Preseason
Ty Detmer was entering his third year as a starter and a Heisman Trophy candidate. Head coach LaVell Edwards considered him so valuable that he was allowed to go through spring practice untouched. While Detmer and tight Chris Smith were projected to lead another high-flying BYU offense, Edwards was looking for improvement with the team's defense that had been embarrassed in the Holiday Bowl by Penn State, which had led him to pay a visit to the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason. Even with their defensive deficiencies, BYU was considered a Top 20 squad and expected to once again to win the WAC.
Read more about this topic: 1990 BYU Cougars Football Team