Something to Live For

Notre Dame's Word of Life Mural--aka "Touchdown Jesus"

It's no secret to my friends and family that I am a big fan of BYU sports.  I especially look forward to football season every year.  There is something that I love about watching our football team play and every Fall, hope springs eternal that our football team will have a memorable season.

We all have things that motivate us, things that inspire us.  I'm not as good as I should be about setting goals, but goals do help us focus on the important things.  We can have personal goals and we can have other goals as well.  BYU's football team is no exception.

Back when BYU was a member of the WAC or MWC conferences, the football team's goal every year was to win the conference championship.  With BYU going independent, however, that goal is gone.  Instead, we all hope that BYU will win a national championship.  Another goal would be for BYU to make it to a BCS bowl game.

Play Like a Champion Today

With a current record of 4-3, however, BYU will neither win a national championship, nor play in a BCS bowl game.  Our goals for the football team, consequently, have gotten simpler.  Win the rest of our games and win the Poinsettia Bowl--and hope that that can springboard us into the national rankings for next year.

I know, it doesn't sound great, but things could be worse.  We could be Utah fans and have to win 4 of our remaining 6 games in the PAC-12 just to be bowl eligible.

Or we could be Utah State (who is having a great season) and have to worry that if we don't beat Louisiana Tech on the road, we might be bowl eligible, but not even make it to a bowl game.

Which brings me to this week.  Even though our overall season may be over, we have a chance to do something really special this week.  We play #5 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.  If we win, it would surely be remembered as one of BYU's greatest football wins of all time.  It is an opportunity to make an even bigger statement than going to a bowl game and winning.

Notre Dame Stadium

The last time BYU won in South Bend was in 1994. I really had no idea that the game was being played because I was trudging somewhere in the jungles of the D.R.  But I have a friend who played in that game and I'm sure that it's something that he will never forget.

The game on Saturday has the potential to be huge.  It will be on NBC for a national television audience.  It's not often that you have a chance to play a Top 5 ranked team and it's not often that you have a chance to beat a Top 5 ranked team.  But if you want to be the best, you have to play the best--and win.  I think we have a real shot to play well and win, despite the disappointments that we have endured this season.

If we do, it could be as fun and exciting a game as BYU's 2006 win over Utah.  A game that came down to the last play and which featured "The Catch" on an improbable pass from John Beck to Jonny Harline.  So BYU fans, even though even though we suffered through a disappointing loss to Utah and a 7-6 bummer of a loss at Boise State, there is still hope.  There is still something to live for!  :-)

The Catch!

UPDATE:  The DesNews published this article today:  "BYU Football: 1994 Win at Notre Dame One of BYU's Best".  Looks like I was a little ahead of my time!  :-)