Response to an article from Desert News by Brad Rock, 6/25/19 @ 1:40 P.M

Football
1

Brad Rock: Seriously, how much does BYU want major bowls and championship Deseret News June 25, 2019 1:40 p.m.

The AAC (American Athletic Conference) a (G5 conference) could be looking for a replacement for the Huskies’ dreadful football program.

It is my opinion that getting a major bowl is not as important than being able to play 4 or more P5 teams per season plus teams like Boise State, Utah State, and even SDS.

Soon I hope that we will be able to shed games like the other 4 (give me) games
that are on our schedule.

I am patient. I am willing to wait until we can grow into the ability through experience by playing the top 8 teams on our schedule, until such time as we can have a winning season, without scheduling teams like those on our bottom 4.

Joining a G5 conference would just turn us BACK into
being a mid-major team in just another mid-major conference. Now playing as an independent team, many conferences, if not all, now see us as an Independent P5 team. I like that. I don’t like being a G5 team in a G5 conference.

There is no going back.

Missing out on Conference Championships by not being in a G5 conference, so that maybe, just maybe, we might be able to get a bowl game vs. a P5 team,
is not important to me .

As an Independent P5 team, we get to play at least 4 P5 teams each season.

We have the respect of being (maybe) an Independent P5 team, playing close to a P5 schedule instead of the disrespect of only being a Mid-major team in a
Mid-major conference playing a mid-major schedule.

The AD scheduling is hard as an Independent, especially in November. Yes. I know that.

President Kennedy, when speaking of his plans to put a man on the moon, said,

“We are not going to the moon because it is easy. “WE

are going to the moon because it is hard.”

2

I know Brad Rock who was in my ward for several years in Sandy, Utah. He did predict that BYU would beat No.1 Miami in Provo because of overall team and Ty Detmer. Great guy of Brad.

It will not happen, BYU joining AAC. Yes, I am patient too.
It is possible that AAC might give BYU a package deal by joining in their league.
Package deal: Allow BYU continue with the contract agreement with ESPN and continue rebroadcasting all after live games on BYUtv. “KEEP all the ESPN money.” And, allow BYUtv to broaccast all live games that ESPN does not broadcasting live games.
And, no contract agreement IF & WHEN P5 be calling BYU to join.

Buyouts to drop those already schedule games with P5 would make no sense. Again BYU will stay pat in Independent for another 4 or 5 years if and when P5 start having a major shakeups.

3

dew,

Thank you for your reply. I agree with your terms and conditions for joining the AAC,
if indeed, we chose to joint the ACC.

I do not believe that the ACC would agree to those terms and conditions that each of us, you and I, would insist on.

I want our Cougar’s to continue to move forward and avoid going back.

I want our Cougars from this season forward, to never play less than 4 P5 teams or more. Hopefully, when we show that we can consistently win 2 of the 4 P5 teams per season, we should advance to 6 P5 teams per season or more.

When we show that we can consistently win 3 of those 6 P5 teams, we should go for the 9 P5 games per season.When we can win consistantly win 4-5 of those teams, we will be a top choice for expansion.

When this time comes, the expansion Conferences will come after us. We will not need to beg as we will truly be the best option for expansion, not for what we did 35 years ago, but because of what we have done most recently. We have earned it.

Honestly, during the Big 12 (Maybe yes/maybe no/no) expansion time, we were not prepared. Since that time, we are becoming much more prepared than at any other time in our history.

(10-2) (9-3) (8-4 seasons) mean nothing unless we are playing close to a P5 schedule.

4

Or better. Why can we rescedule those November games for the next 4 years like take Idaho State, NM State, etc out and put in those AAC University as a swap. That would be better till this “IF & WHEN” this major realignment come around along with new TV contract and playoff.

5

dew,

I like your ideas.

Please consider this. Notre Dame, has expressed recently, the strong possibility that they would rekindle the BYU/Notre Dame game(s).

The independent teams include:

Notre Dame, BYU,Army, New Mexico St., UMASS, if I’m not mistaken. Maybe another easy team.

What if we scheduled these teams, (like a conference) each season, with the 4 or more P5 teams, and the rest of our games, from respected conferences like the MWC, the AAC, etc. WE should avoid scheduling FCS teams at all cost. By playing all of the Independents, from ND to UMASS, it would look more like conference games than the (give me) games that they really are, at least in part.

6

That would be good having 2 mwc, 2 aac, 4 or 5 P5, few Indy and stay away from fcs. But, scheduling can be tricky to each conferance teams that we can’t control in term of their scheduling conflicts.

As I have read about ND/BYU, the Irish like the idea playing at Raiders new LV Stadium as our neutal site sound like a great place to play at. But you think ND doesn’t want to come to Lavell Edward Stadium? I guess we have no control how they want.

7

dew,

If you remember, it was the Notre Dame game at Provo, that it was announced that Gary Crowton was fired. We won that game. Notre Dame was embarrassed to lose to us. They do not want to come back to Provo.

Ron

8

dew,

I believe what you suggest would be a good thing,

Remember that ND grew into being a National Prominence Team. They started out at a place not that much different from where we are now. They grew into what they are now, much like we may be growing into what we ND become. (God wants was, --------etc.)
We may become----------etc.) Of Course, I would rather be in a P5 conference, but until that invite comes, I would rather stay independent and grow in experience than to take the easy way out and join a conference and pretend that we are great again.

Notre Dame has become very comfortable being an Independent for many years. So can we become very comfortable being a respected P5 team as an Independent. We are recognized by some conferences now, (SEC) as a P5 Independent. When we start winning more P5 teams, we will be recognized by all P5 conferences. We are learning, We are gaining valuable experience, (win or lose) playing P5 teams. It is all working out if we have patience.

9

I didn’t know that they were embarrassed but what do I or we care! Anyhow, bring them back to the west either at LV or LES. Mostly Cougar Nation BYU Fans will fill one those two stadiums.

10

BYU just need to stay focus on winning. And one day something special will come for BYU.

11

dew,

My point, in saying that ND was embarrassed, is that it was years before they finally agreed to play with us after that time. We were guaranteed another home gave vs. ND, but they refused to come to Provo. We played a couple time since than in South Bend. I was at those games. We were competitive. The reason that they were embarrassed to lose to us in Provo, was because at that time, we were thought of by all of College Football as a G5 team from a G5 Conference and they were considered by all American College Football as a Power House P5 team as an Independent. To them, losing to us would be like us losing to
UMASS, Idaho St., or Liberty. Now after a long time, not being able to get back on their schedule, it appears that the compromise is that we play ND in Las Vegas if they don’t have to play us in the Hostile Environment of Provo.

Ironically, we treated them before the game, as extremely honored guest with banners from one end of University Ave to the other end. With all that honor, we apparently caught them off guard, ending with a victory for our Cougars.

12

dew,

I agree that it is important to try to win each and every game we play.
I think that it is even more important, that we continue the effort to learn how to play over our heads vs P5 teams, win or lose. If we do not learn how to have a winning season vs. as many P5 teams as possible, than how can we be expected to be successful in a P5 conference?

Perhaps, our program needs to be subsidized in order to be competitive vs. P5 teams until such time as we are invited into a P5 conference. Once we become a member of a P5 conference, our income will increase, as will our ability to recruit 4-5 star players, to the point that we will no longer need to be subsidized.

What ever branch of the financial Arm of the Church that could buy railroads, radio stations, TV networks, department stores, Coco Cola Stock, Pharma, etc, could also invest in BYU Football. It takes money to make money. Penny wise pound foolish does not make for a strong football program.