BYU's 2015 home schedule

[frdbtr]

I said for years that BYU going independent would be the death of BYU football. I kept an open mind about it when they made the announcement because EVERYONE in the media and the fan base was so excited about it. Now I see the general apathy to downright negativity in the fan base about BYU sports in general and I feel like my original feelings are true. Fan attendance is in steady decline. BYU needs to get into a conference in the next few years or we will, IMO, see the end of BYU sports.

To clarify, get into any conference (MWC or AAC)? Or get into a P5 conference?

I'm not sure if fan attendance would be any better if we stayed in the MWC or moved to the AAC.

BYU should never go back to the MWC, I prefer the Big 12 but frankly the American would be better than independence. If BYU were to pull off some miracle and go undefeated against the gauntlet that is our Sept schedule then attendance will be up this year even for the crap home schedule, but I still think that independence is a bad long term solution.....and so does Bronco.

I personally like independence. My only complaint is the bowl situation, but as a lifelong BYU fan playing in 2nd and 3r tier bowls has been a staple of this program's tradition. Nothing new there.

I don't agree that the AAC is better than Indy. I like playing 5-6 P5 teams plus USU and BSU each year. Trading that for 1-2 P5 teams and playing the likes of UConn, Temple and SMU each year is kind of meh, even if it means we have a better chance at a major bowl game.

I'm not sure how the AAC would be better than the MWC. At least by going back to the MWC we would play in front of our alumni base and play against familiar rivals.

The reason I would never want back in the MWC is because they made themselves pretty clear about how they feel about BYU when we left that conference. the AAC wants us. I like the idea of playing a bunch of p5 teams rather than temple and SMU but frankly without a conference championship to play for as soon as BYU gets its first loss of the year, the entire fan base goes postal.

[Cougs_Rule]

Just freakin win.
AAC too far away plus 2 P5 games.
MWC= BSU= NY6

[ABYUFAN]

Just freakin win.
AAC too far away plus 2 P5 games.
MWC= BSU= NY6

You forgot
MWC= 1/2 as many football games on TV + no rebroadcasting, + 1/3 of the basketball games on TV as we have now. AND no guarantee that we get a NY6 bowl by winning that conference championship.

I still don't get the "we got nothing to play for after the first loss" argument. If we really have nothing to play for after our first loss other than a conference championship, we need to drop the football program.

I have about a hundred articles of BYU clothing, banners, paraphernalia, etc and zero of them claim "conference champion" It's not a big deal. I'm tired of fans (and mostly people who hate the school) pretending that it is a big deal.

[1967cougar]

I am amazed at the number of people who leave a bad room, shut the door, and then want to go back into that room knowing that nothing has changed.

[frdbtr]

Just freakin win.
AAC too far away plus 2 P5 games.
MWC= BSU= NY6

You forgot
MWC= 1/2 as many football games on TV + no rebroadcasting, + 1/3 of the basketball games on TV as we have now. AND no guarantee that we get a NY6 bowl by winning that conference championship.

I still don't get the "we got nothing to play for after the first loss" argument. If we really have nothing to play for after our first loss other than a conference championship, we need to drop the football program.

I have about a hundred articles of BYU clothing, banners, paraphernalia, etc and zero of them claim "conference champion" It's not a big deal. I'm tired of fans (and mostly people who hate the school) pretending that it is a big deal.

I love BYU football and I love watching all the games. I hate watching a loss, it is frustrating and makes me angry. My point about championships is I watch what happens to the BYU fan base after the 1st loss of the year since independence and it feels like the collective BYU fan base wants to blow its brains out and everyone talks about how the season has no more meaning. When we were in the WAC and MWC the fan base talked about winning the conference, it became the calling card, what was most important. I never want to be back in the MWC but I feel BYU needs a conference. It will give meaning to the season after the 1st loss. BYU has had 1 undefeated season in its history, I don't expect another one anytime soon so being able to win a championship outside of being undefeated would IMO save BYU football from its own fans.

[ABYUFAN]

Just freakin win.
AAC too far away plus 2 P5 games.
MWC= BSU= NY6

You forgot
MWC= 1/2 as many football games on TV + no rebroadcasting, + 1/3 of the basketball games on TV as we have now. AND no guarantee that we get a NY6 bowl by winning that conference championship.

I still don't get the "we got nothing to play for after the first loss" argument. If we really have nothing to play for after our first loss other than a conference championship, we need to drop the football program.

I have about a hundred articles of BYU clothing, banners, paraphernalia, etc and zero of them claim "conference champion" It's not a big deal. I'm tired of fans (and mostly people who hate the school) pretending that it is a big deal.

I love BYU football and I love watching all the games. I hate watching a loss, it is frustrating and makes me angry. My point about championships is I watch what happens to the BYU fan base after the 1st loss of the year since independence and it feels like the collective BYU fan base wants to blow its brains out and everyone talks about how the season has no more meaning. When we were in the WAC and MWC the fan base talked about winning the conference, it became the calling card, what was most important. I never want to be back in the MWC but I feel BYU needs a conference. It will give meaning to the season after the 1st loss. BYU has had 1 undefeated season in its history, I don't expect another one anytime soon so being able to win a championship outside of being undefeated would IMO save BYU football from its own fans.

We're probably on the same page with this. Every fan that I hear talk about a conference championship I ask where their conference championship gear is - or do they just pretend to care about it. For what it's worth, in California I see more Ute fans than BYU fans caring about BYU's lack of an opportunity to win a conference championship.

[YNot]

IMO, BYU can still make independence work in the long run.

It may take 10 years, but the CFP will eventually grow to the top 8 teams. That alone will increase BYU's likelihood to reach the playoff or a New Year's bowl game, conference or no.

After the current bowl/contract cycle, I think we will see BYU's bowl options expand. The bowls are already more flexible than just 3 or 4 years ago. I think we eventually see BYU having access to multiple bowl games each season - Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Hawaii, Miami Beach, Armed Forces, etc. May be not all those bowls every season, but 2 or 3 options each season. This variation will give BYU that something to play for, even without a conference championship - ie, BYU can be selected to play the PAC 12 in Las Vegas, MWC in Poinsettia, or C-USA in Armed Forces bowl, depending on how well they do that year. The next year, they play a top AAC team in Miami or MWC in Hawaii, depending on how the Cougar perform during the season.

But, if a football conference is desirable, I actually wouldn't mind to be part of an expanded American. Have some western partners, including an in-conference rivalry with Boise St., and play teams in virtually every corner of the country. The basketball could be superb.

[snoscythe]

C'mon guys, everyone knows playing for a top-25 ranking and national respect are "nothing".

[Wolverine]

It is a fact that conference membership isn't once what it was. No more Nebraska vs Oklahoma, Texas vs Texas A&M, BYU vs Utah, etc. I am one who misses being in a conference, though I don't see going back to the MWC as a realistic option at this point. I don't buy into the "nothing to play for" argument after an early season loss as the goal is always to be nationally ranked and competitive throughout the course of the season. One thing that conference membership did for me was give me a reason to follow more closely the other teams in the conference. I always enjoyed taking an interest in the success and outcomes of other teams in the conference and the impact it could have on BYU's relative success as well. I realize I am old school and wax nostalgic way too much, but there are definitely things I miss about being in a conference.

[TulaneVandyRiceCoug]

Two loss LSU won the national championship in 2007. A one-loss BYU would still be considered in the mix, somewhere. Especially one early in the season, like in September, and against a team who will likely do well against a difficult conference.

I think we contend in 2015.

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