This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The word that hovers over BYU football, in the run-up to the start of its practices on Thursday, is … the Big O.

Opportunity.

Kalani Sitake used that word in a conversation we had recently. And it stood out, as though he had shouted it, when, in fact, he spoke it in the same even tone as all the other words that day. Maybe it was because he had learned his lessons well from a major mentor in his life.

In the vernacular of that mentor, of a former coach who did OK in Provo, who won enough games to have the stadium named after him, the Cougars "have a chance to be a pretty good football team."

Sitake, in his second year now, borrowed those sentiments, as he only slightly altered them.

LaVell Edwards uttered — and sometimes deadpanned, mocking himself —that line before each of his 29 seasons as BYU's head coach, which was a whole lot better than some of the words chosen by one of the coaches after him, the sorriest among those being the oh-so-infamous quest-for-perfection mantra.

It should be written in a college coaches guide somewhere that at no time, never, should any coach, head or assistant, ever be permitted to speak those three words — quest … for … perfection — in consecutive manner. If anyone does, they not only should be terminated immediately, they should be sentenced to a 12-step remedial coaching clinic where other such phrases, such as "position mastery" and "spirit, honor, tradition" and "collective consciousness of effort and competitive spirit" are drilled out of them, never to be spoken again.

LaVell was far too smart and savvy to spout that kind of nonsense, especially before the work had been done.

Opportunity, though, is something different. It carries with it a decent measure of optimism, but also an equal amount of responsibility.

Here's what Sitake knows:

At the center of everything BYU football amounts to — the quarterback position — the Cougars have a confident veteran, though his playing time was a bit delayed, returning to run the shop. In nearly every season during which BYU excelled, that's been a requisite.

Tanner Mangum played far beyond expectations when he was thrown into the starting position in 2015 three months after returning from an LDS mission. Last year, when Taysom Hill came back, Mangum fell into a kind of funk, attempting to learn a new system with Hill's presence straight eclipsing him.

That's all in the rearview now, Mangum having ascended back to the generalship of a team that's not just looking at him, it's following him.

"He's night and day from where he was a year ago," offensive coordinator Ty Detmer said. "Tanner was great in the spring. He understands the offense. His decision-making is sound. He's accurate and he has a strong arm."

Said Mangum: "I feel good about where I am. I'm ready and I'm prepared."

When the two were asked on the spot to quiz one another on situational football, what play to call and execute when facing specific defenses, where to look, where to take the ball, what to avoid, Detmer and Mangum demonstrated a sort of coordinator-quarterback mind-meld. They agreed on each of the situations presented, with scant divergence, which plastered a grin on Mangum's face.

"I feel more natural with all of it," he said.

Detmer nodded.

When asked his evaluation of Mangum, Sitake said: "He's a big-time player."

As mentioned, in years where the quarterback is big-time, the Cougars typically flourish. An experienced offensive line should help them in that regard, if the mostly inexperienced receivers show up. There's a fistful of running backs, led by Squally Canada, to replace Jamal Williams.

The other bright spot is the linebackers, who traditionally have been the core, the soul, the collective quarterback of BYU"s defense. Fred Warner, Butch Pau'u, Francis Bernard are the best unit on the team. The defensive front will have to put more pressure on quarterbacks to help the back end, but Sitake said he's upbeat, all around.

"We have an opportunity to do some good things," he said. "But there's a lot of work to get done."

If that work does get done, BYU's schedule will help. As usual, it's front-loaded, with the biggies — LSU, Utah, Wisconsin — coming in September, and Boise State and Mississippi State in early October. Three of those games are at LaVell's Place, which gives the Cougars a chance to stay afloat against their respectable competition. The rest of the schedule, on both sides of the tough stretch, is not impressive — Portland State, Utah State, East Carolina, San Jose State, Fresno State, UNLV, UMass, Hawaii.

That group of the hateful eight won a combined total of 27 games last season, with Hawaii getting seven of them. None had a winning record.

Which is to say, BYU has a chance to be a pretty good football team this year, as defined by its record. If it's pretty good enough to win two or three of the larger ones, that takes the victory total to double figures - before a bowl game is even played.

Yeah, the Big O.

Opportunity.

It's the sweetest word for what that is.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM. Twitter: @GordonMonson.