As BYU fans we have become infamous for our catchphrase “We will be better next year”. Even if you aren’t one of the BYU fans that repeat it, you probably will at least know someone who does. We’ve been saying it so often lately that it’s become like a really crappy catchphrase that makes everyone else cringe. But is next season really better? And is there anything wrong with believing that it will be?

I grew up about 40 minutes away from Idaho State University, so unless the Boise State bandwagon was in town that season, people cheered for the Bengals by default, even if they only won two or three games a year. Nobody ever came away from an ISU season hoping to beat BYU and finish in the top 25. Even the most optimistic person in the world can’t say that could likely happen next season.

I love the concept of “Next Season” where BYU goes undefeated and Tayson wins a Heisman. It seams outrageous but the fact that we have fans with that kind of faith means the program must be doing something right. BYU is getting 4 star recruits and making adjustments in the coaching staff that lead us to believe that we will in fact be better “Next Season”.

And while the concept in this amazing “Next season” is just that, a concept, its important to know that it doesn’t have to be, nor has it always been just a concept. In 1982 the cougars went a measly 8-4 then went on the next two seasons to go 24-1 and win a national championship. And in 1995 they had a painful season of 6-5, only to turn around the next year and go 14-1.

We need to be hopeful for those we support. Every sports fan spends only a fiftieth of time celebrating a win as they do hoping and cheering for one. The alternative is constantly switching our support to whatever team did better last season. If we didn’t believe in our Cougars, we might be jumping on and off of whatever team bandwagon is rolling through this season, which apart from being just plain wrong, leads to a lot of Boise State and Seattle swag ending up at the DI.

Being overly optimistic for “next season” isn’t a bad thing, because the season we don’t say “we’ll be better next season” will be the season our program is not worth fighting for anymore. My point isn’t that we are going to go undefeated or win a national title in 2016, it’s simply that we have fans who believe we can still do incredible things. I’m glad we have one of the best athletic directors in the country who always ensures we have a reason to believe our program is looking up. I’m glad we have a head coach who is recruiting kids that make us excited, and I’m glad that we have a coaching staff that is always looking to improve the fundamental game plan where improvements are necessary. So here’s to the 2016 football season, and here’s to people like Tom Holmoe and Kalani Sitake who give us so much to hope for, and are the reason all my heroes are cougars.