Too Optimistic Tuesday: BYU earned AP Poll credibility despite recent failures

West Virginia v BYU | Chris Gardner/GettyImagesMost BYU fans cringed before scanning the new AP Poll released on Sunday.

After all, we have been conditioned over the years to just take for granted that AP voters tend to do everything in their power to drop the Cougars like a stone when they lose. Heck, even when BYU is winning, their success doesn't seem to impress AP voters on the East Coast, who apparently don't stay up past 10:30 PM Eastern on Saturday nights to actually watch college football.

So when the undefeated and No. 8-ranked BYU Cougars were completely overwhelmed and outclassed by No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday, many of us were preparing for the worst from AP voters. How far would…