PK on 1320 implies BYU may be considering

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by OrangeUte

I like this talk of an independent BYU and the prospective bowl picture, or lack thereof. I can honestly see both sides arguments.

This additional key: no bowl tie-ins and like it or not, we're not near ND, so nobody's going to create a BCS exception for us. No bowls would suck.

[OrangeUte]

Originally Posted by Archaea

This additional key: no bowl tie-ins and like it or not, we're not near ND, so nobody's going to create a BCS exception for us. No bowls would suck.

Archaea - exactly my point. Unless BYU can get Jell-o to sponsor a bowl game in Provo, the post-season options for the cougs would be severely limited if they went independent.

Pac-10 is really the only option to BYU besides staying in the MWC.

I disagree with many of you on how bad the MWC is as a league. There is a drop after BYU, Utah, and TCU, but wins over CSU, Wyoming, and New Mexico are not as pathetic as wins over Duke (ACC), Baylor (Big 12), Stanford (cellar of Pac-10 except for occassional years), or even right now my mighty Syracuse Orange (horrific play in the Big East). Don't even get me started on the bottom of the Sun Belt Conference.

I'm not saying the MWC is a fantastic league, but I do think that it is a respectable league. The real problems with the league are that it has failed miserably to (1) get a good TV deal; and (2) get quality bowl tie-ins.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by OrangeUte

Archaea - exactly my point. Unless BYU can get Jell-o to sponsor a bowl game in Provo, the post-season options for the cougs would be severely limited if they went independent.

Pac-10 is really the only option to BYU besides staying in the MWC.

I disagree with many of you on how bad the MWC is as a league. There is a drop after BYU, Utah, and TCU, but wins over CSU, Wyoming, and New Mexico are not as pathetic as wins over Duke (ACC), Baylor (Big 12), Stanford (cellar of Pac-10 except for occassional years), or even right now my mighty Syracuse Orange (horrific play in the Big East). Don't even get me started on the bottom of the Sun Belt Conference.

I'm not saying the MWC is a fantastic league, but I do think that it is a respectable league. The real problems with the league are that it has failed miserably to (1) get a good TV deal; and (2) get quality bowl tie-ins.

The league isn't that pathetic, but its television contract is. What's hurting BYU is the deal with the Mountain. If the jump from the ESPN wasn't the single most myopic decision ever made, then I don't know what was.

The strangulation occurs from the lack of revenue not competition.

[OrangeUte]

Originally Posted by Archaea

The league isn't that pathetic, but its television contract is. What's hurting BYU is the deal with the Mountain. If the jump from the ESPN was the single most myopic decision ever made, then I don't know what was.

The strangulation occurs from the lack of revenue not competition.

Exactly. There was an unfortunate ability to capitalize on the Utes' busting of the BCS, and the Coug's and TCU's near busting prior to that in order to secure a better TV contract.

It is unfortunate, b/c now the WACk, due to last year's Fiesta Bowl, is the darling of the mid-majors instead of the MWC.

I would love to give Craig Thompson and co. a course in effective negotiating techniques.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by jay santos

Only one side believes this.

No, only someone who is disillusioned would not believe this.

[DirtyHippieUTE]

Originally Posted by Adam

Army has an automatic bowl invite to the second San Diego bowl if they are eligible. Are you really telling me that Army can get a bowl tie-in as an independent but BYU couldn't?.

I'd be interested to see the numbers on Army's fans when it comes to bowl attendance.

It is possible that Army travels well enough to merit a bowl invite.

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

The U and Y have a symbiotic relationship. Both need the the other in order to survive in collegiate athletics.

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

No, only someone who is disillusioned would not believe this.

So I'm disillusioned if I don't believe that without Utah, BYU athletics would crumble?

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by jay santos

So I'm disillusioned if I don't believe that without Utah, BYU athletics would crumble?

I believe so, yes.

Utah and BYU need each other. Neither could survive on it's own as an independent, but neither would survive as a pair of independents. The only way BYU (or Utah) could survive without the other would be for one to get invited to a BCS conference; however, because the two are linked together - whether or not any fans want it to be that way - they'd get invited together.

None of your numbers can convince me otherwise.

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by Adam

Army has an automatic bowl invite to the second San Diego bowl if they are eligible. Are you really telling me that Army can get a bowl tie-in as an independent but BYU couldn't?

And yes, even if the bowl sucked like the second San Diego bowl, getting to keep all the payout means more money then going to the Las Vegas bowl and splitting with the conference.

Good points. I think there are plenty of lower tier bowls that would sign on to a BYU affiliation if The Cougars qualify (how about Las Vegas for starters?). Then the payout would be all ours. The TV money would be all ours.

I'm not a big proponent of the independent route. We are neither USU nor ND. The BYU path would break somewhere in the middle.

Sadly, this all comes down to money, and I bet the independent (in football) route looks pretty good on paper. As noted, we seek a conference tie-in with a minor western group (WAC, Big Sky, West Coast) for the rest of the sports and I don't think we suffer at all. But would such a conference welcome what would become a dominant force so readily?

[SoCalCoug]

Originally Posted by myboynoah

But would such a conference welcome what would become a dominant force so readily?

What do you think the MWC would say if UCLA came to it and said it wanted to join the conference for B-Ball and other sports (aside from football)?