BYU as an Independent

[jay santos]

There's no question we'd be better off financially if we moved football independent and kept other sports with the MWC or WAC. But in the long run, we'd run the risk of being an afterthought. We'll rarely be in the hunt for a BCS type bowl. We'd obviously never be in the hunt for a conference championship. An early loss or two and you have the potential to lose interest from everyone including your fan base. That's the issue.

[Top Ute]

The games are somewhat competitive and the crowds small but spirited. The anti-elitists.

Never thought about it until you put it that way, but the great thing about the MWC's fans is that I've rarely (ever?) run into one that was a T-shirt fan of the school -- the kind that number by the thousands in Texas and Alabama -- but never went to the school and hold no affinity toward the school save for being a fan of the football and/or basketball teams.

Our crowds may be smaller, but our enthusiasm for the university as a whole is likely greater than at other schools with bigger attendance numbers.

[Jacob]

Ouch.

For the record, I like the Mountain West Conference. Sure I'd rather BYU play in a BCS conference but I'm content with the MWC. It's the gritty underdog of college football. Most teams are capable of knocking down a big dog once or twice a season, but realistically unable to run with them regularly. Sure most of the country doesn't care about the Wyoming and New Mexico, but I don't care what they think. Playing in a Laramie snowstorm may not be a big deal to ESPN, but it doesn't make it any less exciting for me. It's a conference made up of blue-collar, unsung, Western schools. The games are somewhat competitive and the crowds small but spirited. The anti-elitists.

I disagree. The games aren't very competitive recently, and that's the biggest problem with the current conference. I don't want to play TX and OK every week. But we've lost only 3 conference games over the last 4 years. I want a more competitive conference. But just like I thought it would be bad for Utah to be in a division of the PAC 16 with OK and TX (they'd never win their division, let alone their conference) I also don't want to be in a conference where we can chalk up 4-6 uncompetitive wins before the season starts.

[YOhio]

I disagree. The games aren't very competitive recently, and that's the biggest problem with the current conference. I don't want to play TX and OK every week. But we've lost only 3 conference games over the last 4 years. I want a more competitive conference. But just like I thought it would be bad for Utah to be in a division of the PAC 16 with OK and TX (they'd never win their division, let alone their conference) I also don't want to be in a conference where we can chalk up 4-6 uncompetitive wins before the season starts.

Sure I was being generous to our conference mates, but it's not as if they're always blowouts. Last season we barely beat New Mexico and the year before we barely beat CSU. We're also not that far removed from getting our asses handed to us by Air Force, Colorado State, UNLV and New Mexico on our home field.

[landpoke]

I've always advocated for BYU/Wyoming as a take-it-or-leave-it package deal for the Big-12. That's the kind of loyalty I believe in.

Bless you brother. That sort of right thinking will get you some justly deserved extra virgins in heaven.