THE GOOD: With 11 victories, an outright conference championship, a dramatic triumph over archrival Utah and a bowl win, the Cougars are coming off one of their best seasons in school history. Under Bronco Mendenhall, BYU is looking like the program it was during the 1980s and much of the 1990s. BYU rewarded Mendenhall, who is 17-8 over two seasons, with a rare (at least for BYU) raise and contract extension. Attendance is up and so are expectations.
THE BAD: Speaking of expectations, it will be difficult for the Cougars to match their win total from 2006. They must replace several key leaders like quarterback John Beck, running back Curtis Brown, tight end Jonny Harline and linebacker Cameron Jensen. BYU has lost some defensive starters, like Dustin Gabriel and Russell Tialavea, to injury in fall camp. The Cougars are 0-2 in season-openers, scoring a combined total of 16 points in losses to Boston College and Arizona.
THE UNCERTAIN: How will a new quarterback who hasn't taken a Division I snap, sophomore Max Hall, fare? Yes, he has plenty of weapons around him on an offense that averaged nearly 37 points per game last season. But it's been four years since Hall has played in a game. What's more, how will the Cougars respond to being the defending conference champions?