Outside of Army and Notre Dame, there aren’t too many independent programs left in college football. However, the BYU Cougars are not to be overlooked. They don’t get enough credit for all of their accomplishments on the football field. In the state of Utah, it’s not easy to get cheap BYU football tickets. Despite being an independent, the Cougars play a schedule that’s as challenging as any power-conference team, which means when you buy last-minute BYU football tickets, you’re guaranteed to see a great matchup.

Leader of the WAC

While BYU is now without a conference, the Cougars played in the WAC from 1962 to 1998 and were the preeminent football power in the conference. During BYU’s 37 seasons in the WAC, the Cougars won at least a share of the conference title 19 times. Most of that dominance occurred during the tenure of head coach LaVell Edwards, who led BYU to 10 straight conference championships from 1976 to 1985. That stretch also included BYU’s first national championship in 1984, a perfect 13-0 season that was capped by a win over Michigan in the Holiday Bowl.

Following a Legend

When Edwards retired after the 2000 season, the Cougars soon went through a down period. However, they came alive again after Bronco Mendenhall took over as head coach in 2005. From 2006 to 2009, the Cougars went 43-9 under Mendenhall, winning the Mountain West title twice and finishing each season ranked in the top-25. The winning seasons under Mendenhall kept coming and didn’t stop when he passed the torch to Kalani Sitake. Since Mendenhall’s first season in 2005, BYU has failed to qualify for a bowl game just once, becoming a model of consistency and proving that you don’t need to be part of a conference to build a successful football program.