Samuelson and mixed motives

[John McClain]

1. I've heard rumblings of it several times through the years. I'm pretty sure Holmoe addressed it a few years back but I don't know how direct he was about it. It might have been something softer like "BYU and Utah's fortunes are tied together and we work together to look at how to strengthen the MWC or attaining a BCS conference invite".

2. Most people seem to have interpreted Holmoe's newspaper comments last week to be a slur against Utah for not keeping allegiances.

3. There has been a number of "inside" reports about Samuelson and/or Holmoe being royally pissed at the Utes for breaking their word with BYU by accepting a Pac invite.

I'm not saying it's true. I think it's possible it's true. My opinions of the involved figures here Holmoe (idiotic and weak in general) /Samuelson (biased) are completely contingent on all this being true.

Opinions are like belly buttons; everyone has one, but in this case I think you are way off course. Holmoe righted the Val Hale sinking ship and next to Rondo has been the best AD at BYU in the past 30 years. And see my post above regarding Samuelson's current loyalties.

[jay santos]

College football, is above all, a business. No school is going to pass up a great business deal because one of their rivals may not like it. I'm pretty sure BYU has known for ages that the PAC-10 was not interested in them and never would be, so I don't buy the idea that BYU and Utah had a "package deal" arrangement. Also, from all accounts, Cecil is pretty dyed in the wool blue these days and retains no loyalty to Utah. I imprint absolutely no mixed motive to him. Again, from all accounts, he is working hard to get BYU in the best position possible. I shudder to think what would be happening if Bateman were still the Pres.

My opinions of past administrators:

Rondo: the man. If here still AD and the brethren got out of his way, we'd be a top 20 program in FB and BB and we'd be in the Big 12 by now.

Val Hale: inept, but no power so it didn't really matter

Skousen: inept, but he was in power so it did matter

Bateman: HUGE BYU sports fan, inept, got too involved

Holmoe: more ability than Hale but not given any power and not interested in trying to grab power

Samuelson: least interested in carrying BYU forward as anyone on the list. Might be capable if he cared more.

I feel like we have a black hole in the leadership category right now.

[SeattleUte]

I didn't really state anything.

In that post, I'm mostly posing opinions based on hypothetical.

I do state I think it's possible Samuelson lets his Utah past influence the actions he takes related to BYU athletics.

You've got it backwards, my friend. BYU's problem is that it started making GA toadies its presidents instead of real titans like Rex Lee.

Cecil Samuelson is irrelevant. Nor is the problem really Samuelson, though, it's what he represents. Samuelson can't will this done. Texas doesn't care about him or who he is. Well, maybe if he came with a huge bribe Texas might care.

For anyone interested in making predictions and being right, here's an easy one for you. I think it's unlikely BYU will be in the Big 12 by summer's end, though I don't completely discount the possiblity of a huge bribe, given the desperation I sense.

[SeattleUte]

My opinions of past administrators:

Rondo: the man. If here still AD and the brethren got out of his way, we'd be a top 20 program in FB and BB and we'd be in the Big 12 by now.

Val Hale: inept, but no power so it didn't really matter

Skousen: inept, but he was in power so it did matter

Bateman: HUGE BYU sports fan, inept, got too involved

Holmoe: more ability than Hale but not given any power and not interested in trying to grab power

Samuelson: least interested in carrying BYU forward as anyone on the list. Might be capable if he cared more.

I feel like we have a black hole in the leadership category right now.

You're crazy. The problem is that Samuelson makes BYU exactly what the brethren want. Your vision for BYU is not that if its owner. So who cares. Samuelson is doing what he was hired to do.

Rondo was a casualty of what I'm talking about.

[SeattleUte]

Jay, I am surprised that you put so much stock in this "package deal" theory. I guess I just haven't seen evidence that it was ever anything more than what K-Dog has described (a commitment to ensure that we can continue to schedule games).

Jay has lost it. He might as well be babbling about flying saucers.

Jay, nice doggie.

[il Padrino Ute]

Samuelson is a Mormon before he is a Ute and therefore, I can't imagine that he would ever let his tie to Ute athletics affect what he does for BYU. Why would he accept the calling to be President of BYU if he didn't take it seriously?

I think it's hilarious that Jay may think it could be possible.

[SeattleUte]

Samuelson is a Mormon before he is a Ute and therefore, I can't imagine that he would ever let his tie to Ute athletics affect what he does for BYU. Why would he accept the calling to be President of BYU if he didn't take it seriously?

I think it's hilarious that Jay may think it could be possible.

lol You guys are funny. More than a Mormon or a Ute he's a professional, one would hope, at least. Is any Ute worried that Young or Whit is a BYU mole? This is so stupid.

[SCcoug]

For anyone interested in making predictions and being right, here's an easy one for you. I think it's unlikely BYU will be in the Big 12 by summer's end, though I don't completely discount the possiblity of a huge bribe, given the desperation I sense.

Just to be clear what would a huge bribe entail? Church signs a check for 50 million to the Big 12? Give up the Sunday play issue? Agree to play all Big 12 games on the road the first few years? What would the huge bribe be?

[il Padrino Ute]

lol You guys are funny. More than a Mormon or a Ute he's a professional, one would hope, at least. Is any Ute worried that Young or Whit is a BYU mole? This is so stupid.

SU, what the hell is your problem?

[jay santos]

lol You guys are funny. More than a Mormon or a Ute he's a professional, one would hope, at least. Is any Ute worried that Young or Whit is a BYU mole? This is so stupid.

I don't say he's a mole.

What's an ALUF's opinion on the value of BYU athletics to the church?

What's a blue goggle's opinion on the value of BYU athletics to the church?

What was Rondo's opinion? What was Bateman's opinion? Rex Lee? Elder Eyring? Samuelson ? All these men can have valid opinions on the proper role of BYU athletics. None of them should bury that opinion because the big brass have a different opinion. You should know that's not how corporate America works or even should work. If your boss tells you to do something that you don't believe in, you go to bat for what you think is right. In the end, you might have to go along with the boss but you don't just roll over.

[byu71]

You're crazy. The problem is that Samuelson makes BYU exactly what the brethren want. Your vision for BYU is not that if its owner. So who cares. Samuelson is doing what he was hired to do.

Rondo was a casualty of what I'm talking about.

I just can pass up the opportunity to say I agree with SU. It happens so rarely.

[All-American]

We lost five years or however long it was of time selling ourselves to the Big 12 or Pac 10 on our own merits not as a package deal.

And how exactly might BYU have done that? Schedule games with the PAC 10? Or maybe (and think about this one for a minute), stop scheduling games with the PAC 10 once it becomes obvious that they will not consider adding BYU and start making inroads with the Big XII by scheduling games against them?

[jay santos]

And how exactly might BYU have done that? Schedule games with the PAC 10? Or maybe (and think about this one for a minute), stop scheduling games with the PAC 10 once it becomes obvious that they will not consider adding BYU and start making inroads with the Big XII by scheduling games against them?

Do you think Utah sat on its hands for five years waiting for a Pac invite?

[Hallelujah]

http://www.cougarboard.com/noframes/...tml?id=5659580

I don't know if I believe this straight up, especially about BYU to Big 12. I do believe the aspect of it that it's possible Samuelson lets his love for and ties to the U get in the way of what's best for BYU. Samuelson's a moron if he believed Utah ever was serious about only skipping the MWC with BYU. And he's a bigger moron if he didn't pursue a conference move independent of Utah.

BOT put a lot of stock into integrity. If there was some kind of agreement between the two schools, the BOT would have nixed the idea of BYU leaving Utah behind.

As a side note, how many Utah grads are in the Q12? Combined, BYU wasn't going anywhere without Utah. It is way above Holmoe and Samuelson.

[All-American]

Do you think Utah sat on its hands for five years waiting for a Pac invite?

I haven't the foggiest idea what an administrator does or doesn't do to arrange an invitation from a bigger conference. I am also unaware of anything Utah has done in the past five years to solicit attention aside from winning games and drawing fans, which it ought to be doing anyway.