And look what's happened since--basketball has taken recruiting to a level that no one had imagined.

I know, I know. That's basketball. Insert reasons why football is more challenging and we won't get the same results, etc., etc. I actually agree with some of those reasons.

OTOH, BYU has eased up on the throttle from its gestapo phase of wielding the Honor Code as an accountability stick with which to bludgeon its students into suspension or out of the university altogether. We still haven't yet received a full allotment of Big12 money and we're in year 2, so it's tough to judge what the impact of P4 inclusion really is at this phase. Also, both Jay Hill's defensive staff, with limited time last year, and TJ Woods have already shown great proficiency in the recruiting game, getting top tier players to commit.

Add in 1 more item--Utah doesn't look so good these days, and Whittingham is either done or not long for this world. It only takes 1-3 of the top tier stars that Utah has been getting consistently for well over a decade to flip to BYU on an annual basis for a difference on the field to emerge.

Just a few years ago, people were saying openly that BYU would never beat Utah. Coming from a state where the University of Idaho once dominated Boise State before things changed entirely, Utah's advantages, which they were trying to use to bury BYU, were worrisome. But it turns out that never is a very long time, and circumstances often change.

BYU needs to reclaim a greater share of the elite LDS talent pool while continuing its proficiency in player development while holding its own in the transfer portal. BYU is closer to doing so than it's been in a long time, and it's not unreasonable to think we get over the top, perhaps as soon as this year.