It was back in 2009 when BYU last went into a bowl game as an AP ranked team (#15) facing another ranked team in Oregon State (#16). I remember flying high after the win with BYU securing a Top 12 ranking in the AP Poll to end the season. But thinking about the lead up to the season that followed in 2010 — all anyone could talk about was conference realignment: Utah going to the Pac 12 and BYU going independent. There wasn't much focus on what the team had coming in — other than the worst QB controversy in my lifetime — because it was quite the unknown with so many all-timers having completed their eligibility in 2009.

In all the seasons since, we've either gone out with a sour note in a bowl loss (2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021), beat nobody special in the bowl game (2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2022), never really played anyone at all the entire season (2020), or just completely crapped the bed (2017, 2023). Every offseason was a measure of rebuild and get it right.

Now, here we stand at the end of 2024 having throttled a ranked team in the bowl game in the highest viewed game in modern program history. And what do we have to look forward to?

No conference realignment to distract us, thank goodness (knock on wood).

And we have a TON of the team coming back.

QB – Retzlaff
RB – Martin, Moa, Nawahine
WR – Roberts, Marion, Kingston, Phillips, and maybe Lassiter
OL – Leausa, Lapuaho, Makasini, Mitchell, Jatta, and maybe Etienne

LB – Kelly, Glasker, Taggert, Esera
CB – Johnson and maybe Bamba
S – Wall, Satuala, Prassas, Damuni

We have an infusion of talent with:

OL – Gentry, Sfarcioc
TE – Ryan
DE – Akana, Clegg
DT – Tanuvasa, Purcell

And we have some young kids looking to step up:

QB – Bourguet, Hillstead
RB – Haunga
TE – Coleman, Moeaki
OL – Tupou, Griffin, Brown, Pay
WR – Hagen, D. McKenzie, Nacua

DT – Singh, Taumoepeau, To’omalatai, Havea, Johnson
DE – Schoonover, Asiata, Fonohema
LB – A Kaufusi, M Kaufusi, Hall, and the top recruit who was at the bowl game
CB – Alexander, M McKenzie, Doe, Kabeya

The hype machine is going to be unlike anything we have seen since 1985. We’ve never had this much coming back following a Top 12 finish in the AP Poll. We flourished with the “nobody believes” mantra in 2024. How are we going to handle a significant target on our back from Media Day onward?