Why Is the Bowl Game so Significant for BYU Football?

BYU needs to win. That is all there is to it.

Two years we have finished 11-2 while losing to very average non-conference teams. The 11-win seasons looked good, but what really put us on the map was the fact that we won back-to-back undefeated conference championships. This year we finished third in the conference, and a 10-3 season will make BYU fall by the wayside.

This is a statement game, and the Cougars need to treat it like it is a BCS game because, with a win, we maintain our reputation. With a loss, we will be an “also-ran” and probably will have a tough time starting 2009 in the top 25.

Other reasons why we need to win? I would love to shut the Pac-10 up, once and for all this season. I am going to give credit where credit is due and say that, yes, in general over the last couple years, the Pac-10 has consistently had great teams. USC, Oregon, Cal, and ASU have all been really good lately.

This year was another story, though. They all started slow, but really didn’t pick up a lot of steam (with the exception USC). The UofA junkies need to wake up and smell the coffee and admit that this was not the best year for the Pac-10. The Cougars need to prove it with a convincing win on the 20th.

Is Arizona a quality team that would have done well in the MWC this year? Yes, it is. Is this going to be a well-fought game? Yes, it is.

But I remember all the hype around UofA’s passing D last year, and we took it to 'em. I remember all the hype around TCU’s pass D this year, and Austin torched 'em. Same with Utah. We have faced better defenses than Arizona’s. I am not intimidated at all by its D, and its offense is no better than any team's we’ve beat this year.

The X-factor? Arizona is going to come into this thing fired up. It's been a bottom-feeder for some time now and is looking to get some respect. This is the school's first bowl game in a long while; for most of their team, it is its first bowl game.

This team will be pumped up and rearing to go. We need to make big plays early, like we did against UCLA, and just beat them up!