[BYU] Cougars invited to join Big East, but have not accepted invitation —yet

[Rumrunner]

BYU football: Cougars invited to join Big East, but have not accepted invitation —yet

By Jeff Call , Deseret News

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"At the end of the day, the Big East has done everything to accommodate whatever it is that BYU wanted," Williams added. "But it's really going to be up to the (BYU's) Board of Trustees as to whether or not that's what they want. No matter how well you charm them, or how well you give them whatever they want, it really comes down to whether or not the Board of Trustees feels this is in the best long-term interest of the university."

***

"Former National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Notre Dame, Big East commissioner John Marinatto, and the league's expansion committee are lobbying hard for BYU to join the Big East, said Williams, who has had dealings with that conference since the 1980s."

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One of the key elements here is that high-ranking representatives at Notre Dame are working with Tagliabue to make sure that Boise State, BYU and Air Force all understand that they're not going anywhere. Their plans are to stay and to help build the Big East into a stronger conference. Of course, they're also not going to join as a football team."

http://www.deseretnews.com/m/article/700198259

So nice of the parasite to keep the host alive.

 

[TRest]

So ND is promising to stay in a conference to schools that will be football-only. Sure, why not.

 

[nadav]

Oh Thank God -- Notre Dame isn't going anywhere! The key element for football only invites is that a non playing football school is staying put?

 

[coachcap]

So ND is promising to stay in a conference to schools that will be football-only. Sure, why not.

Has the pot been sweetened? Is BYU bveing offered an allsports invite? If not, then why should the Cougars listen to anything coming from the Leprechauns' mouth?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Has the pot been sweetened? Is BYU bveing offered an allsports invite? If not, then why should the Cougars listen to anything coming from the Leprechauns' mouth?

I don't see this as a bad option, especially if it is something that BYU wants in order to join. BYU is seemingly in the NCAA's nearly every single year and is a decent program.

 

[CL82]

Oh Thank God -- Notre Dame isn't going anywhere! The key element for football only invites is that a non playing football school is staying put?

If ND goes to the ACC so do we. I could see why BYU would want assurances that that isn't going to happen.

 

[nadav]

I'm sure BYU doesn't want their ladies soccer team playing at Uconn, St John's, Nova, Rutgers et al every year. This is just a FB deal.

 

[nadav]

If ND goes to the ACC so do we. I could see why BYU would want assurances that that isn't going to happen.

I'm not sure that the ND and Uconn ACC package is not a message board urban legend. Plus would BYU be holding this up because they are worried about Uconn leaving?

 

[VAHuskyFan]

Oh Thank God -- Notre Dame isn't going anywhere! The key element for football only invites is that a non playing football school is staying put?

ND agreed to a 6-game series with BYU last year, scheduled to start in 2012. BYU is looking for national exposure and the "Mormons vs. Catholics" series is an important get for them. So ND actually does have some leverage it can bring to bear here.

 

[sportsart]

I hope this conference works out as I have no desire what so ever to join the ACC.

I really like the New, New Big East.

 

[businesslawyer]

If ND goes somewhere, everything is destabilized again and the Big East may be done. Why wouldn't BYU be interested in avoiding that?

Seriously, I don't like Notre Dame either but some of you are so damn paranoid about them you'd rather die of cancer than use a treatment that a ND professsor creates.

 

[Dann]

i want to see a big country conf.

northeast-uconn/ruty/lville/cincy/temple/ecu/navy/army/ohio/richmond
southeast-usf/ucf/memphis/southmiss/uab/tulane/la tech/ark st/fiu/ga st
southwest-smu/uh/byu/tulsa/new mex/wy/col st//utep/rice
westcoast-sdsu/frenso/hawaii/bosie/nevada/unlv/idaho/utahst/mont/san jose

 

[RS9999X]

ND agreed to a 6-game series with BYU last year, scheduled to start in 2012. BYU is looking for national exposure and the "Mormons vs. Catholics" series is an important get for them. So ND actually does have some leverage it can bring to bear here.

When ND assures the teams they will favor the BE in scheduling their remaining OOC games from 2014-2019 people listen.

The BYU contract is in the mix somewhere.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------

BYU announces 8-year deal with ESPN to broadcast BYU home games (09/02/2010)

The BYU Cougars have agreed to a 6-year football contract with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

As part of the agreement, an annual minimum of three BYU home games will air on ESPN, ABC or ESPN2, including telecasts on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

ESPN also agreed that any BYU games it does not select may be televised live on BYUtv. BYUtv also can air same-day rebroadcasts of every game ESPN has rights to through conference agreements with the host team (BYU).

DEAL DELIVERS MONEY, EXPOSURE: In Sale Lake City, Michael Lewis writes under the header, "New TV Deal Gives Cougars National Exposure They Crave." Sources indicated that BYU "could reap $1.2 million per home game -- considerably more" than the $1.3-1.5M the school "earned annually from the Mountain West's television arrangement."

The deal will "vastly expand the potential audience for Cougar games ... but it also will help the Cougs fill their annual 12-game schedule by enlisting ESPN as a partner to help arrange matchups."

Lewis notes ESPN "owns a handful of postseason bowl games where the Cougars could end up, and could help influence negotiations to establish criteria for the Cougars to earn an automatic berth" into the BCS (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/2).

 

[ctchamps]

When ND assures the teams they will favor the BE in scheduling their remaining OOC games from 2014-2019 people listen.

The BYU contract is in the mix somewhere.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------

BYU announces 8-year deal with ESPN to broadcast BYU home games (09/02/2010)

The BYU Cougars have agreed to a 6-year football contract with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

As part of the agreement, an annual minimum of three BYU home games will air on ESPN, ABC or ESPN2, including telecasts on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

ESPN also agreed that any BYU games it does not select may be televised live on BYUtv. BYUtv also can air same-day rebroadcasts of every game ESPN has rights to through conference agreements with the host team (BYU).

DEAL DELIVERS MONEY, EXPOSURE: In Sale Lake City, Michael Lewis writes under the header, "New TV Deal Gives Cougars National Exposure They Crave." Sources indicated that BYU "could reap $1.2 million per home game -- considerably more" than the $1.3-1.5M the school "earned annually from the Mountain West's television arrangement."

The deal will "vastly expand the potential audience for Cougar games ... but it also will help the Cougs fill their annual 12-game schedule by enlisting ESPN as a partner to help arrange matchups."

Lewis notes ESPN "owns a handful of postseason bowl games where the Cougars could end up, and could help influence negotiations to establish criteria for the Cougars to earn an automatic berth" into the BCS (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/2).

It seems the BE will get very little from BYU. How much value will BYU give the BE if the BE tries to get a contract from NBC for instance.

 

[businesslawyer]

Presumably, BYU won't get a share of the Big East's TV revenues but will have their own deal. So it's not a huge benefit, except that (i) presumably UConn hosting BYU is of more value to a network than UConn hosting San Diego State or Temple, so four times a year the Big East gets to show BYU is a road opponent without paying BYU anything, and (ii) the Big East gets the cachet of having a well thought of program, without paying for it, which it desperately needs.

I'm not bothered at all by BYU having its own TV deal as long as they aren't touching the Big East's pot. They are in a different situation than the other Big East schools in terms of reaching a limited but international market with their product.

 

[freescooter]

I still see this Big East 2.0 as a temporary solution before either A. a new round of craziness takes place in a couple of years, or B. an unexpected round of rational behavior strikes the college athletics world (yeah, like that is going to happen) so I don't much care what kind of deal they make with BYU about its own network vs. a Big East network.

As to Notre Dame, I'm of the opinon that they indeed do want the Big East to survive as at least one of the top leagues in the country. They really don't have an option if they want to keep their football independence, which by most accounts the absolutley do. I imagine they checked around to see what their options might be, but everyone else wants them for football, too and either hasn't budged (B-10 & 12) or it is too risky to guarentee a positive outcome (ACC), and that would be a serious embarrassment. They also fear being stuck ina glorified A-10 if somehow UCONN, Rutgers, Louisville and Cincinatti were to leave the current Big East. Hence, they are doing what they can to insure its survival.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I thought this was interesting, and not mentioned yet.

"In an attempt to reposition and strengthen itself, the Big East is looking at adding a West Division that would be comprised of BYU, Boise State, Air Force, Houston, Louisville and Southern Methodist. BYU, Boise State, Air Force, Houston, and Southern Methodist would join as football-only schools first, with an opportunity to join as full members down the line, Williams said. The Big East would like to make an announcement in December, he added."

I've been saying for weeks that I don't think BYU or Boise would join as football only is that was all they'd ever be. But I've never seen that SMU and Houston would be FB only. I think this requirement of a western division is pointless if we're just talking football, so I don't think we are. I think this is designed to allow a split with an east-west all sports conference. Basically a new conference, but one that has assumed the BE AQ status.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The problem the Big East has with BYU is that ESPN could simply juice BYU's contract 50% from its spare cash drawer if ESPN thought it would seriously hurt the Big East.

 

[freescooter]

Nelson,
While thatis true, it also means that BYU is forever willing to play in second tier bowls unless they finish unbeaten, and finishing unbeaten is just not that easy.

 

[husky10]

Nelson,
While thatis true, it also means that BYU is forever willing to play in second tier bowls unless they finish unbeaten, and finishing unbeaten is just not that easy.

Im not so certain. I think that you could see a bowl deal between MWC and BYU football for bowl games similar to the BE/ND deal. BYU is an attractive bowl team this kind of deal would be beneficial to both parties.