This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
BYU still hasn't announced its bowl plans for the 2014 season, but on Wednesday the school announced it has "accepted an invitation" to play in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego after the 2016 and 2018 seasons. The Cougars will do so if they are not selected to play in the College Football Playoff, which begins next season. They will play against "one of the top teams from the Mountain West both years," according to the release. There's no mention in the release of what happens to BYU in 2015, but it will no longer be playing in the Poinsettia Bowl that year. Back on June 26, at its football media day, BYU announced it would play in the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl "and one additional season to be announced at a later date." However, the bowl announced Wednesday that its 2015 game will pit a Mountain West Conference team against Army. Of course, that's contingent on Army becoming bowl eligible (six wins), an iffy proposition most years. As an independent, BYU does not have automatic bowl tie-ins that are doled out to conferences, so the Cougars have to accept bowl invitations early. ————————Wednesday brought more honors for BYU senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Bruce Feldman of CBSSports.com has named BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy one of the 10 best defensive players in the 2013 season. Notes Feldman on Van Noy, who is tied for 10th with Ohio State's Ryan Shazier: "A play-making 6-3, 245-pound senior, Van Noy came up big in the Cougars win over Texas (eight tackles, one sack and five QB hurries) but he pretty much comes up big in every game BYU plays. He has a team-high 11 TFLs and is second with 46 tackles. Van Noy also has one pick-6."
Also Wednesday, Van Noy was selected as one of 10 finalists for the 2013 football Senior CLASS Award.The Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.