Regardless of the upsides and downsides of independence, BYU announced it would sever ties with the Mountain West Conference and become a college football independent on Sept. 1, 2010. BYU struggled with the limited television coverage the Mountain West Sports Network was providing — the channel was exclusive to Comcast cable subscribers, evoking frustrations among Cougar fans. On top of that, Utah left for the Pac-12 conference, weakening the already sub-par Mountain West Conference.
BYU would then finish the 2010 season in the Mountain West Conference before embarking on its journey into independence starting in 2011.
Since entering independence, BYU football has an overall record of 43-22. That’s seven fewer wins compared to the overall record of the last five years BYU football spent in the MWC. There are many reasons for the drop in wins, but those seven losses could be attributed to the tougher schedules that the Cougars have had. The dip in wins has also fueled the fire of the debate surrounding the sustainability of independence. Bronco Mendenhall was even quoted in a USA Today article saying he felt independence wasn’t sustainable, leading him to step down at BYU and go to Virginia.
Regardless of what Mendenhall said, others believe independence for BYU football is sustainable.
“BYU can stay independent as long as they want but in terms of being competitive as they want to be, to be a national college football power, the money is going to run out,” said BYU Sports Nation host Spencer Linton. “BYU is in a unique situation with their affiliation with the church, with their worldwide fan base, their passion for football and boosters. They could stay independent for a long time.”
BYU could, in reality, stay independent for many years to come. Notre Dame has proven that they can do that and they have succeeded as an independent. They even participated in the national championship game in 2012 as an independent. However, Notre Dame has signed game contracts with major conferences like the ACC and Big Ten. They have access to better bowl games, they have a brand name in college football and they have access to more money. BYU simply doesn’t have that luxury right now.
BYU may not have the same luxuries and money like Notre Dame but they still have their own contract with ESPN which provides more money than they were receiving before. BYU was getting less than $2 million a year through its contract with The MTN, the now non-existent TV network of the Mountain West Conference. BYU has its own cable channel, but the restrictive contract with The MTN did not allow BYU to broadcast its own football games on BYUtv. The new contract with ESPN pays BYU an estimated $800,000 to $1.2 million per home game and it allows for greater freedom and flexibility with BYUtv. ESPN and ESPN2 are both available in 99.5 million homes.
Independence has also made it possible for BYU to play more new andhigh profile opponents like Michigan, LSU, Mississippi State and Texas. BYU has faced 30 different teams from 19 different states, representing 12 different conferences and fellow independent Notre Dame. The Cougars have 38 future games scheduled with teams from the Power 5 conferences. The map above represents the teams and locations BYU has played since becoming independent in football, along with future opponents on the schedule.
“You get to play different teams every year. You don’t have to play teams from your conference in eight out of the 10 games of the year,” said Blake Dorton, a BYU student studying broadcasting. “You get to face teams that you otherwise wouldn’t. It’s kind of like non-conference all season l
ong other than the first four or five weeks.”
ong other than the first four or five weeks.”
Playing all over the country has also opened up access to games for BYU fans all over the United States. Game access for more fans around the country and exposure were some of the reasons why BYU and Athletic Director Tom Holmoe decided to move to independence. Because of this, BYU fans will never have to miss the exciting finishes and amazing plays that accompany BYU football.
“Being independent increases access to our national following of fans,” Holmoe said at the historic press conference on Sept. 1, 2010. “Every home football game and men’s basketball game will now be carried nationally.”
Exposure has been undeniably better with every game being broadcast nationally on either ESPN or BYUtv. It allows other college football fans around the country to see what BYU football has to offer. People notice BYU because they are different. They notice because they are on TV a lot during the college football season.
Recruiting is another aspect of BYU football that has benefited greatly from independence and increased exposure. Opportunities to play a schedule full of some of the best teams in the country is an attraction for any recruit. The opportunity to play and have every game broadcast on ESPN would catch anyone’s eye.
“I know for a fact that their a few big time recruits at BYU that have committed or are playing here or will play here that wanted to come to BYU because of the unique schedule,” said Linton. “You want to be the best of the best and be unique and be noticed. How many teams have their own contract with ESPN? Conferences do, but how many teams?”
Even though there are upsides to independence, there are definitely some downsides. Playoff and bowl access are some of them. BYU’s chances of making it to the national title game or even a New Year’s Six bowl game are very slim just because it’s not associated with a Power 5 conference.
“BYU is locked into mid-tier bowl games,” said Linton. “You could compare it to New Year’s Six bowl games which are like the NCAA tournament and the rest of the bowl games are like the NIT, CBI, or CIT.”
BYU has gone to a bowl game every year of their stint in independence, but those bowl games don’t pay out or provide exposure like the top-tier bowl games do.
BYU has also struggled to finish in the Top 25 in the five years that it’s been an independent. The only year they finished with a Top 25 ranking was in 2011 with a #25 ranking in the Coaches poll but no ranking in the AP poll.
Whatever the upsides and downsides are to BYU football independence, there will always be something that the Cougars can gain from playing college football as an independent.
If BYU doesn’t get invited to the Big 12 conference soon, they can continue to ride the wave of independence until there is another major conference shift in the college football world.
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