Likely Votes Against:
San Diego State
Colorado State
Air Force
Wyoming
New Mexico
Likely Votes For:
Boise State
Utah State
UNLV
Unknown:
San Jose State
Nevada
Fresno State
I do not think that Hawaii has a vote as a football-only member. The reason why those 3 are unknown is because of the LGBTQ issue, they are in very liberal areas of the country. The reason why the other 5 are against is because they have been in 2 to 4 conferences that BYU has abandoned. Colorado State has been with BYU since the old RMC days and has been with BYU in every conference move. They were probably the most ticked-off when BYU went independent. These school are unlikely to join BYU in a new conference.
I know Bronco said that independence wasn’t sustainable long-term. Why not? Maybe he was thinking that we couldn’t get to a national championship without being in a P5 conference. The truth is that we would be very unlikely to get into a national championship game whether we were in or out of a P5 conference. For example, Kansas has been in a P5 conference for many years and has never gotten a sniff of a national playoff game in football. It is just a very hard thing to accomplish the way the college football world is currently run. Is it so bad to be one of the most televised teams in the country and having the opportunity to schedule schools from all over the country? The WCC has lousy facilities but great locations and basketball has the opportunity to play in the NCAA tourney so it is a sustainable situation. I think BYU can survive as things currently are until a better situation opens up. The current situation is better than being in the MWC and I think it is sustainable for the foreseeable future.
The short answer is that if BYU loses 2 games early, as we have this season, the season becomes a lost cause. That costs us any national discussion, seats in later contests. In a P5 conference you can still “play your way back” to winning your division, a possible final 4 invite, a $$$ bowl or even a national title. Indy gets you nothing. Look at Notre Dame this year. They are jumping off buildings about now.
Ben,
It was always P5 or nothing. The idea of crawling back to the Mtn West makes me ill. BYU would head to the AAC or form a new one with the best of those teams and maybe poach a BSU and CSU of the MWC.
OU will not leave OSU in the dust. Probably headed to the Big 10. Texas to the SEC or Pac 12. The world will be much different by 2025. BYU will do one of 2 things:
BYU will get a hefty ESPN contract to keep it P5 equivalent and stay Indy.
BYU will get back in a conference and make themselves relevant in Novembers
If ESPN is hurting financially, they may drop BYU and pick up some other school as fodder for their Thursday / Friday games. The only reason Ok would concern themselves with OSU is for political reasons. It might well turn out best for BYU that the B12 stood pat but they will have to figure out how to get by for 9 or 10 seasons. Forming another conference now or years from now is a very, very difficult thing to make happen, particularly in trying to make a new P5 type conference happen. It would take 2 or 3 schools the stature of Ok or Texas to ramrod it to give it even a chance to occur. It would not surprise me, at all, to hear, sometime in the future, that BYU is abandoning football - perhaps BB too. For me, if BYU limps back to the MWC or any such conference, I am done as a day in and day out fan.
BYU sports is a missionary arm of the church. As long as the exposure is there with ESPN, sports will survive. I know that many on this board want a national championship but that isn’t the motivation of the administration. Otherwise, Sunday play and the Honor Code would we changed to help accomplish that goal. We are who we are. I’m happy to have a competitive team that is fun to watch.
The Church will not spend big time tithing money on football, I don’t care how much they believe FB is a missionary tool as that would look bad to tithe payers. So if BYU cannot maintain the football program and overall sports programming on their own financially, I believe major sports will be abandoned. That would leave soccer, volleyball, etc. to help the missionary effort.
Where have you been Scott, sleeping? Finances have been an issue discussed on this board and outside of this board since BYU was in the MWC and was being messed over by that league. Without ESPN BYU would likely struggle financially. Recently, ESPN has been in a bit of a financial pinch and it is not a certainty that they will reup with BYU. There might be a preferable (for ESPN) replacement for BYU.
Grow up man. There is a very large world out there outside of BYU. And many other universities that would be glad to be ESPN’s fodder for their airtime.
I don’t think ESPN will ever unilaterally end its relationship with BYU. Remember, BYU beat Pitt in the first ever nationally televised game on ESPN. Our histories are too intertwined and too many good people love both organizations and have a say-so for the relationship to end unless it has to due to some future conference affiliation for BYU. ESPN is our loyal friend, and I like it that way!
PS The MTN West is a joke for football. Hoops, ok, it would be a huge upgrade over the Rec League, but football drives the bus and I don’t see Holmoe doing it–and remember we make about 10X more $$ indy than we would in the MWC.
ESPN’s only loyal friend is money. BYU may have agreeable relationships with ESPN over the years but money is money and friends can be bought in the business world.
10 billion $$$ vs BYU’s 1.5 million per game. BYU and ESPN will not be going away. We helped ESPN a lot when they were just getting started and they will not forget us. BYU’s games are highly rated and to my knowledge, only BYU and BSU have been the featured Thurs-Friday night games for years now. ESPN needs us as much as we need them.
If anything ESPN will be paying BYU a ton more when this contract runs out.
Well, you are much more convinced than I am. When and if ESPN believes another university FB suits them better, for whatever reason, they will cut BYU loose in a nanosecond.
Here is the reason why I have a problem with that statement, and don’t misunderstand, I agree with you 100%.
ESPN would jump if another FB program popped up. But outside of BSU, who has popped up in the past 20 years? Houston, maybe but they lost to Army of all teams a week ago. wow, that was crazy.
BSU has won 3 Fiesta bowls, that is just crazy and if they weren’t so crappy in all their other sports and such a small market with lousy research and academics, BSU would be a slam dunk P5.
But here is the real reason why ESPN needs BYU so much…All other P5 schools will not play on a Thursday or Friday night, at least not top 25 type teams. Conference races and New Years are too important to them. Yes, there is the national exposure of the only game on a Thursday or Friday night but P5s would only make a rare appearance. EPSN needs BYU especially in the months of Oct and Nov.
ESPN is nice to have to broadcast at BYU. But, I see a pattern here. Why are we seeing more 8:15 start time on a Thur, Fri & Sat lately, especially against Mississippi State of SEC? Are we going see late games when Wisc & Utah game at LES next year? And next few years? I don’t see any of those P5 want to come and play at that late time and odd days. We are not a prime time program and lately those games are not showing on espn until other team finished the game first and we are half way through in 1st qtr. I do hope that we get an extension with espn or sign up with other network deal.
I better take a nap before tomorrow game - Beat Boise State!