BYU goes independent in football

BYU goes independent in football

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

The link: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars/50197201-88/byu-football-conference-sports.html.csp

 

Failed......

 

Only time will tell if they have made a huge f’ing mistake.
I don’t see how they will ever get a National Championship bid now.

 

Well, I think if they man up and take the "anytime anywhere" attitude like FSU and Bowden and most recently Fresno St. they will certainly get their shot.

 

I tink it's a twick.

 

I noted in a couple of articles that there is some speculation that this is their first step in getting into the PAC 10 or whatever it is. I don’t see it, but who knows.

 

I think BYU is angling for Big 12 membership; I think they know by now they will NEVER get into the Pac-10/Pac-12. This is a program that has always thought of itself as a legit national contender in football and basketball and wants to be seen as such by the rest of the country. They felt like the Mountain West's absolutely awful TV deal (Comcast/Versus/The Mountain) was really holding them back. Today's announcement of a new TV deal with ESPN and a multi-year series with Notre Dame (to go with the multi-year series they already have planned with Texas) shows this is not just a lark or a reactionary move, but something BYU has thought about for a long time. The faction of their fanbase that has long advocated this course finally won out, having their argument bolstered by Utah's move.

Will it work out for them? Only time will tell. While it seems the TV situation is already better (a guaranteed number of games on ESPN and whatever isn't picked up will be on their own BYUTV network), ESPN is only interested if they win and win big. Independence is no picnic. Even Notre Dame, with all their money, power, tradition, and built-in advantages and favoritism has had a hard go of it lately. For the first time in history, over the last 3-5 years, you could make the argument that Notre Dame might actually have been better off in a conference, whereas in the past, you could never have said that. While they are off to a great start, scheduling will be hard, especially late in the season. Good deals with Texas and Notre Dame aside, and assuming in-state rivalries with Utah and Utah State will continue, who else do you play now? To go to BCS bowls, they have to go undefeated, or close to it, but they will not get national respect unless they schedule tough. BYU also thinks they are above "body-bag" road trips. They will agree to nothing less than home-n-home deal now. Would SEC schools go for that? Lots of unanswered questions.

As for basketball and other sports, this may not have been a great move. You have to consider the Mtn. West a better b-ball league than the West Coast Conference, and even with that, BYU will not just walk into that league and dominate. Gonzaga, St. Mary's, and Pepperdine are all legit. Don't see them owning in baseball either, Pepperdine is too good.

I have to believe this is an angle for Big 12 membership in a few years, and not a long-term strategy. Hope it works out for them, but they need to be prepared for things not going to plan and doing this for the long haul. Hope they know what they are doing.

 

Dumb move....

 

With their nice new independency and their new athletic director assisting in their scheduling (ESPN), I think they are going to get what they deserve. Now ESPN can say they own their own college football program.

 

I'm having a tough time caring about this. Maybe I'm missing something? Somebody school me.