In the wake of a loss to state rival Utah, BYU is setting their sights on bigger things: their bowl game.
The Cougars missed out on qualifying for a bowl game last season.
A tumultuous season had BYU football finishing with a 6-6 record, improving on last year’s 4-9 finish. However, the devastating 35-28 loss to Utah meant that Cougar nation is putting all their sights on Selection Sunday to find out their post-season fate.
Social media has been home to most of this excitement, with BYU players and fans alike expressing their desire to make a trip to the sunshine state and the Gasparilla bowl.
If BYU were to be chosen to go to Tampa, they could face former head coach Bronco Mendenhall and his current team, the Virginia Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers finished their season with a 7-5 record, a matchup that could provide an exciting and fast-paced game, and give the BYU seniors a chance to play in front of Mendenhall one last time.
The hashtag “#BYUtoTampa” started to gain traction after BYU quarterback Zach Wilson posted a tweet with his bowl prediction.
Let’s make it happen ?♂️ @espn #BYUtoTAMPA #WeGoingBowling
— Zachary Wilson (@zachkapono) November 27, 2018
With almost 700 likes in three days, Wilson’s tweet sparked a number of replies from fans and fellow BYU players calling for the Cougars to take a trip to sunny Florida.
Freshman Devin Kaufusi and junior Beau Hoge also tweeted out the hashtag, hoping to give ESPN a hint to where the team wanted to spend their holiday this year.
#BYUtoTAMPA LETSSSS GOOOO https://t.co/caSTGysaTT
— Devin Kaufusi (@devskaufusi) November 27, 2018
Tweets and replies of the hashtag call on ESPN to put the Cougars into the Gasparilla Bowl. Kyle Griffitts, a Florida native, tweeted his excitement to return home and escape the Utah cold.
#BYUtoTAMPA Plz take me home @espn !!! #ByuBowling #CantStandThisCold
— Kyle Griffitts (@kgee42) November 27, 2018
Although the appeal of leaving the cold and a chance to show Mendenhall the legacy he left at BYU are both good reasons to want a particular bowl game, any bowl selection will be a chance for the Cougars to prove to the nation that they won’t stay down when the going gets tough.
With a strong core of advancing seniors and a large group of new freshman, this year’s bowl game will give the team one more opportunity to play as a team and, hopefully, add another win to the books.
With the Dec. 2 Selection Sunday fast approaching, bowl predictions for BYU keep rolling in.
Tweet your bowl game predictions or #BYUtoTampa tweets to @DUSportsDesk.
