to tons of confidence.

So this year the Cougars can avoid a Honolulu meltdown like 2001.

3. Jake Heaps Will Have a Breakout Year

We saw how good Jake Heaps can be in glimpses last year.

But this year he has something he didn’t have last: supreme confidence.

As a freshman last year, splitting time with Riley Nelson left plenty of room for doubt in Heaps’ mind and he certainly wasn’t getting the good vibes from Robert Anae.

But 2011 is a whole different season, and Heaps comes in with the unfettered confidence of new OC Brandon Doman. And the swagger and cockiness in himself is what every good QB needs to move from good to great.  

Could that greatness could be enough to deliver a perfect record in 2011?

4. The Wideouts Are Better Than Ever

6’3". 6’4". 5’11". That’s the size BYU's top three receivers bring to Provo this season. OK, so McKay Jacobson’s 5’11" frame isn’t impressive on paper, but his speed is a perfect complement to the size and athleticism Ross Apo and Cody Hoffman bring to the outside.

Add in Jake Heaps and the backs and you’ve got an offensive passing game which will make the Cougs capable of beating anyone.

5. Josh Quezada Is a Beast

How good is Josh Quezada? I don’t think we know how great he may become this year.

Remember 2009 when Harvey Unga ran for over 1,100 years and over five yards per carry?

That’s what Josh Quezada can do this year. And with JJ Di Luigi keeping the pressure off and absorbing some of the abuse, this backfield will allow the Cougars to grind opponents down in the second half to seal victories—something they haven’t seen since, well, 2009.

6. Discipline Is Better Than Ever

It was evident last season that discipline was lacking—especially on defense.

This year, with new coordinators and staffers who embrace Bronco’s position mastery and play-your-guts-out mentality, expect the intensity to be ratcheted up a couple notches, on both sides of the ball.

This kind of focus will keep drives from stalling due to stupid penalties and untimely miscues. And Cougar fans know that’s the difference between wins and losses.

7. Bronco Is Leading the Defense

When the final whistle blew in Logan, Utah on October 1, 2010, the Cougar defense was at a low not seen since October 2003 when Colorado State Rams and Boise State each dropped 50-plus on them in Provo.

But the very next week, things looked very different. In fact, each subsequent week the Cougar defense got smarter, stronger and executed better, until eventually they were shutting opposing offenses down.

Now, Bronco has a full camp and offseason to get his defense into shape mentally and physically, so that come September, they can keep BYU’s offense on the field and opposing teams' points off the scoreboard.  

8. No Familiarity Will Breed Confusion

For the past decade, the Cougars have been playing teams that know them inside and out. That familiarity can bring losses, especially when the opposition has a great game plan for you.

Sure, TCU and Utah are both one of those teams that are on the schedule, but the rest of these haven’t seen the crazy movement of Bronco’s defense.

And nobody has seen what Brandon Doman’s offense can bring week after week.

That newness can allow the Cougs to sneak up on opponents who are used to seeing the same old predictability of a BYU offense.

9. The World Needs a BYU-Hawaii Showdown

Could the most compelling, passionate and important game of the college football season be played in Honolulu on December 3?

Hawaii was 10-4 last season and put up a ton of yards and points. This year, they return key offensive players and have a schedule that would make Nick Saban’s head explode.

The toughest game on the Warriors' slate, aside from BYU, is at Washington the second week of the season. The rest of the games between that matchup and the showdown with the Cougars should be a W.

Expect Hawaii to be undefeated when the Cougars roll into town…or fly into town.

And with a BYU team also unbeaten, this game will have national title implications, BCS ramifications and college football history repercussions.

And college football needs that.