The Beautifully Tragic History of BYU Football

BYU football has had more than its fair share of winning seasons for the years. It's actually one of the winningest programs in college football dating back to 1970. But with everything BYU has accomplished over that time, theres still one thing that alludes them. A New Years Bowl game. Now, New Years Bowl Game has taken on different meanings over the years, but that fact remains than BYU has as never been. And when you look at the history, its a painful reminder of what could have been...

TimeStamps

00:00 - Intro
01:14 - 1984
02:34 - 1996
04:51 - 2001
05:57 - 2006
06:55 - 2010
08:19 - 2020
13:39 - 2021
15:02 - 2024

[tylerahlstrom]

As a BYU fan, this is hard to watch. So close yet so far - all the time.

[ponyboyc]

As a boise st fan I know this pain all to well. That one loss every year just killed all dreams.

[brysonmckell]

i vividly remember watching that Coastal Carolina game and it still haunts me to this day

[alienspace]

BYU has a really good program with a good history with tradition much respect from a penn st fan

[HewsonDoolittle]

as always, a beautiful video. heartfelt, well-researched, well-conveyed. keep going brother, your work is incredible!

[YourFitnessQuest]

Great video. As a long-time Cougar fan, I am used to being disappointed. 2020 was so close (1 yard short as you mentioned, ) This year was also so close, but those 2 losses did us in.

[TreuStories]

Weston, incredibly well written and explained -- I think the next step for you to make a documentary on this. You're ready!

[electricmayhem]

Every voters should be required to watch this... BYU has been systematically shafted for generations.

[tannerplummer]

Good job recapping the “so close yet so far away” history of byu football. I would’ve replaced 2006 with 2008. Mainly because that year byu was coming off two straight 11 win seasons and two bowl wins over Pac 10 teams and they returned most of their starters and were primed to finally crash the BCS. But sadly, they were unable to do that because of losses to Tcu and Utah. To make things worse they had to see their hated rival Utah crash the BCS for the second time in 5 years. I was a die hard byu fan at that time and that season was extremely heartbreaking for me 😢

[chaseglenn]

I was having a good night. Then I watched this video. It hurts.

[muddywaters]

Random but my family is also cursed with BYU football. My uncle Troy played at the university of Florida for 3 years then transferred in 1984 to BYU. But he had a season ending injury and met a girl before the year. He got married and quit football that offseason. Of course BYU wins it all and he wasn’t part of it. Then my other uncle went out on a recruiting visit to BYU and before he was a starter or famous Steve Young was his guid around BYU for the whole day. My uncle said he couldn’t believe he played QB because he was so small. But my uncle met a girl and started a family right out of HS and quit football. Missed out on playing with Steve Young.

[lestro]

One of these days, one of these seasons, one of these years, we'll get our break

[tc]

This was so depressing. I've been watching BYU football since the late 1970s. This just brought back so many painful memories of both being so close ... on the field and also having a system that just keeps stacking itself against the Cougars.

Hopefully all of the patience pays off ... some season soon.

[jonathanbird]

Great job! It is BYU 's fault they didn't make it this year. No crying coming from me.

[noahhafen]

Utah had to go 12-0 twice in 3 years to go to a bcs. 2010s was ridiculous and unfair for g05

[calqler]

I'm still pzzed off losing to Indiana back in '79. We were 12-0 Indie was 6-5.

[christianvargas]

I’m a diehard cougs fan. Love my guys but damn, they’re always so damn close. Heartbreaking honestly. I was next to Tom Holmoe at the ASU game, when Chase caught that ball 2 yards from the end zone. Here’s to hoping next year ends up better. Go cougs.

[michaeltaylors]

Tyler Algier vs CC was so open, but Wilson was locked on Milne. TA could have walked in. Great video. Go Cougars

[byuftbl]

18:28 I sure hope so because if any season was going to be the one, it would’ve been this one. When everything else had gone right, our two VERY winnable games that would’ve put us there, we “muffed it” as President Hinckely would’ve said.

[brailsmt]

Everyone was asking early this year why BYU fans weren't getting behind the team. This is why. We've been burned for decades.