BYU football: Back in national spotlight after win

ARLINGTON, Texas — Just like that, the bull's-eye is back on BYU football.

A

year ago, astronomical expectations were placed on the Cougars as

potential BCS-busters — until they got destroyed by TCU and, later,

Utah. After that, BYU slipped into relative anonymity, hidden in the

shadow of the Horned Frogs and Utes. That

is, until Saturday, Sept. 5's landmark 14-13 upset of No. 3 Oklahoma. Now, the

Cougars have been catapulted once again into the national spotlight.

The

epicenter of a college-football shakeup over the weekend was at the

Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, Texas, where BYU players, coaches

and fans partied like it was 1984 amid a stunned sea of Crimson &

Cream in the wake of a stunning victory. Suddenly, some national observers are penciling the Cougars into a Bowl Championship Series game."In addition to beating a top-five opponent in a de facto road game,

the Cougars get a chance to play Florida State in Provo on Sept. 19 and

should have quality Mountain West Conference competition from TCU (in

Provo on Oct. 24) and Utah (in Provo on Nov. 28)," wrote ESPN.com's

Pat Forde. "Run that table and BYU will get a BCS bid, count on it.

Even with one loss, the Cougars could have a stronger resume than Boise

(State)."

BYU was ranked No. 5 by the Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, Sept. 6.

Former

BYU offensive lineman Trevor Matich, who was on the Cougars' 1984

national championship team and is now a college football analyst for

ESPN, told the Deseret News Sunday, Sept 6, "Some will say that Oklahoma lost