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BYU ranked No. 16 in AP preseason poll

Wow, it's great that the Cougars and Utes are ranked so high at the beginning of the season. It really show the respect that both schools have around the country. Wait a minute, I'm reading the rest of the article, oops, the Utes are not ranked. I guess it shows the respect the Cougars have around the country and the total lack of respect the Utes have around the country. Once again, most of the country is still wondering, "What's a yewt?" Way to go Cougars.

ASU plays Georgia in their first game...look for the Cougars to start a climb to the top!

BTW...I didn't see the Utes mentioned in this article? Is there a ranking for little brothers?

This is my first season I've owned BYU season tickets. I'm so excited to watch them trounce teams with their deep running and passing game. Their D is looking very tough as it has the past couple of seasons, and with a new kicker that's reliable on hitting consistantly it looks as if NOBODY HAS A CHANCE. BCS here they come! Can't wait! My neighbor plays for the U and tells me that the Y is looking tough. He would have gone to the Y but wasn't offered a scholarship. I guess the U can pick up the scraps! No offense to my neighbor.

I am a proud Cougar fan and always will be. The Cougars have earned their pre-season ranking but unless I'm mistaken, wins and losses are what make the season, not polls. Go get em' Cougs! I'm really proud of you!

I am sure beating Northern Iowa will give the Cougars the national recognition that they and their fans think they deserve. YAWN. Utah State? Yawn... I hope the PAC 10 teams bring it this year and show BYU that they are not world beaters. BYU plays in a soft conference and generally plays soft non conference teams. NO RESPECT HERE.

By the way... Utah is picked to play in the Las Vegas Bowl and BYU in the Emerald or Poinsetta Bowl.

Play some ranked teams and beat them, then you can talk about being BCS big.

Why do Utah fans care so much about BYU playing Norther Iowa (#3 preseason fcs rank) when they scheduled Weber State. Byu has been picked by two other preseason publications (Lindys and Athlon) to play in the Fiesta Bowl. Phil Steele is the only preseason publication with the Utes going to the Las Vegas Bowl. The truth is both teams have alot of work and expect both to be ranked in the top 25 with the MWC title on the line when they meet. (I know its hard to admit but the Utes do have top 25 talent).

I looked on cougarblue' forum and had to laugh at the people thinking that byu should be ranked higher than some of the other teams that are ahead of them. Outside of the MWC, no one really cares about BYU or Utah. They will rank byu and utah higher when they EARN it by beating worthy opponents.

Hey Anonymous, hope you enjoy watching the utes play Weber St. If they win maybe it'll wipe away that inferiority complex.

All BYU has to do is win all their games.

The scheduling "fates" have smiled on the Cougars.

UCLA is in "dis-aray". Washington has proven to be a bottom feeder in th PAC 10.

The rest of the schedule is made up of "directional schools" or "no name" MWC opponents.

PIECE-A-CAKE

none of this matters

Utah... YAWN...

"Play some ranked teams and beat them, then you can talk about being BCS big."

Hey, wait, we ARE ranked...

You must have missed that with all of your yawning...

Go ahead and keep drinking your koolaid, Anomymous. It's a good thing you have the lone idiot, Phil Steele to make your koolaid for you (all other publications pick BYU ahead of Utes). Two of them (see Lindys and Athlon) have BYU in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma or Missouri. Of course, you have pointed out that no team gets there based only on a pick. But you are the one crowing about Utes being a pick above.

RE:RE: anonymous

Newsflash... I am not a MWC fan. Not a Ute or BYU fan. By RANKED, Im talking consistently finishing in the top 10-15.

I was not directly my comments at Utah because they do not carry the same swagger as BYU fans. I think Utah fans at least realize that props are EARNED. I agree that WEBER State is soft too...

Do I see and "UNLV Moment" scheduled in the Ute's future???

BYU by far has the easiest schedule of any top 25 team. BYU probably wont play a top 25 team until they meet Utah in the final game. Thats a joke of a schedule.

Think with your head and not with your heart, do you REALLY think BYU can hang with Missouri or Oklahoma?

It is possible that the "magic" could happen and BYU could get a BCS bid. I just don't think they are ready to play with those schools.

I watched Miami in Provo. Yes, I think BYU CAN hang with them. WILL they?

This is the best part of the season. Unless it gets better. I think it will. I think BYU will walk the talk. I think it is a beautiful scenario - higher ranked teams will fall, BYU will get no respect yet continue to rise, they'll beat Utah at the last second again, bust (or sneak in the back door - I don't care) the BCS.

And the Utes will be scratching their heads wondering what happened.

As in years past, I predict that BYU will be its own worst enemy. They have always played very inconsistently. For years, I couldn't wait for the next week's football or basketball game for BYU. I now only watch them periodically, when there is nothing more interesting to do. Good Luck BYU! I will probably check in at the end of the season to see how you have done. However, I don't expect 16 to last very long once the season begins.

Do you really think BYU stands a chance against Northern Iowa?

I couldn't be a bigger BYU fan, but I have to agree with some of the criticism here. Not the criticism of the team, but the fans. BYU will never enjoy the kind of respect some fans think they deserve until the fans shut up and let the team earn respect by their play on the field. BYU fans are notoriously unrealistic in their expectations, which helps rank BYU high on the list of schools people love to hate.

On the other hand, criticism of the team and its schedule are unfair, IMHO. Every year, BYU tries to schedule the best opponents it can, but they have a hard time getting anyone to play them in Provo. They could play more highly ranked teams if they were willing to do it on the road all the time. Still, they do try, but schedules are done so far in advance that it is impossible to predict how good a team will be when the game finally rolls around. UCLA and Washington were both good when they were scheduled.

BYU could go a long way toward a stronger schedule by going undefeated this year and winning a BCS bowl game. Go cougars.