IMO, ESPN has a decent incentive for BYU to go Independent for football, and with the WAC in basketball. They include:
1) Strong national pull thanks to the LDS Church
2) Ties to (a now Boise-less) WAC
3) Minimized broadcasting costs, thanks to BYU's facilities
With Boise (clearly the crown jewel) no longer in the WAC, the TV deal that ESPN has with that conference is worthless for football. People will watch Boise games because they are relevant. BYU, thanks to its ties to the church and program history, can carry similar clout, although Boise has absolutely accomplished more the last 5-10 years.
ESPN will likely enter into an agreement with BYU to broadcast a set number of games each year. With BYU naturally having an agreement with the WAC for basketball (and other sports) I would expect that part of the deal would be that BYU would agree to play a few WAC teams in Football every year. Utah State likely a yearly commitment, and one to two additional games. This works out great for ESPN, because they already have the deal with the WAC, and this will likely help them fill out their Thursday and Friday Night Football lineups. For a minimal fee, they are able to essentially replace Boise's role as the key carrier of the WAC. Yes, it may mean an additional big game, like Texas, every year or so for the Cougs. But I don't think it is going to lead to playing multiple BCS caliber teams every year thanks to our deal with ESPN. It likely means we'll be used to boost the ratings and appeal of WAC games that will no longer include Boise.
Just another piece that I think merits some consideration.
1) Strong national pull thanks to the LDS Church
2) Ties to (a now Boise-less) WAC
3) Minimized broadcasting costs, thanks to BYU's facilities
With Boise (clearly the crown jewel) no longer in the WAC, the TV deal that ESPN has with that conference is worthless for football. People will watch Boise games because they are relevant. BYU, thanks to its ties to the church and program history, can carry similar clout, although Boise has absolutely accomplished more the last 5-10 years.
ESPN will likely enter into an agreement with BYU to broadcast a set number of games each year. With BYU naturally having an agreement with the WAC for basketball (and other sports) I would expect that part of the deal would be that BYU would agree to play a few WAC teams in Football every year. Utah State likely a yearly commitment, and one to two additional games. This works out great for ESPN, because they already have the deal with the WAC, and this will likely help them fill out their Thursday and Friday Night Football lineups. For a minimal fee, they are able to essentially replace Boise's role as the key carrier of the WAC. Yes, it may mean an additional big game, like Texas, every year or so for the Cougs. But I don't think it is going to lead to playing multiple BCS caliber teams every year thanks to our deal with ESPN. It likely means we'll be used to boost the ratings and appeal of WAC games that will no longer include Boise.
Just another piece that I think merits some consideration.
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