There’s never been a time for BYU football like the past couple of days. Not ever. Never.

The combo pack of attention, praise and respect the Cougars have received in the aftermath of their win over Notre Dame on Saturday night is unlike anything that’s come before. Certainly not on a national scope and scale. The response from nearly all corners of college football — from those who make it their business to study and report on, to opine about and discuss it — has reached a new level.

That’s not just been evident in the AP Top 25 poll that was released on Sunday, in which BYU jumped from No. 8 to No. 2, but also in the postgame commentary making the rounds. More than a few folks have proclaimed that the Cougars should be No. 1, based on two things: 1) the losses suffered by other highly regarded teams, and 2) the overall record and performance of top-ranked Miami, which many say hasn’t been as impressive or deserving as what BYU has done to date.

If you’ve paid attention to articles, shows and podcasts — and there are hundreds of them — featuring commentary by prominent observers of the college game, including writers, broadcasters, analysts, coaches, former coaches and former players, you’ve read, heard and seen the accolades flowing toward BYU.

Kalani Sitake has been lauded. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has been lauded. Bear Bachmeier has been lauded. The offensive line has been lauded. The receivers and tight ends have been lauded. The defense has been lauded. The culture has been lauded. The setting and scenery and crowd and atmosphere at LaVell Edwards Stadium have been lauded. Cosmo and Cougartails and Cougarettes have been lauded.

Everything, everyone has been lauded — except for the Big 12 refs and the clock operator at LES. Folks have said the officiating crew missed the pass interference committed on what turned out to be Notre Dame’s last offensive play of the game. Some — including the Big 12 — have said there should have been one second left after that incomplete pass. Some have said the final play, which commenced with four seconds remaining, actually took more than four seconds from the time of the snap until the ball hit the ground, but the clock operator was late in starting the clock.

The remarkable part of that controversial ending is that most so-called experts are not holding any of that against BYU. Outside of a smattering of irate Notre Dame fans — and that percentage seems to be in a distinct minority — most rational humans who watched the game (in person or on television, and there were millions of them) say the Cougars outplayed the Irish in almost every aspect and deserved to win.

BYU has never gotten that kind of love.

True, it’s won a national championship, it’s had a player who won the Heisman, and guys who won Outland trophies and Doak Walker and Davey O’Brien awards. It’s had All-Americans.

Back in 1984, when the Cougars won that national championship, finishing first in the polls, they got their trophy and kept it. But the powers that be in college football didn’t like it and, in truth, neither did a whole lot of people. There were those who were OK with it. BYU was undefeated that season. But it was widely held, even by some of those who voted in the polls, that BYU hadn’t really played anybody that season, that its schedule was too soft.

In more than a few corners, the Cougars were actually ridiculed for that title and punished for it in the years after. It was thought that subsequent postseason structures were set up to prevent, or at least inhibit, an outfit like BYU from gaining that kind of reward at the expense of others.

Even in a period now of power and money struggles between Power 4 conferences regarding who should have greater access to playoff opportunities and who shouldn’t, who’s worthy and who isn’t, BYU, as of Saturday night, finds itself, if not among the absolutely venerated, among the more venerated.

It is somewhat ironic that the Big 12 and advocates of the league are now attaching themselves to BYU, using its success as an example of how good the league as a whole is, as a tide that is lifting all boats and all conference teams. Ironic it is, considering the uphill climb the Cougars faced for so many years as an outsider looking in, begging league schools to let them in.

Ah, bygones are bygones. And BYU is happy to do whatever it can to help its league-mates. Everything but lose to them. And lose to them, the Cougars might. Sitake’s team will have to be careful to avoid any sort of emotional or executional letdown after its big win, after receiving so much praise. In addition to the coming week-to-week competition, there happens to be a game against an extremely talented Utah team coming up in early November.

But even — especially? — if BYU loses that game, maybe multiple Big 12 teams will get into the playoff. As we speak, before the first CFP ranking comes out, BYU, Texas Tech and Utah are all in the AP poll’s top 10.

Whether that will last is unknown.

What is known is that BYU football has more respect on its name right now than it’s ever had before. It’s up to the Cougars themselves to make certain it stays that way.