Lee Corso Calls BYU The Best Non-Power Five College Football Team
Sep 25, 2021, 8:24 AM
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Lee Corso looks on during the first quarter between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – Count ESPN analyst Lee Corso as a believer in BYU football this season.
During ESPN’s College Gameday on September 25 in Chicago for the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game, Corso gave some high praise to BYU.
The former head coach at Indiana, and longtime ESPN analyst, called BYU the best team outside the Power Five conferences this season.
Lee Corso just said on College Gameday that he thinks #BYU is the best football team outside of the Power 5.#BYUFootball @kslsports
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 25, 2021
There are only two more years until BYU football is aligned with the power conferences when they join the Big 12 Conference. But for now, being touted as the best team outside the power league isn’t a bad thing.
This year features some quality teams outside of the power conferences. Cincinnati is ranked in the top ten and is undefeated this season. Fresno State is 4-1 with a win over UCLA. Then there’s Coastal Carolina; a team BYU is very familiar with; the Chanticleers are undefeated at 3-0 and ranked No. 17 in the latest AP Top 25.
The praise from Corso likely comes from the fact that BYU has jumped out to a 3-0 record after being the only undefeated team in the land to have all their victories come against power conference teams. So far this season, all three of BYU’s wins have come against teams from the Pac-12 South division (Arizona, Utah, Arizona State).
BYU faces its first non-Power Five opponent tonight when they host 1-2 USF Bulls from the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars still have four games remaining on their 2021 schedule against teams from Power Five leagues.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
