Provincial: adj. "a person of local or restricted interests or outlook". (Province = State.)
Yes, we have been provincial in our outlook, at least for the last 4 weeks. Our team has been playing under its potential since OkST. And due to the competition being not great, we've squeaked out wins. As fans, we even justified our loss to a surging KU team by saying, "well, at least we beat Utah." That is provincial.
True, BYU did not lose to Utah, but I wouldn't say we beat Utah. Beating this depleted and self-defeated Utah team would have been leaving no doubt that we are the better football team. Beating Utah would have been 54-10.
Yes, that OkST comeback was great, but why in the world did we not win that game by 3 TDs?
We were ranked 6th in the country. We were projected to win the B12 and have a bye in the CFP, even though every national outlet has been overly excited to cast the pollyannish Mormons aside for a flashy CU team or worse, Boise State - a familiar commodity.
Perhaps the is loss is a wake up call Kalani and the boys need to set their sights on a higher prize than a provincial in-state rival. Perhaps it will cause them to finally achieve their potential in every play, series, quarter, and game.