Right before Coach Rose left BYU Basketball, it felt like there was no hope for the future.
Right after BYU Basketball announced that they would not be playing in any post season tournament, I felt like for the first time in my life there was no bright future. I always try to find the super optimistic side of things which gives me false hope, but still hope. When the 2019 season ended however, I saw a 19 win BYU Basketball team only getting worse with Yoeli Childs, the lone bright spot for the team, likely leaving and no major recruits or players emerging as a game changer.
Later, things changed for me. Rose stepped down and BYU brought in Mark Pope along with a few transfers from his team who appear to be the kind of players that can make a real difference. Childs decided to come back, and suddenly BYU wasn't just looking like a better team, they were looking like a NCAA Tournament team. Sure things have changed since then with NCAA sanctions and injuries, but the change did happen, and I still remain optimistic about this upcoming season.
Right now, BYU Football is in that first category.
I know, the season isn't over, but looking ahead to next season, the Cougars don't really appear to have any rising stars. Zach Wilson played well, but he hasn't made the strides that fans were hoping to see from him. He looks like a good quarterback that is dependable, but doesn't light up the stat sheet. Barring a miracle, the running backs and receivers will be even more sparse than they are this season with the top two running backs and three out of the top five receivers graduating this year. Remember, this is from a team that is barely scoring 20 points per game. Where is the offense going to come from?
Defensively, it is a similar story. First, the defense has been awful at stopping the run and outside of Payton Wilgar, there have been no young players that have really impressed me to this point on a consistent basis. Add that to Kyhris Tonga, Dayan Ghanwoloku, Trajan Pili, Austin Lee and Zayne Anderson either graduating or leaving early, this team looks doomed to be even worse next season.
I really hate to say this, but if I had to put a record on BYU next season it would look like this:
2020 BYU Football Schedule
@Utah - Loss
Michigan State - Loss
@Arizona State - Loss
@Minnesota - Toss Up
Utah State - Toss Up
Missouri - Loss
Houston - Toss Up
@Northern Illinois - Win
@Boise State - Loss
San Diego State - Toss Up
North Alabama - Win
@Stanford - Loss
Assuming the toss ups go 2-2, that leaves BYU Football next season with a 4-8 record overall. Am I being too tough on them? I hope so. Honestly however, with so much talent leaving on an already below average team, I see very few realistic routes of them even making it to 6-6 unless there are major changes. Perhaps the Cougars can take down Minnesota and win two more of the toss up games and finish .500. Is that what we want though? Has BYU Football gotten to the point where we are now looking for ways to get to .500? Sadly, it may be.
There has to be some kind of change. With BYU Basketball it was a coaching staff. What is it for BYU Football? I'm not exactly sure, but my guess would be probably the same thing. Otherwise, what is there to look forward to in 2020?