I think all folks have their right to define what will make them content. I personally believe if folks are not content with the current direction they are miserable and probably will never be happy as fans.

Now my definition of success. I don't think BYU's potential is to dominate year and year out. I think BYU's potential is to win it outright, and occasionally make a splash on the national scene, when their offensive skill players are experienced. When their offensive skill players are young/innexperienced I consider it to be a rebuilding year for BYU. I think to expect BYU to win/dominate the MWC those years is only an expectation for those woefully ill informed as to BYU's challenges as well as the relative ability of other conference teams.

The mid tier and bottom tier of the MWC will usually suck. However, between Utah, TCU and BYU there will occasionally be a second good MWC team, I will say that will happen about once every 3 years. Further, it is not uncommon for one of the middle tier teams to be a decent bowl team like Utah was last year.

The MWC ain't like playing in Big 12 or Pac 10 or SEC or even the Big East. But it is better than folks give it credit and I think given BYU's challenges fairly commensurrate to the Y situation. I will say that if many of you get your wish for BYU to play in Pac-10 or Big-12 within 4 years you will look longingly back at BYU's good situation in the MWC.

Further, I believe that if BYU establishes dominance of the MWC the other big time chances, however you folks define that because so far there has been nothing but claiming that winning won't be good enough, will follow. Consistency is the key in college football.

Winning a Conference Championship is the #1 Goal of every coach,,,even at the BCS level...because that usually will guarantee a shot in a BCS Bowl.

BYU ought to aspire to be around the level of Texas A&M. To be in the national conversation at times, even if playing 2nd fiddle or 3rd fiddle in its BCS conference.

I'm ok with that.

I'd rather be in the conversation than at the little kids table.

I wonder how much moving to the Pac 10 has benefitted ASU and Uof A. Perhaps it has been immeasurable, but they really haven't done much in football that often and UofA has been great in basketball.

If BYU consistently wins conference championships that will occur.

I think the Y has a great shot at making a splash on the national scene either of the next two years. If BYU finishes this year with only one more loss and wins its bowl game with the offense having a good showing, it will get all sorts of preseason pub as the best BCS busting potential. The key to making a national splash is the year before. One must start the season either in the top 25 or very close with folks paying attention to you.

Next years schedule is favorable with the trip to Washington as its most daunting game, unless either TCU or Utah have really good teams.

Mike, this time last year you were pronouncing that Bronco couldn't carry Patterson's jock now you are whining that winning the conference back to back years ain't good enough. You might be a spoiled zoob, but just one with great intellectual and communicative powers who is able to throw up sufficient smoke screens to keep the truth hidden.

Or is it because if one wants to troll concerning the Bronco hype one can't claim he sucks as it appears that the dude has his shit together and the likely truth is the MWC is likely to become his bitch in the short term, so the only recourse left is to carry on that this ain't good enough? ;)

Double AMEN to that.

That's why it's all about conference affiliation.

If Mike wants to talk about a potential problem he ought to bring up recruiting. Bronco was left with some pretty good talent. How good is the young talent Bronco has brought in and will they stick.

I am very content with us competing for the MWC crown every year and occasionally (say, every 3 years) making a national splash.

We will never be consistently as good as the top schools in the BCS conferences because we are not in a BCS conference and therefore do not have access to BCS caliber talent (on the whole). Aside from the rare occasion when a high school kid has some abnormal affinity for a given school, kids choose conferences, not schools. For the most part, good high school ballplayers don't say, "I really want to play at Cal one day." They said, "I want to play in the Pac-10" or "I want to play D-1 ball."

I concede that BYU, with its religious affiliation, is, much like Notre Dame (Catholicism, exclusive TV contract), Florida (enough hot chicks (in the name of the HUGE knockers on Tim Tebow's now-famous (ex-?)girlfriend, did you see the crowd shots during the Auburn game??) and booze to make any teenage boy with a penis and two testicles sign on the dotted line) and other schools who have some sort of non-geographical advantage in recruiting, a partial exception to the above stated rule about choosing conferences over schools. But I am not in the camp of those who believe that, in the long run, a non-BCS school can compete for national titles consistently. I am more than happy to get 7-10 wins per year with an average to lousy defense and a high-octane passing offense.

Time will tell.