The Myth of the BYU Missionary Advantage subscriber Nate Crain
gives his take on the so-called LDS missionary advantage. Do
opposing coaches have a legitimate gripe or are they just making
excuses for their own inability to get the job done?  Over the
past couple decades ever since BYU began dominating the old
Western Athletic Conference in football many critics have
pointed to BYU's missionary program as a major factor in BYU's
success on the field. The reasoning behind the critics'
assertion is that the BYU players are on average older and more
mature than their opponents due to the NCAA exemption in
stopping the five year eligibility clock to allow for two years
of missionary service. The fact is the picture that the critics
have painted of BYU's program and the mission exemption is a
grossly inaccurate assessment of reality.  The Missionary
Advantage is Only Interesting when BYU Is Winning  In 1984, BYU
won its first NCAA football national championship. College
football fans were left wondering: how did a