First, I don't understand these fruity Downton Abbey avatars.
Second, I believe there is some pretty solid correlation between # of university applications and the quality of the athletic programs. Obviously this doesn't work with places like Harvard and Cal Tech, but it definitely works if you're looking at Alabama vs. UAB. A lot of high school kids make their college decision based on the perceived quality of life and a winning athletic program contributes to that. Utah wants to win over more kids that are elementary, junior high and high school. If Utah is in the Pac 12 and BYU is slumming it as independent, there's potentially a pretty stark difference in the perceived strength of the athletic program and perhaps that is extension of the perceived quality of life on the campus.
Marginalizing BYU is entirely within this strategy. I'm not saying, of course, that not scheduling BYU makes all the difference between Utah accepting its current C student riff raff and getting a student body approaching BYU's, but it certainly fits into a strategy of improving the athletic program in the hopes it improves the overall perception of the school as something beyond just a public commuter school.
Second, I believe there is some pretty solid correlation between # of university applications and the quality of the athletic programs. Obviously this doesn't work with places like Harvard and Cal Tech, but it definitely works if you're looking at Alabama vs. UAB. A lot of high school kids make their college decision based on the perceived quality of life and a winning athletic program contributes to that. Utah wants to win over more kids that are elementary, junior high and high school. If Utah is in the Pac 12 and BYU is slumming it as independent, there's potentially a pretty stark difference in the perceived strength of the athletic program and perhaps that is extension of the perceived quality of life on the campus.
Marginalizing BYU is entirely within this strategy. I'm not saying, of course, that not scheduling BYU makes all the difference between Utah accepting its current C student riff raff and getting a student body approaching BYU's, but it certainly fits into a strategy of improving the athletic program in the hopes it improves the overall perception of the school as something beyond just a public commuter school.

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