Done deal: BYU to go independent in football

[Iceaxe]

I expect a BYU news conference Wenesday morning.....

But I'm still not seeing this as a great move.... half of BYU's games will still be against crappy WAC teams.... and to me, crappy MWC teams are a better show then crappy WAC teams..... One positive is I can see a home/home series with Notre Dame late in the season becoming a regular deal. Maybe same with Navy which would offset the loss of Air Force.

[accadacca]

This has to be a huge distraction during game week. I really expected an announcement by last week at the latest.

[CarpeyBiggs]

they are going to wait until the last second, for the same reason that it fell apart last time. byu is gonna keep their mouths shut...

[Iceaxe]

This has to be a huge distraction during game week.

I doubt the BYU players or coaches give it a second thought.... they are busy preparing for UW. To a player or coach next year is forever...

they are going to wait until the last second, for the same reason that it fell apart last time. byu is gonna keep their mouths shut...

Have you been following the emails between the presidents? I find it very interesting. Word is it was Conference USA that tipped off the MWC to what was about to happen and scuttled the last deal.

[CarpeyBiggs]

yeah, i read that. sounded like a courtesy call from the wac to cusa or some such.

interestingly enough, it doesn't appear to be BYU who started the mess. the WAC approached them... i guarantee BYU is doing the approaching now though. probably doing everything they can to get 12 teams on the football schedule for next year, is my bet.

[CarpeyBiggs]

well, they did it. BYU to go football INDY, and WCC for all other sports...

[accadacca]

Done deal.

IMO its desperation and a HUGE risk...

[accadacca]

The Notre Dame of the West...

[Iceaxe]

All I can say is over 50 teams have taken the independent path at one time or anther and only 3 (now 4) are still at it. There is a reason for that.... I don't begrudge BYU for wanting to improve their program.... I just don't think this is the ticket....

So.... who are the powerhouse teams in the WCC.... Salt Lake Community College, Steven Henager, and Utah College of Massage?

[CarpeyBiggs]

desparation? how do you figure? certainly not desperation for the football team, or really even basketball.

also, who knows how it will play out. guaranteed, it's better than the mtn deal they've been under. they stand to make much more money. the real question is, when they schedule the big time teams, can they win? that's debatable. i expect we'll hear next years schedule details at the press conference tomorrow. i wouldn't be surprised if notre dame is on there. texas, notre dame, utah, USU, perhaps hawaii, and even if you fill it in with some pansies, that still a very respectable schedule.

i think, however, it's safe to say this is a temporary move. maybe only a few years. there's a lot that can change in the whole college football scene. and while it's not even close to getting a big 12 or pac 10 invite, it puts BYU in the position for BYU. now all they have to do is win.

[accadacca]

I believe they were desperate to do something after Utah decided to leave the MWC. IMO, they are in jeopardy of becoming the little brother in the state...give it 10 years.

Explain this (I would really like to know others opinions): How does this makes BYU Football a better product on the field and position them to play in BCS bowls and have a shot at a National Championship? Money is great don't get me wrong, but as a fan I care about what my team puts on the field. It is nice to know Utah will get more money in the Pac-12 and they can throw that around. Yet, as a fan I am clearly the most excited about Utah Football becoming a better product and attending games where the full package (both teams) are a better product collectively. Lets not forget that Utah will be in a BCS conference, so they can actually win a National Championship (even with a loss). This will probably never happen, but it is now possible.

[CarpeyBiggs]

no doubt, they had to leave the MWC for obvious reasons. they aren't "desperate" because anything the U did. but in the past, both those teams were committed to resolving these situations together, as they both succeeded with each other. the U did what was in their best interest, so now BYU is doing what's in theirs. in no way did it leave BYU "desperate," even though it must give you the warm fuzzies to think the U somehow dealt BYU a knockout punch. definitely not the case.

BYU is an entirely different animal than the U. In no way do they resemble the U, or vice versa, except the fact they both play in the state of Utah and have long been rivals. but, ultimately, the church decides what BYU's course is. and the money is not the primary motivation. nor is a national championship or BCS berth. those are possible byproducts of what the church ultimately wants, and that is EXPOSURE. they want to control their own product.

as for actual BCS appearances, I don't think it is really even on BYU's radar right now, to be honest. i imagine, though i am without facts to support me today, that they will be scheduling some very big teams in the next few years. teams with home and home's like Texas, ND, and a handful of other big 12 teams who now have schedule vacancies because of nebraska and colorado leaving. there is plenty of room for them to find a big schedule. and those products, when BYU controls them, are worth more money than a BCS berth is. especially when you consider, in a non-AQ conference, you essentially have to go undefeated in order to get those berths.

so, while a berth would be great exposure, nationally televised games on ESPN with teams like Texas, or ND, or Texas Tech, or Clemson, or whoever will be more worthwhile, overall.

remember, BYU is about furthering the church's agenda. that is their sole reason for even existing.

so while i know utah fans will want to think it's all about being second fiddle now, it really has little to do with them. two totally different institutions, two totally different styles of student athletes, two totally different end-games. no one will argue that utah has made a solid move up. it's a given. byu's is not a given. there's a lot that has to be learned on the fly. but the difference is, BYU has the resources that no other indy football team has ever had, and they think they can make it work. (remember, these are the same people making this decision as those who lead the LDS church, the board of trustees is not run by an AD or college president, it is run by the 12 in salt lake)

you can sit there and make predictions now about who is going to be the best, or whatever, but the bottom line is you really don't know at this point.

[accadacca]

More money, exposure, yadda, yadda...

Everyone is guessing at this point and giving their opinion. You have only named one school that BYU currently has scheduled.

remember, BYU is about furthering the church's agenda. that is their sole reason for even existing.

I don't buy it, at least not yet. I understand that the LDS church has a different strategy and you made some good points about that. Yet, it has never seemed to me that they have focused on the strategy (in sports) that you described. It has been about winning conference championships, BCS bowls and another National Championship. Those words have come out of Broncos mouth over the years and have been team goals as well. Maybe they are working toward a new strategy?

Again, nobody knows everything...that's what these damned message boards are for.

[Iceaxe]

so, while a berth would be great exposure, nationally televised games on ESPN with teams like Texas, or ND, or Texas Tech, or Clemson, or whoever will be more worthwhile, overall.

My biggest thought is what big schools will want to schedule BYU if they have a strong program? The newest trend is to schedule cupcakes for your out of conference schedule to not mess up your rankings and ruin your chance at big bucks.

The first indication of what this move does for the program will be National Letter of Intent day.... you have to have the players, it will be interesting to see if the kids buy into the new product. It appears most the BYU fans are jumping on the bandwagon, which is a good sign.

So far the big loser in all this is Utah State....

[CarpeyBiggs]

I don't buy it, at least not yet. I understand that the LDS church has a different strategy and you made some good points about that. Yet, it has never seemed to me that they have focused on the strategy (in sports) that you described.

please explain how it is any different than what i have suggested? hey, this isn't what i believe, this is what the church says it is. and like i said, the 12 make the calls on it, not the atheist fans like me...

It has been about winning conference championships, BCS bowls and another National Championship. Those words have come out of Broncos mouth over the years and have been team goals as well. Maybe they are working toward a new strategy?

BYU has scheduled texas and utah will definitely be on there. the rest is a guess, until we find out tomorrow. but like i said, BYU wouldn't do this if they didn't know they had an ESPN partnership, and if they didn't have some significant ways to get exposure.

you are wrong, however, about bronco claiming it's about winning. in fact, he rarely speaks like that. i wish he would. he has implied it, but even his quirky sayings like "quest for perfection" and "band of brothers" and "fully invested" are not about winning, according to him. it's about recruiting the right kind of student athlete, and helping them develop into something "bigger than football." which is why they will always field a different type of team than the U. winning is a byproduct. you may or may not believe it, but that is definitely the case. that is why byu has strict academic and moral codes that have to be adhered to. otherwise we'd have unga playing running back this year...

case in point - ricks college sports. they were consistent winners, even national champs, and always popular on campus. they were done away with because why? they didn't further the mission of the church. that is the bottom line.

i will make a prediction though. when we find out what the 2011 schedule is, it will be a huge upgrade from the mwc schedule. there will be some big names in there, but you are right, until we have confirmation, no one knows the schedule.

[CarpeyBiggs]

My biggest thought is what big schools will want to schedule BYU if they have a strong program? The newest trend is to schedule cupcakes for your out of conference schedule to not mess up your rankings and ruin your chance at big bucks.

big bucks? they can come from other games besides the BCS. why did oklahoma play BYU last year? because both teams made almost as much as they would've by playing in a BCS game. and teams will play games they might lose for a couple reasons. one - it's OOC, so if you lose, you can still win your league and get a BCS berth. two - those teams who are confident enough to win national championships don't care who they schedule. they believe they will win every game.

the only teams scheduling cupcakes are those who are not AQ conferences. teams like BSU, even though they occasionally get a "big" game. teams who are in big boy conferences already play plenty of tough games. and they will likely play even more when there is exposure (national audience on ESPN?) and good money on the line. because guess what, if you win, your stock skyrockets... (look at what happened to BYU last year after they beat oklahoma.)

[Iceaxe]

Ouch.... this is going to hurt.....

Some great arenas for BYU's basketball program:

Capacity:

Pepperdine: 3,100

Portland: 4,852

Loyola: 4,156

San Diego: 5,100

Santa Clara: 4,500

Gonzaga: 6,000

St. Mary's: 3,500

San Fran: 5,300

My High School had a larger capacity then two of those. Of course its hard to say much.... Utah's basketball program belongs in the Big Sky, or maybe 5A.

[CarpeyBiggs]

evidence again that BYU doesn't look at this in any other terms than getting the most exposure out of it's most visible program. playing in the wcc will hurt.

however, playing the wcc on ESPN will be nice! (wcc already has a deal with ESPN)

[accadacca]

They better find a way to light up those gyms. I have seen a few USU games in these high school bleacher gyms and it is so dark on TV. You can't see a thing.

[Iceaxe]

I'm curious to hear the details, which should come out tomorrow at the news conference.

Without a doubt.... The best part of this deal is every game in HD!