Ranking 11 Years of BYU Football Independence
At the start of BYU's last year before joining the Big 12 conference, a ranking of all eleven seasons of BYU football independence's from least to most entertaining.
On September 10, 2021, BYU fans the world over rejoiced over the news they'd been hoping to hear for over a decade: BYU would officially be joining a Power 5 conference. With an invitation to the Big 12, BYU will once again join a conference in the 2022-2023 season, leaving behind its experiment with independence. For the first time ever, the football program has access to automatic berths to New Year Six bowls and a possible path to the College Football Playoff.
While independence gave us the flexibility to immediately jump aboard a P5 conference when they came calling, it overall was a mixed bag. September brought us fans big games against storied programs like Wisconsin, Texas, and USC in primetime on national television while November brought snoozefests against FBS cellar teams like UMass and New Mexico State on early afternoon BYUtv. Independence brought the football program more revenue than they ever achieved in the Mountain West but left them subpar bowl matchups. Most importantly, it left BYU in no-man's-land without the privileges held by Power 5 teams and without the thrills of competing for a conference championship against regional foes. One or two losses in a season essentially doomed BYU to a subpar bowl game against a mid-tier Group of 5 opponent.
Now with the program's near-term future in a conference set, it will be easier than ever to embrace the chaos of independence one last time as BYU starts its final year of independence in two weeks against South Florida. To celebrate BYU's ascension into Power 5 status and remember the best parts of their sojourn as an independent, we look back and rank the most entertaining seasons since BYU became independent in 2011.
11. 2017: A historic low point
Record: 4-9
Wins: Portland State, San Jose St, UNLV, Hawaii
Notable Losses: LSU, Utah, Utah St, East Carolina, UMass
Fans were hopeful entering Year 2 under Coach Sitake, hoping that the handoff between longtime coach Bronco and his successor had gone off without a hitch. Unfortunately, all the growing pains of a young coach became apparent following the departure of seniors like Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams. After narrowly beating FCS Portland State 21-6 in the season opener, BYU went on a historically bad seven-game losing streak, including a shutout loss to LSU, a thrashing by Wisconsin at home, and embarrassing losses to younger brother Utah State and FBS cellar dwellers ECU and UMass. The offense proved to be anemic as Mangum looked nothing like his freshman self and OC Ty Detmer never got his footing. After giving UMass its first road victory in program history against an FBS opponent, BYU's season mercifully ended with a win in Honolulu against old foe University of Hawaii.
Best Game: Hawaii. A late-season win in the exotic locale of Aloha Stadium ended the season on a good note.
Best Moment: Braydn El-Bakri’s forced fumble versus San Jose State. It was nice to see someone other than BYU get hit that hard.
10. 2018: An unremarkable rebuilding year
Record: 7-6
Notable Wins: Wisconsin, Arizona, West Michigan (bowl)
Notable Losses: NIU, BSU, Cal, Utah
After one of the worst years in program history, up was the only direction to go. Expectations started low but an early win over then sixth-ranked Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium raised fan expectations from a building year into a fast turnaround. Unfortunately, the Wisconsin win turned out to be a fluke as it became apparent later on that Wisconsin was having a down year, finishing 8-5 and unranked in the final polls. A frustrating 7-6 loss at home against an average NIU team was the low point of the season, feeling eerily like 2017’s glacial offense. Even in our six losses, the team showed marked improvement such as a frustratingly close Boise State loss that showed the potential of freshman Zach Wilson despite his poor late game decisions. An easy bowl victory over Western Michigan was a nice consolation prize but outside of the Wisconsin win, this season was largely forgettable without many wins over good teams.
Best Game: Wisconsin. After getting wiped clean 41-7 last year at home, a win at Wisconsin was shocking and a welcome reprieve after a historically bad 2017 season.
Best Moment: Double Pass Trick Play versus Wisconsin. First-year offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes drew up a fantastic double pass play to take the lead on the road against Wisconsin.
9. 2014: Hot start, bad middle, boring finish
Record: 8-5
Notable Wins: Texas, Virginia, Houston
Notable Losses: UCF, Utah State, Nevada, BSU
The season started out strong with four straight wins including a 41-7 thrashing of Texas in Austin and respectable wins against Virginia and Houston. The wheels quickly came off as BYU lost four straight games, all to Group of 5 teams, followed by a season-ending injury to Taysom Hill. The team won four games against a lackluster November slate that BYU could have sleepwalked its way through. A late-season win against a bad Cal team provided some entertainment but a bowl loss to Memphis ended the season on a sour note.
Best Game: Texas. After a similar beatdown of UT in Provo in 2013, Taysom Hill solidified his status as Texas' daddy and proved once again that Texas was in fact not back.
Best Moment: Taysom’s hurdle over a Texas defender perfectly encapsulated his back-to-back domination of the school in 2013 and 2014 and vaulted him into the early Heisman conversation.
8. 2019: Big wins marred by disappointing losses
Record: 7-6
Notable Wins: Tennessee, USC, Boise State
Notable Losses: Toledo, USF, Hawaii
Entering the season, expectations were growing after seeing promise from Zach Wilson's freshman year. After a business-as-usual loss to Utah in the season opener, BYU pulled off two exciting wins in overtime at Tennessee and at home against USC. Despite these early successes, injuries and poor late-game execution doomed us against subpar competition at Toledo and at South Florida. Later wins against rivals Boise State and Utah State reminded us of the early season magic but two losses against two Mountain teams, SDSU in the regular season finale and Hawaii in our bowl game, gave us our second consecutive 7-6 finish and doubts about the future of Sitake's teams.
Best Game: USC. Three picks against USC’s Keedon Slovis powered BYU to a shocking upset over a USC squad that should have been turning the corner.
Best Moment: The Miracle at Rocky Top. Down by three with 17 seconds left on the clock and stuck at his own 20-yard line, Zach Wilson threw a 64-yard bomb to Micah Simon setting up the game-tying field goal. BYU would go on to win it on a Ty’Son Williams touchdown in double overtime.
7. 2011: A novel year full of easy wins
Record: 10-3
Notable Wins: Ole Miss, Oregon State, UCF
Losses: Texas, Utah, TCU
We entered independence hoping top-ranked recruit Jake Heaps would make a sophomore leap only for veteran Riley Nelsen to take over in dramatic fashion and lead us to a ten-win season. Our first game was a thrilling win against a struggling SEC opponent at Ole Miss, showing us the promise of scheduling Power 5 teams in independence, but followed by two losses to Texas and Utah. Aided by a weak schedule filled mostly by Group of 5 teams after September, BYU racked up win after win, only losing to then recently added Big 12 member and former Mountain West rival TCU. The novelty of playing new faces and Nelsen's scrappy takeover of the starting job proved dramatic but this season ranks a little lower than several 8 and 9-win seasons as it felt like a bit of a mirage over a poor schedule. It also provided us the first of many lackluster Novembers that would do little more than pad our overall record.
Best Game: TCU. Despite the loss, this game in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium felt much bigger than any other game in the first year of independence. Plus it was fun to reconnect with an old foe from our Moutain West days.
Best Moment: Gaming winning tipped pass versus Utah State. Down by four with under twenty seconds to go, Marcus Matthews hauls in a touchdown after a Utah State defender tipped Riley Nelsen’s pass up into the air.
6. 2012: Dominating defense held back by a crippled offense
Record: 8-5
Notable Wins: WSU, Utah St, GT, San Diego St (Bowl)
Notable Losses: Utah, Boise State, Oregon State, Notre Dame, San Jose St.
As Nelsen struggled throughout the season with an injured back, the Bronco Mendenhall-helmed defense was the star of the show, keeping us close in every game and ranking in the top ten in several defensive categories. If you enjoy watching low-scoring games, this season was full of them: a 6-3 win over Utah State, a 7-6 loss to Boise State, and a close 17-14 defeat to eventual national champion runner-up Notre Dame in South Bend. Outside of a head-scratching loss late in the season to San Jose State, we beat the teams we were supposed to beat and lost to the teams we were supposed to lose to. Despite an at times anemic offense, watching future NFL starters like Kyle Van Noy and Ziggy Ansah obliterate opponents makes this up-and-down year stand out.
Best Game: Notre Dame. BYU showed up on a big stage. If Riley Nelsen didn’t underthrow Cody Hoffman in the 4th quarter, BYU could have single-handedly prevented one of the most boring BCS championships and beaten their fellow independent.
Best Moment: Kyle Van Noy strip tackle TD versus San Diego State. Down 6 to 3 at the start of the 4th quarter, Kyle Van Noy really proved that defense really was our best offense by stripping the football from SDSU’s quarterback mid-throw and recovering it in the endzone for six points.
5. 2015: Bronco's Last Stand
Record: 9-4
Notable Wins: Nebraska, Boise State, Cincinnati, Fresno St., Utah State
Losses: UCLA, Michigan, Missouri, Utah
Bronco's last year started with a bang as highly recruited freshman Tanner Mangun, filling in for Taysom Hill—who suffered a season-ending injury in the first half of the game—beat Nebraska with a Hail Mary after time expired. We didn't entirely carry over that momentum the rest of the year as we failed to beat any other Power 5 team despite close games against Missouri, UCLA, and Utah. We did however beat respectable Power 5 teams in Boise State and Cincinnati. This season also will be remembered for its dramatic Las Vegas Bowl showdown against rival Utah who had previously 'forgotten' to schedule us that year. Overcoming a 35-0 deficit to make it a one-position game late has to be one of the most entertaining ways to lose a football game or to end your tenure as head coach.
Best Game: Utah. By far the best bowl game of independence even though we shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and ultimately came short of a miraculous comeback.
Best Moment: Hail Joseph versus Nebraska. On 4th and 3 as time expired, Mangum connects with Mitch Matthews for a miraculous comeback TD that brought a rare smile to Bronco’s face. It even looks good in lego!
4. 2013: Taysom-mania begins
Record: 8-5
Notable Wins: Texas, Utah St, Georgia Tech, Houston, Boise St
Notable Losses: Virginia, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Washington (Bowl)
2013 stands out as the only full season Taysom Hill ever played, leaving him with an unremarkable 0-1 record in bowl games. After a three-hour rain delay, Taysom Hill provided one of the best performances during BYU's independence, demolishing Texas's defense to run for over 259 yards and three touchdowns. It didn't quite erase his disastrous late interception in a season-opening loss at Virginia but it became clear from there on out that it was the Taysom Hill show. Fun games like an exciting shoutout against Houston, our first win over Boise State in independence, and the aforementioned Texas stomping elevate this season despite some lackluster performances in losses against Wisconsin, Utah, and Washington.
Best Game: Texas. BYU completely dominated the game from start to finish, a welcome treat for all the fans who waited out a three-hour rain delay.
Best Moment: Alani Fua’s game-clinching INT versus Houston. After a classic, back and forth shootout, BYU ended UH’s last drive on a pick in what is hopefully a preview of a budding rivalry against our future Big 12 foe.
3. 2016: Close games for everybody!
Record: 9-4
Notable Wins: Michigan State, Mississippi State, Cincinnati
Losses: Utah, UCLA, West Virginia, Boise State
After dazzling us for what seemed like a decade, Taysom Hill, along with fellow senior Jamaal Williams, went out with guns-a-blazing their senior year. Almost every game in the first two months was decided in the final minutes, leaving BYU fans exhilarated and exhausted. Three straight losses by three points or less against Utah, UCLA, and West Virginia left us with an abysmal 1-3 record, but things looked up after hanging on in a shootout against Toledo and future NFL star Kareem Hunt. In hindsight, the new coaching staff may have failed to capitalize on the talent of two program greats to achieve a better record but a surprising upset over Michigan State and tons of late-game dramatics make 2016 a season hard to forget.
Best game: Michigan State. After so many close calls and last-minute heartbreaks, a win over an elite program fresh off a College Football Playoff period was cathartic.
Best Moment: Taysom Hill to Tanner Balderree 2OT TD versus Mississippi State. On the first play of the second overtime, a bubble screen quickly turned into a 25-yard go-ahead score. After so many late-game situations that went against us this year, a double overtime victory, especially in a game in which Jamaal Williams set the all-time rushing yard record at BYU, was a much-needed morale boost.
2. 2021: Good times are here to stay
Record: 10-3
Notable Wins: Utah, Arizona State, USC, Virginia
Losses: Boise State, Baylor, UAB
After a chaotic 2020 season on and off the field, 2021 started off much more normal with a routine, closer-than-it-should-have-been victory over Arizona. The next month proved to exceed anyone's expectations, proving that the 11-1 2020 season was not just a fluke of a weak schedule. BYU beat Utah for the first time since entering independence and went on to absolutely rampage the PAC-12, beating six teams from the conference and four from the PAC-12 South over the season. A mid-season loss to a less-than-stellar and depleted Boise State team largely kept us out of any serious New Year Six contention and yet another bowl loss to another mid-tier opponent kept this season out from the top spot; however, BYU's early season run will be one remembered for years even after independence no matter how long the Pac-12 conference manages to survive.
Best game: Utah. The over eleven years of waiting between games made this game one of the sweetest victories I've ever witnessed as a BYU fan.
Best Moment: Tyler Allegier’s forced fumble versus Arizona State. After Jaren Hall threw an interception, running back Allgeier put his experience as a middle linebacker to use. Jumping on top of the defender twenty yards away from a touchdown, Allgeier single-handedly prevented a go-ahead pick six by punching the ball out of the defender’s hands. Jaren Hall, atoning for the interception that started off the play, dove onto the loose ball and kept possession for BYU late in the game with a slim lead.
1. 2020: Sitake finally hits his stride
Record: 11-1
Notable Wins: Boise State, Houston, San Diego State, UTSA
Loss: Coastal Carolina
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BYU lost more than half its scheduled games, leaving Tom Holmoe scrambling to piece together a respectable schedule. Within the confines of a schedule devoid of any Power 5 opponents, BYU immediately managed to impress, first by stomping Navy 55-3 in their season opener then going on to win every game but two by double digits. Zach Wilson took advantage of the lesser competition to make dozens of highlights and catapult his way up everyone's NFL draft boards. BYU's lone setback of 2020 came in a bout scheduled at the last second, three days prior to be exact, between fellow undefeated Coastal Carolina that ended at the goal line. Despite only two close games all season, dominance over its opponents after a decade littered with lackluster years of five losses or more proved to be the most entertaining year of BYU football independence.
Best Game: Coastal Carolina. Despite a heartbreaking finish, we entertained the college football world and put on one of the most entertaining pandemic year games.
Best Moment: Wilson to Neil Pau’u corner TD pass versus UTSA. Wilson’s precision passing proved many highlights over the year and this one, lobbed in the corner of the endzone, in one of the year’s only close games stands out as the most impressive.
Cover image, taken at 2013’s Texas versus BYU football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 by Ken Lund.