Adjusting expectations is the right of every BYU fan

Six games in with six games to go and BYU fans are adjusting their minds to the possibilities of reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time — and they have every right to go there. That's the beauty of being a fan.

It's the job of the coaches and players to stay focused and take it "one game at a time" but for everybody else, it's perfectly fine to release the hounds of imagination and let them hunt.

As one of only 11 undefeated teams in the nation, BYU's pursuit of the unexpected is underway.

This is the kind of season that justifies squeezing the family budget to buy tickets. It's the kind of year that makes sitting in the cold, on a metal bench until midnight seem like a perfectly good idea. It's also the kind of season that could sneak its way into the books as one of the best of all time — and it's happening right before our eyes.

But is it too soon, too fast, too much or too good for the weathered BYU fan to believe?

As I see it, there are two challenges on Friday — one on the field between BYU and Oklahoma State and the other in the stands. The No. 13 Cougars are favored to beat the Cowboys (Friday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN) to remain among the unbeaten.

The other test for the fans is more emotional. Gulping down the blue Kool-Aid leaves us vulnerable to disappointment and there are plenty of scars from the past that begat hesitancy.

Last year, for example, optimistic BYU fans saw their 5-2 team lose five straight games and miss the postseason. The defining daggers included watching a 100-yard pick-six against No. 14 Oklahoma and blowing a 24-6 halftime lead at No. 21 Oklahoma State.

I get it. Those were bitter pills to swallow.

Working as a defense mechanism against further disappointment, the mind quickly turned its attention to basketball and most of the offseason football grumbling was subdued. The Big 12′s preseason football poll that put BYU near the bottom hardly caused a stir. ESPN's computers projected 4.7 total wins and many figured they were right.

With low expectations as the expectation, the Cougars took the field against Southern Illinois on Aug. 31 to comments like these:

"I'll be good if we can get six wins and a bowl game."

"I only see two wins at home."

"Unless football catches basketball in NIL, we're doomed."

Head coach Kalani Sitake told the media following spring drills that, "We are going to surprise a lot of people" and he repeated it through fall camp. Halfway into this surprising season it is quite clear that Sitake knew his team and their potential.

Not all six of BYU's victories have been shockers, but the overall body of work has been a legit head-turner around the country.

Holding SMU without a touchdown in Dallas, winning on the road at Baylor, pounding No. 13 Kansas State 38-9 and Arizona 41-19 at home is the work of an intentional team — a contender. BYU is doing it without smoke and mirrors. Instead, it is winning all three phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams.

What is surprising is the outlets outside of Provo, that were so quick to define the Cougars as nonfactors, currently project BYU to reach the coveted College Football Playoff in just their second year in the Big 12.

A packed house will welcome the home team to the field on Friday. Those who have bought-in are all-in and those still on the fence, where it is emotionally safe, have every right to stay there — but how about taking another chance and dreaming the dream.

Since 1966, Linus has spent every Halloween sitting in a pumpkin patch hoping that this is the year the Great Pumpkin will show up. It never has, but still, he sits and waits. He's a dreamer — and a cartoon.

Sitake, an artist in his own right, has drawn up a real-life scenario that could take the program where it hasn't been in 40 years. He too is a dreamer — and sometimes a dancer. But he is all-in and so are his boys.

Maybe magic will keep happening at BYU or maybe it won't. There are no guarantees. That's why we watch. The old "Wide World of Sports" theme still rings true, these games truly provide "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."

On occasion, it also provides an early season surprise or two and gives fans a chance to adjust their expectations.