1. I don't think a better coach is available, and didn't suggest that. For the record, I loved Bronco and he is an awesome coach.
2. No where did I suggest we were doing awesome as an independent, nor did I suggest that we've been as good as an independent as we were in the 2000's.
3. In your post you specifically said NY6 bowl as a reason we should be G5 ("Where we differ, is that I do believe BYU has the resources and brand to compete with and beat AAC teams, and put themselves in a position with a shot at a special season. 10 wins, NY6 bowl etc."). My point is that we were in a conference that was similar to the current AAC and we never got a special bowl (i.e., BCS).
4. And yes, here's some bad luck/injuries/bad timing (or just a change in culture). A serious LGBT+ movement that hurt BYU (like students writing letters/petitions to the Big 12 not to let BYU in), Taysom Hill getting hurt on a touchdown run without being touched, Taysom Hill running it instead of taking a knee (or getting hit on a run), how many running backs did we lose in 2018?, how many quarterbacks did we play in 2017?, social media making it next to impossible for athletes to mess up in a private why which would allow the HCO to confidentially work with them without necessarily missing time