Just a year ago, BYU came up just short in overtime in Stillwater, missing their chance to become bowl-eligible and suffering its seventh consecutive loss.
Saturday night, the Cougars took care of business against the Houston Cougars, clinching 10 wins for the first time in their Big 12 era.
If you had asked any BYU fan before the season started if they would take a 10-win season, including a game-winning victory at Utah, they would have jumped at the chance.
Yet, why doesn’t winning 10 games feel great at the moment? Because there wasn’t a satisfying ending. It’s like enjoying a great meal only to be served an awful dessert — you’re going to remember how bad the dessert was more than how great the meal was.

Unfortunately, BYU’s 10th win came with a bittersweet taste, as their Big 12 title hopes were decided in Ames, Iowa, where the Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 29-21. With the championship out of reach, BYU played for pride against Houston.
Coach Kalani Sitake summed up the mood after the game, saying, "Even though we are 10-2, my mind goes to 'what could have been?'"
Sitake echoed the sentiment shared by all Cougar fans tonight.
Coming into this season, sportsbooks set BYU's win total at just four. By Week 5, they had already surpassed that number. Starting the season 9-0 generated warranted hype around the program, but the way it unraveled for BYU will be disheartening for fans.
This season has been a roller coaster for BYU football. It had its highs and lows, but like most roller coasters, it ultimately landed somewhere in between. The highs created unforgettable memories for Cougar fans, like the game-winning field goal against SMU, Darius Lassiter’s go-ahead touchdown against Oklahoma State, and Will Ferrin’s legendary game-winner against "the team up north."

However, the lows of this season came at the worst possible times. The botched punt against Kansas and the disastrous Arizona State game are the moments that will linger in BYU fans' minds. Those small lapses were the difference between a great season and an unforgettable one.
It’s a shame this season won’t be remembered more fondly—though maybe, in time, it will be. For now, it feels like yet another all-time BYU “what if.” What if BYU doesn’t botch the punt against Kansas? What if it recovers the onside kick against Arizona State? What if Chase Roberts catches that ball in the end zone against Arizona State? What if Kansas State had beaten Iowa State?

Opportunities to make the College Football Playoff don’t come around often. Teams have to seize them — especially in a year as wide open as this one in college football.