The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[Sizzle]

You are missing the money. ESPN seems to think BYU draws lots of eyeballs and I am sure they have lots of numbers (that they don't publish) to justify what they are supposedly spending for BYU's home games.

I think that is part of it, and probably the larger part of it. But BYU as an independent is also appealing because of their ability to travel across the country and allow ESPN to schedule matchups with teams whose conference does not have a direct deal with ESPN. That also plays a factor too, IMO.

[Paperback Writer]

You are missing the money. ESPN seems to think BYU draws lots of eyeballs and I am sure they have lots of numbers (that they don't publish) to justify what they are supposedly spending for BYU's home games.

There's also probably some demographic factors working in BYU's favor with advertisers. It's not just the eyeballs but who's behind the eyeballs that factor into the money. In this sense, the homogenous nature of BYU's fan base might be considered a plus...but not with Budweiser.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I am not interpreting the numbers. They are what they are and I do not know what they mean, except that they do not seem to support the assumptions of many BYU fans about BYU's national following, at least as far as TV viewership goes. I made the same assumption until I saw these data.

Leave the interpretation to me, and I'm seeing that Troy has almost reached Oklahoma status. Hopefully the coaches for Troy have these ratings in hand when they approach recruits -- "Judging by these numbers, we're almost even with Oklahoma."

[LA Ute]

Leave the interpretation to me, and I'm seeing that Troy has almost reached Oklahoma status. Hopefully the coaches for Troy have these ratings in hand when they approach recruits -- "Judging by these numbers, we're almost even with Oklahoma."

I believe BYU is a draw. What there seems to no evidence for is how much of a draw. Do you know of any?

[YOhio]

I believe BYU is a draw. What there seems to no evidence for is how much of a draw. Do you know of any?

This production should send shivers down your spine. The magic is only beginning as BYU football blankets the earth with precision passing, power running and swarming defense.

[YOUTUBE]oAmYBRJR4Ec[/YOUTUBE]

[LA Ute]

This production should send shivers down your spine. The magic is only beginning as BYU football blankets the earth with precision passing, power running and swarming defense.

[YOUTUBE]oAmYBRJR4Ec[/YOUTUBE]

Okay, NOW you're talking. That's a lot of TV sets. Lots of pretty, shining lights too.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I believe BYU is a draw. What there seems to no evidence for is how much of a draw. Do you know of any?

Let me put it this way, imagine if you couldn't look at the ratings for Lakers and Clippers broadcasts. All you could judge things on is how many people you saw around wearing Laker gear as opposed to Clipper gear or openly talked about their support for the respective teams. Your assumption that the Lakers were supported a lot more than the Clippers would be based mostly on anecdotal evidence. I live in an area that is a distance away from both Utah and BYU, but it's still in the state of Utah. What I see is around a 2 to 1 ratio for BYU to Utah. Couple that with the ratios you see amongst LDS populations in California, Nevada and Arizona.

This may not be the hard, tangible evidence you're looking for. But there's also a reason why BYU has a 64k seat stadium and Utah has a 45k seat stadium and BYU routinely draws about 64k fans and Utah has a tough time filling up a 45k seat stadium. There was a demand for BYU to expand its stadium about 30 years ago and the stadium has mostly been filled in the proceeding 28 or 29 seasons. No such demand exists for Utah.

[myboynoah]

Okay, NOW you're talking. That's a lot of TV sets. Lots of pretty, shining lights too.

Those "pretty, shining lights," as you like to call them, are souls, my friend. There are forces at work here far more powerful than any Nielson Ratings or cabal of television network executives; far more amazing than you or even I can imagine. Elder Uchdorf's timely message on sportsmanship was preparing the worldwide membership for greater things to come. These things are not done in a vacuum.

[SoCalCoug]

Those "pretty, shining lights," as you like to call them, are souls, my friend. There are forces at work here far more powerful than any Nielson Ratings or cabal of television network executives; far more amazing than you or even I can imagine. Elder Uchdorf's timely message on sportsmanship was preparing the worldwide membership for greater things to come. These things are not done in a vacuum.

That's a BIG vacuum.

[Paperback Writer]

Okay, NOW you're talking. That's a lot of TV sets. Lots of pretty, shining lights too.

If only those pretty, shinning lights represented 4-star and 5-star LDS recuits who wanted nothing better than to play football for BYU or Utah.

[All-American]

This production should send shivers down your spine. The magic is only beginning as BYU football blankets the earth with precision passing, power running and swarming defense.

[YOUTUBE]oAmYBRJR4Ec[/YOUTUBE]

Interesting. That music was definitely from Star Wars Episode III.

[DapperDan]

This production should send shivers down your spine. The magic is only beginning as BYU football blankets the earth with precision passing, power running and swarming defense.

[YOUTUBE]oAmYBRJR4Ec[/YOUTUBE]

For a second there I thought I was watching this video.
[YOUTUBE]856fWEltiXo[/YOUTUBE]

[myboynoah]

Add BYU

[LA Ute]

Let me put it this way, imagine if you couldn't look at the ratings for Lakers and Clippers broadcasts. All you could judge things on is how many people you saw around wearing Laker gear as opposed to Clipper gear or openly talked about their support for the respective teams. Your assumption that the Lakers were supported a lot more than the Clippers would be based mostly on anecdotal evidence. I live in an area that is a distance away from both Utah and BYU, but it's still in the state of Utah. What I see is around a 2 to 1 ratio for BYU to Utah. Couple that with the ratios you see amongst LDS populations in California, Nevada and Arizona.

This may not be the hard, tangible evidence you're looking for. But there's also a reason why BYU has a 64k seat stadium and Utah has a 45k seat stadium and BYU routinely draws about 64k fans and Utah has a tough time filling up a 45k seat stadium. There was a demand for BYU to expand its stadium about 30 years ago and the stadium has mostly been filled in the proceeding 28 or 29 seasons. No such demand exists for Utah.

I pretty much agree with you. BYU has the Church affiliation and that makes it special in the eyes of its fan base. (That may seem like a condescending remark but it is not intended that way.) There is a breadth and depth of enthusiasm for BYU football that Utah will never match outside the Wasatch Front (at least, not north of the Point of the Mountain, and I'm not even sure about that dividing line). That's just how it is. That's also why I was kind of surprised to see that not all that many seem to tune in to watch BYU play in bowl games. It's not a knock on BYU fans at all. I just thought it was interesting. You guys are far too sensitive about the point.

[ERCougar]

I believe BYU is a draw. What there seems to no evidence for is how much of a draw. Do you know of any?

Yes. The TV numbers you keep quoting. Pre-BYU, Las Vegas Bowl ratings were 1.7-1.9. There's a about a 0.5-0.7 bump when BYU starts playing in it. That's a decent draw, particularly for a meaningless pre-Christmas bowl.