Donning Blue Goggles: How BYU will win the national championship in 2013

I saw that Las Vegas sports prognosticators have the odds of BYU winning a national championship in 2013 at 200/1. That’s right 200/1. My reaction to that news looked a lot like this:

My next move was dreaming up the series of unlikely events that will lead to BYU football’s glorious second national championship this season. Here are some of the components.

1. No major injuries. BYU has a bunch of guys on awards watch lists this season. The Cougs would need pretty much all of them to stay healthy and playing the whole season to win out. BYU especially can’t afford injuries in extra thin positions like the secondary.

2. Star players have to live up to billing, new stars must emerge. Stars like Hoffman and Van Noy would need to have Jimmer-esque senior seasons where they exceed lofty expectations. Up-and-coming stars like Williams, Kaufusi, and Hill would need to shine. And the others like Unga, D Sorenson, Friel, etc would need to excel in their positions to the point where they would be viable NFL candidates.

3. Coaches Tujague and Anae must work miracles with the offensive line. BYU’s offensive line looked terrible last season. The 2013 linemen would have to understand, embrace and masterfully execute the new system Anae is bringing in.

4. Anae’s new Go Fast, Go Hard offense must be so extreme that no opposing defense will be fully prepared to stop it. It’s not like BYU will have a massive talent advantage in every game. But if they are doing something opposing defenses aren't prepared for it could work.

5. Bronco’s defense must be as good as or better than the 2012 version. With the offense going fast, the defense could be on the field a long time. They’ll need to be able to handle logging big minutes and keep opponents out of the end zone consistently.

6. BYU needs a good kicker and rock solid special teams play. Whether it is Sorenson or another guy, BYU would need a reliable kicker. Same goes for the new punter. The rest of the special teams would need to impress as well.

7. Luck. BYU needs truckloads of good luck. The Cougars would need things like lucky bounces, uncharacteristic mistakes by opponents, key guys on other teams getting suspended at opportune times, weird weather that helps BYU, and of course other undefeated teams losing throughout the season. You don’t beat 200/1 odds without a healthy dose of luck.

Beating the Big Boss

Unlike the 1984 national championship where BYU had to beat a 6-5 Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl, the next BYU national title will go through a beast of a team in a massive title game. Let’s say it is Alabama this season. Beating a Big Boss team like The Crimson Tide in a title game would take some of all of the stuff above; but an extra, heaping dose of luck would be required to win that game.

But it could happen!

So yes fellow blue goggle wearers, I’m tellin’ you there’s a chance. And even if the 200/1 odds don't get beat, I am expecting it to be a tremendously fun year to be a BYU Cougar fan. Rise and Shout, y'all.