It's one thing to lose to a good Boise State or USU team but it's another team to get completely blown out (and USU only went 6-7 in 2017).
BYU had gone 4-2 against USU and Boise from 2013-2015 and have gone 1-5 in the three seasons since then. That's not a very good trajectory to me (and I don't think either program is significantly better now).
If BYU really does have much better depth and better OL & DL, I hope that it starts manifesting itself in wins. The optimism over limping to a 7-6 season seems kind of irrational.
BYU may be a better 6-6 team this year but losing to Utah, USU, & Boise again isn't going to excite a lot of fans.