Comments about ‘BYU football: ESPN reports Cougars 'have had conversations' about rejoining Mountain West Conference’

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DEW Cougars
Sandy, UT

Don't do it

1. mtn
2. craig thompson
3. T&M Basketball Tornament - advantage unlv
4. bye bye espn to all home games
5. what will happen to all those deal with Michigan, ND, Wisconsin, and some others.

Overton, NV

Obviously, you guys aren't reading the reports here. From the ESPN article:

"The talks originated after last week's decision in Denver by the BCS commissioners to award an automatic access bowl berth to the highest-rated champion to the "Group of Five" conferences. That decision in essence put the Mountain West on equal footing, as far as playoff access is concerned, with the Big East starting in 2014.

The "Group of Five" includes the Mountain West, Big East, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt conferences."

There article later points out that, as an independent, BYU would need to finish in the top 12 of the rankings to have a chance at a BCS bowl. In the new arrangement, they just need to win the MWC and be ranked higher than the champions of the other four "Group of five" conferences.

Remember, BYU left the MWC because of the TV deal and the previous BCS landscape. Now that the MWC champion has a good chance of landing in a BCS bowl, returning is a more enticing option.

I Bleed Blue
Las Vegas, NV

You have got to be kidding me. There is no way this is going to happen with all the money that was put into BYU TV. Come on now. No more trips to Laramie PLEASE!!!

Overton, NV

If Boise St. and SDSU can get the same BCS access opportunity in the MWC as they would in the Big East, it makes perfect sense for them to back out. Staying in the west would certainly cut down on travel costs.

And the MWC would be smart to bring in BYU and try to incorporate BYU TV into their broadcast plan. It would give them options to get more games on the air every week.

Proud Ute

Ouch...... so this is what eating crow looks like.
Can't wait for the spin that's sure to come out of Happy Valley on this one.


Whatever proud ute. I can't wait to see Utah eat crow after their final game of the season.


It's really too bad you can't get UT and TCU back to the MWC.....you could have been such a great conference (but you had such a bad tv deal).

I just don't see why you would go back to the MWC. Who would you play that's any good? BSU and ???? Who else in the league has been ranked in the top 25 on a regular basis? There are only 5 major conferences now - they average about 5 teams each who were in the top 25 sometime this year. The MWC just doesn't cut it.

Perhaps you should go to the league for basketball (much bigger arenas) but certainly not football. Schedule five or six top 25 years each year during the regular season and deal with a lousy bowl game (or get them to change the rule that if an independent is ranked higher than the 6th conference's highest ranked team then the independent goes to the BCS).

I'd rather have that then one top 25 team during the regular season and 1 top 25 team in a bowl game.



Nice cheap shot Shumway!

Why would I?
Farmington, UT

Why would I think BYU has to apologize to anyone for the possibility of rejoining the MWC? For many years, they were the MWC! And the same is true for the WAC, prior to the MWC being formed. Utah and SDSU don't have near the credentials over the years in conferencve play that BYU does. AFA was a better performer in that regard. BSU is a johnny-come-lately program that is starting down hill after Kellen Moore departed. SDSU never has been a threat to win the conference title and their private little e-mails from their AD to the Big East did a hatch job on BYU better than any mafia could.

When the MWC was formed BYU "trusted" some folks to take care of them. They didn't and that's why independence looked like a good route to consider. It was never thought to be a long-term solution and now the BCS landscape has changed the MWC champion is likely to get a BCS bowl bid before either Utah or Colorado, obviously. Other changes are still happening...now is not the time to panic or ridicule, folks. Be patient and see what develops.

PAC man
Anaheim, CA

As expected, much ado about nothing; BYU wouldn't even consider rejoining the MWC as long as Craig Thompson is in charge.

As a tweet sent earlier today said:

"Today's Smartest People in the World Award goes to those at BYU who did not fall for an invitation to join the crumbling Big East."

As Notre Dame is proving this year, you don't have to be a member of any conference to play for a national championship.

Sometimes all it takes is having a great season at the right time.

Y's Guy
Salt Lake City, UT

Oh, good grief. How embarrassing--and I'm an ardent BYU fan. I hope you don't go back to the MWC, but IF you do, you can NEVER leave again for whatever petty reasons may come up. Talk about exposure. Yeah, this is exactly the kind of exposure we were hoping for--being made a standing joke throughout the country.

Franklin, IN

I'd be surprised if the MWC would take BYU back in their current slide in relevancy in sports.

Centerville, UT

Ahem...well... this is awkward.

Clearfield, UT

Troy 06. Just to fill you in on USU. They are ranked in the top 25 this week. I wonder why the local news media has ignored this. The Ags defeated San Jose State. BYU did not. Playing USU is not a bad thing. Would love to have BYU in the MWC with USU. The MWC is not a weak conference. SDSU is definetely on the up in football and Boise is still a top tier program. Some of the weaker MWC teams have not always been bottom feeders. CSU and New Mexico have the potential to be more competitive. It will all work out for the best. It always does.

Springville, UT

I value the opinions of the oh so many ute fans. Like they know what's best for their team and BYU.

I really don't care what happens but I do enjoy the scenarios that add the irony of the struggling Utes into the equation.

It would be so hilarious for BYU to rejoin the MWC, continue the great TV contracts and BYUtv rebroadcast rights, to again get the team going, win the MWC title like years past and then qualify for a BCS game while the Utes swirl around the bottom tier of the PAC12.

That would be funny.

Centerville, UT


"I'd be surprised if the MWC would take BYU back in their current slide in relevancy in sports."

Silly comment. BYU and Utah are equal in relevancy this year in football and there's no comparison in basketball.

I'd love to see SDSU and Boise State in the MWC with Utah State. It would be great to have BYU there too, but I doubt it will happen. If it did, however, it would really create a great new in-state rivalry. BYU/USU in November in a conference game that matters would be great. Utah, unless they improve in the PAC 12, will just be another rich BCS school wallowing in mediocrity playing Colorado for nothing in particular. Weird how things change.

Spanish Fork, UT

Getting back into the MWC would be FAR better than independence, especially if the MWC will negotiate on the TV rights.

The PAC-12 will NEVER, repeat NEVER be interested in BYU. Some of those schools play in very liberal "alternate" lifestyle cities, with rich, very liberal "alternate" lifestyle alumni. They are not interested in a religious school like BYU. Never happen. It's not about football.

The main problem with Independence? Recruiting. Why in the world play for BYU now? If you are a football player, you checked BYU off the list when they went independent. ND got the best Mormon linebacker in the country. BYU is not ND, for many reasons.

West Jordan, Utah

College football and pageantry have become a soap opera. Teams leave conferences more than socialites leave their spouses.

Salt Lake City, Utah

As the world of conference realignment turns, BYU is able to calmly survey the landscape and wait for the best opportunity to join a conference or simply remain Independent. No buy out fees. No worries about joining a conference and then watching it crumble around them. No worries about television contracts. No worries about being thrust into a "rivalry" that neither side even cares about.

Independence may not be the ideal situation long term for BYU, but in the short term, it's proving to be much better than worrying about the next dominoe to fall in this seemingly endless game of conference musical chairs.


1. We already play Bosie for the next ten plus years.

2. We already play Utah State - ah - forever.

3. The WCC Basketball has been better and classier that the MWC ever was - SDSU - WYO and such were always rude and obnoxius fans. Nice to be in a respectable and solid league with West Coast ties.

4. Independence is tough - because the teams are way better. Yeah I know the last two years have had lean moments but going forward this is not the case.

5. BYU Needs a real offensive coach. Doman is not it. 4 games lost be a total of 13 point ( and six of those were against SJSU) .

Change is in the wind but this nonsensical conversation about going back into the MWC is like a thirty year talking about going back and dating his sixth grade sweetheart - get over the past and look forward.

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