Being a BYU fan can be hard.

While there were plenty of exciting moments in 2008, there were some that broke your heart, too. BYU football fans stayed in their seats until the final whistle in September's 59-0 thrashing of UCLA and threw pillows (hopefully nothing more destructive) at the TV after a loss in the Las Vegas Bowl. Basketball fans were thilled about the Cougars second straight Mountain West Conference title but exasperated when BYU couldn't win in the NCAA Tournament ... again.

Then, the final insult -- the hated Utes are in a BCS bowl game for the second time since 2004.

Ah, well. The new year brings new resolve and new hope for BYU fans.

Here's one man's opinion of the Top 10 BYU sports stories of 2008:

1. The Quest falls short

After a 6-0 start and a No. 8 AP ranking, the BYU football team fell hard with losses to TCU, Utah and in the Las Vegas Bowl to Arizona. To many BYU fans, a 10-3 record never looked so bad. The Cougars did have some highlights, including their third straight undefeated season in LaVell Edwards Stadium, a road win over a BCS conference team (Washington) for the first time in eight tries, seven touchdown passes by Max Hall in a 59-0 win over UCLA and back-to-back shutouts over the Bruins and Wyoming.

2. The Blue Olympics

Former BYU stars Ryan Millar and Rich Lambourne earned gold medals on the USA Volleyball team, coached by former Cougar Hugh McCutcheon, overcoming the shocking murder of McCutcheon's father-in-law in China. Former Cougar Nik Arrhenius competed in the discus for Sweden; Josh McAdams qualified for the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Joel Silva competed for Venezuela in volleyball. In addition, BYU diving coach Keith Russell was a judge in Beijing and cross country coach Ed Eyestone was a TV commentator for NBC.

3. Mr. All-American

After a bit of a slow start, Austin Collie put together the greatest receiving season in BYU football history. He finished with 106 catches for 1,538 yards (both BYU records) and 15 touchdowns. Even more impressive is an ongoing streak of 11 straight 100-yard receiving games. Just a junior, Collie will own every receiving record at BYU -- if he decides to come back for his senior year. He could declare for the NFL draft.

4. Good News, Bad News

The BYU men's basketball team won its second straight MWC title and received an NCAA Tournament bid. But the Cougars continued their failure in the first round with a crushing loss to Texas A&M, 79-77. The Cougars fell behind big early, came back to take the lead and then couldn't execute down the stretch. BYU has lost six straight NCAA first-round games and hasn't picked up a tournament victory since 1993.

5. All Hail the New York Giants

BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl was drafted in the fourth round by the world champion Giants and contributed both on special teams and as a backup. He got his first NFL start on Oct. 28 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and made his first career interception.

6. One Goes, One Stays

BYU junior center Trent Plaisted (6-foot-11, 240 pounds) decided to test the NBA waters and liked the temperature; he declared for the draft in April. Plaisted was chosen by the Seattle Supersonics in the second round (overall pick No. 46), then was traded to the Detroit Pistons. Eventually, Plaisted signed a one-year contract with Angelico Biella in Italy. Another Cougar, forward Lee Cummard, entered his name into the draft but decided to stay in Provo for his senior year.

7. Troubled Times

The BYU men's volleyball program -- which has won three national championships -- was placed on probation by the NCAA after a year and a half of investigation for improper benefits to two Cuban athletes. The penalties were a combination of self-imposed and NCAA restrictions, including a three-year probation period. The penalties also limited off-campus recruiting activity, reduced BYU's number of scholarships from 4.5 to four and demanded the disassociation of a booster. But the Cougars are still eligible for the post-season.

8. Finally

Year 4 of The Mtn. saw the dreams of many BYU and MWC fans come true: The television network of the Mountain West Conference became available on DirecTV in February. Of course, fans won't be satisfied until production quality improves (hello, HD, anyone?) and the other major satellite provider, Dish Network, has yet to climb on board.

9. New Digs

In the spring, BYU announced a renovation of South Field, which serves women's and men's soccer as well as lacrosse. BYU added more seating (to 2,140) and better lighting.

10. So Young

The whole BYU athletic program was in mourning when track athlete Chelsi Peterson, a freshman from St. George, was killed in a car accident in June.

• Honorable Mention: In March, BYU was named as the site for the 2009 NCAA men's volleyball Final Four. ... The women's soccer team won the MWC regular season and MWC tournament titles but lost a heartbreaker to defending national champion USC in a shootout in the College Cup second round. ... The BYU men's cross country team finished ninth at the NCAAs and Kyle Perry earned All-American honors (10th). ... The Cougar softball team advanced to the NCAA regional championship game before losing to Georgia, 4-0. ... Leif Arrhenius finished fourth in the discus at the NCAAs and earned All-American honors. ... The BYU men's rugby club team advanced to the USARFU finals before losing to five-time champion Cal, 59-7. ... The BYU men's lacrosse club team also made the national championship match but lost to Michigan, 11-7.

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