The majority (52%) think the New Mexico Bowl win over UTEP is the sixth best bowl win in BYU history, making it dead center among the 11 bowl wins. Only 4% think that the New Mexico bowl win was one of the better bowl wins (top 5), and the other 44% of voters think that it is one of the bottom 5.
I would side with the 44% in this case. BYU has had four bowl wins over teams ranked when they played (SMU, 1980; Washington State, 1981; Kansas State, 1996; and Oregon State, 2009). I think any bowl win over a ranked team is better than a blowout of a 6-6 team. I would also include the 1984 Holiday Bowl win to secure the national championship in the top 5. The number 6 spot would be either the 1994 Copper Bowl (31-6 over Oklahoma) or the 1988 Freedom Bowl (20-17 over Colorado).
Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Will Matt Reynolds enter the 2011 NFL Draft?"
Other recent posts on BYU FOOTBALL TALK:
Brigham Young Cougars Coaching Changes
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I would side with the 44% in this case. BYU has had four bowl wins over teams ranked when they played (SMU, 1980; Washington State, 1981; Kansas State, 1996; and Oregon State, 2009). I think any bowl win over a ranked team is better than a blowout of a 6-6 team. I would also include the 1984 Holiday Bowl win to secure the national championship in the top 5. The number 6 spot would be either the 1994 Copper Bowl (31-6 over Oklahoma) or the 1988 Freedom Bowl (20-17 over Colorado).
Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Will Matt Reynolds enter the 2011 NFL Draft?"
Other recent posts on BYU FOOTBALL TALK:
Brigham Young Cougars Coaching Changes
Friday Highlights: Las Vegas Bowl 2009 (Brigham Young Cougars vs. Oregon State)
Thursday Trivia: Post Christmas Bowl Games
Flashback: Brigham Young Cougars 44, Oregon State Beavers 20 (Las Vegas 2009)
I agree with your top 5, and the reasoning you use to get there.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the 1994 Copper Bowl and 1988 Freedom Bowl as being better then this years New Mexico bowl.
I do not know all the circumstances around those two bowl games, but it seems that you picked them simply because of WHO they beat. I think there are other important factors. While BYU's opponent this year was not exactly a "formidable foe" I thought this was one the best bowl games for several reasons besides it being a blow out victory. Here are just a few:
1. How we got there: It was a great blow game victory, because early in the year it was questionable whether we would even reach a bowl game AT ALL, let along actually WIN one. So for us to turn the season around, and then go out there and play like that in a bowl game, and get a huge victory, speaks volumes of how far this team has come.
2. How we won: I'm not talking about it being a blow out, but rather the fact that we won by using so many key freshman. Heaps, Hoffman, and Quezada were our offensive leaders, while several freshman, such as Van Noy, also made contributions on defense.
3. Where we are going: Most importantly, I felt like this bowl game was a sign of things to come. The New Mexico bowl victory means a bright furture is on the horizon. Heaps, Hoffman, and Quezada are going to be at the core of the BYU offense for years to come, and in that game they showed that we are in good hands.
Given those circumstances, I feel that this makes the New Mexico bowl of 2010 a very important and significant bowl victory in the BYU history, and that importance and significance adds to the "greatness" of the game.
I am not trying to put down the win, it was big. It is like going to the hall of fame and ranking everyone there. Someone will have to be at the bottom of the list.
ReplyDeleteThe facts that BYU set so many school bowl records, that this gave BYU a winning season, and that it could be a cornerstone that the team builds around this offseason make it easy to put this game above other bowl wins (2007 LV Bowl and 1983 Holiday Bowl come to mind).