Best Bowl Game options.

[YNot]

I don't think we need to require a P5 opponent. That is arrogant. But I would like a better opponent and payout. If we did not get moved that would had been a good spot for us. I wonder where we would had landed if we were 8-4.

First Responders Bowl against Boston College.

8-4 likely means we beat Boise St. Boise wouldn't be ranked and ESPN would not have the same motivation to move Boise to that bowl game over us.

[jvquarterback]

The vocal minority that tout "fire Holmoe because he didn't get us in a fabulous bowl against a P5 team with a 6-6 record" and "fire Sitaki because he didn't go 10-2 this season" are just very out of touch with reality. If you think Sitaki and/or Holmoe are not doing a good job, that's fine. But these wretched arguments to back it up are just plain silly.

Holmoe said he would leave the bowl matchup to ESPN. That is failure. BYU has been burned by previous partners because they left the decisions to the partners and failed to get contracts in writing.

That is repeated incompetence on Holmoe's part.

I'm not saying Holmoe should give up on ESPN as a partner, but he can't let them dictate all the terms or we'll end up with terrible bowls every year. He has leverage and he should use it. BYU has a better brand than any other non P5. If BYU wants to be perceived as a P5 equivalent (and eventually get paid like one) they need to stipulate things like this in their contracts.

[Fido]

What leverage as a 6-6 team?

[YNot]

What leverage as a 6-6 team?

All sorts of 6-6 teams had leverage. Like Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, TCU, Baylor, Purdue, and Vanderbilt. Oh, there in P5 conferences, you say? Well, so that explains that.

Well, but look at all the other 6-6 teams, Miami(Ohio), Wyoming, UL Monroe, Liberty, and 6-5 Southern Mississippi! They're not going to bowl games, you say? That can't be right. BYU has no leverage.

Everything is Holmoe's fault. Or..., I mean Sitake's fault. No, it's Dave McCann's fault! No, I mean Holmoe's fault.

[snoscythe]

Well, but look at all the other 6-6 teams, Miami(Ohio), Wyoming, UL Monroe, Liberty, and 6-5 Southern Mississippi! They're not going to bowl games, you say? That can't be right. BYU has no leverage.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just how low we are willing to set the bar these days....

[SpiffCoug]

The vocal minority that tout "fire Holmoe because he didn't get us in a fabulous bowl against a P5 team with a 6-6 record" and "fire Sitaki because he didn't go 10-2 this season" are just very out of touch with reality. If you think Sitaki and/or Holmoe are not doing a good job, that's fine. But these wretched arguments to back it up are just plain silly.

Holmoe said he would leave the bowl matchup to ESPN. That is failure. BYU has been burned by previous partners because they left the decisions to the partners and failed to get contracts in writing.

That is repeated incompetence on Holmoe's part.

I'm not saying Holmoe should give up on ESPN as a partner, but he can't let them dictate all the terms or we'll end up with terrible bowls every year. He has leverage and he should use it. BYU has a better brand than any other non P5. If BYU wants to be perceived as a P5 equivalent (and eventually get paid like one) they need to stipulate things like this in their contracts.

ESPN owns most of the bowls. Leaving it up to the business partner is a good idea.

[YNot]

Well, but look at all the other 6-6 teams, Miami(Ohio), Wyoming, UL Monroe, Liberty, and 6-5 Southern Mississippi! They're not going to bowl games, you say? That can't be right. BYU has no leverage.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just how low we are willing to set the bar these days....

The discussion is about whether BYU had leverage for a better bowl game, not whether I was satisfied with BYU's season or its bowl destination. Clearly, BYU was the definition of mediocre this year. Not acceptable. And the only good thing about the Idaho bowl game is that it's within driving distance.

But, BYU is the ONLY non-P5 team with a 6-6 record that got a bowl invite. So, even if the bowl game is in Boise in December against a lackluster, directional MAC school, it's better than the schools listed above that are staying home this bowl season.

Is anyone surprised that Boise got the better bowl invite? They beat us and finished ranked in the top-25. What better bowl options did BYU have?

[jvquarterback]

BYU will outperform any G5 team for television and ticket sales. Yes even at 6-6 BYU will outperform Boise St at 10-3 in attendance and TV ratings. They'll outdraw teams like Duke, WF, and BC as well. ESPN knows that and is taking advantage of that fact by placing BYU in a local, low-paying bowl with a terrible opponent that otherwise wouldn't have anyone show up or watch. BYU is not taking advantage of that and Holmoe is selling BYU for less than it's worth.

Allowing ESPN to pick which bowl is best for BYU is like asking the used car dealer to pick your car for you after you've paid. But hey, at least you've got a car.

The time for BYU to negotiate bowl invites isn't after the season when BYU is 6-6, it's before the season and Holmoe has failed to negotiate the best contract for BYU.

[SpiffCoug]

ESPN is not a used car dealer. They're our business partner. They ARE going to look out for us. How do I know? Because they DID look out for us. They had a financial interest in seeing us in a bowl.

The best time to negotiate isn't at the start of the season. It's years ahead of time - which is what Holmoe had done.

[snoscythe]

ESPN is not a used car dealer. They're our business partner. They ARE going to look out for us. How do I know? Because they DID look out for us. They had a financial interest in seeing us in a bowl.

What financial interest? Avoiding a breach of contract lawsuit from BYU if they didn't put is in a bowl, any bowl?