In my mind it is no contest - independence all the way. People have said that we have nothing to play for. Well, this season would have left us with nothing to play for in the MWC had we been a member. The playoff will NOT stay at 4 games. Once it opens up to 8 games, they’ll very likely allow the best of the nonP5 to get the sixth slot AND ESPN will likely lobby to allow independents to be included in the best of the nonP5. Then there’s really no reason to join a conference.
If they don’t allow the best of the nonP5 to get the sixth slot, the nonP5 along with all the FCS (Div 1AA) teams that dream of 1A will sue. They’ll point to the success of TCU, Louisville, Cincinnatti, UCONN, Baylor, Duke, Oregon, Oregon St, KState as examples of non-traditional football powers who have succeeded with P5 affiliation, remind the court of the BILLIONS being exchanged, and how restraint of trade is such an ugly, illegal, and un-American practice. The NCAA will lose as it always does. The P5 schools can form a private clique but not as tax exempt entities and not without shrinking the pool of teams down to 65 or so. How fun would that be? At the end of the day, they’ll cave and throw a bone to the unwashed.
Eastfan, I agree with just about your entire post.
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When we limit ourselves with requirements that 1. the HC must be LDS in good staning and worthy of a Temple Recommend; 2. He must coach for much, much, much less that any P5 conference coach; 3. He donates back 10% of his inferior paycheck to tithing; 4. His budget can not afford to pay for quality DC and/or quality OC and/or other quality assistant coaches, than how can we expect to A.) ever make it to a Big 4 play off, and B.) compete against schools for the National Championship that have coaches that the major P5 Universities pay millions of dollars for in order to get the best in the Nation while we pay far less than a million for our HC. The OC and the DC in most of the quality P5 schools earn more than our HC.
We must start to realize that for getting into a Big 4 play off is a fantancy that will never happen with the restrictions that we now have. Playing for a National Championship is a fantancy that will never again happen under the restrictions that we now have.
Enjoy the Independent life. Schedule all the P5 teams that we can each season, and win or lose, we will have a great time, feel our bleachers, and get great TV ratings. Promise, that under no circumstancves, we will never again schedule a team that is not a respected division 1 team.
We will love the new respect we get. 7-5 season is great when playing all quality teams, while 12-0 SEASONS are meaningless and a wsste of time when we program to have a great winning season and another meaningless bowl.