Burning Bridges

Are we burning bridges that will affect future indy schedule's? The MWC, Big12, and BE are or could be ticked off with us. The PAC12 won't play us after September, we have beaten up the WAC, The CUSA is getting gutted. Will we be left with scheduling the SunBelt and MidAmerican games?



Maybe we try to negotiate to win instead of getting a fair deal for both parties.

We sure are. Things are looking bleaker and bleaker for BYU. This is very frustrating.

perhaps, but don't forget that football isnt about relationships, i's about money.



TCU's coach swore they'd never play BYU again.

That lasted about as long as ESPN took to call to schedule a rematch. We'll be fine except against some really odd schools that don't like money. LIke Utah, SDSU and any coach whose job is on the line.

jonnylingo wrote:
We sure are. Things are looking bleaker and bleaker for BYU. This is very frustrating.

To say its looking bleak might be an understatement! Im starting to think that maybe BYU believes there bigger than they really are. Its starting to worry me, where are they trying to go right now?

To think that everyone needs BYU, and BYU can do without everyone is the wrong line of thinking.

CougarClaw wrote:
perhaps, but don't forget that football isnt about relationships, i's about money.



.

You still need to have some relationships with someone to make money. Who does BYU have right now? The WAC? ESPN can bail BYU out only so many times? There is going to come a time where even ESPN isnt going to want to air a BYU New Mexico State game. Think about it, Saturday night BYU was up against USC verses Orogen on ABC, and Cal verses Stanford on ESPN. If your a college football fan im pretty sure your watching one of those two games and not the BYU game. Hell it was on ESPNU. The "U" stands for YOU, as in YOU are the only one watching the game because YOU are a fan of the team playing. Thats not exposer, thats ESPN trying to fullfill there contract knowing that the game is going to be a ratings bust. Exposer is playing better compition that doesnt start at 10:15 pm east coast time.



The future is getting darker and darker from where im standing :~( I try not to be Debbie Downer but the vibe im getting isnt leaving me much of a choice right now :~(

Oh no, the sky is falling! Doom and gloom!



C'mon, y'all, BYU has different priorities because it's a different school, and conferences know that. I really doubt that Oklahoma is gonna say "Gee, BYU wanted rebroadcast rights to their conference games, so let's not play them."

A year ago BYU was stupid for not getting tv rights secured in writing. 3 months ago everyone was convinced that the big12 had suddenly become stable and BYU shouldn't worry about getting any of the promises in writing because they would work themselves out. A month ago going to the big east was met with scorn and derision. Now that BYU is trying to secure their rights and we may not go to the big east the world is coming to an end and the church is no longer true.



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hawkwing wrote:
A year ago BYU was stupid for not getting tv rights secured in writing. 3 months ago everyone was convinced that the big12 had suddenly become stable and BYU shouldn't worry about getting any of the promises in writing because they would work themselves out. A month ago going to the big east was met with scorn and derision. Now that BYU is trying to secure their rights and we may not go to the big east the world is coming to an end and the church is no longer true.



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I am not sure who this post is referring to. It is a little dramatic. Me saying things are looking a little bleak may be a little dramatic as well, but we have managed to piss off dozens of teams across the country at this point. As an independent where scheduling is one of the main concerns that just doesn't make things easier.



I think pretending like things are not bleak at all is disingenuous as well. Compare our situation to say, our rival's, and it is obvious that they are set up to succeed. They have a stable conference, huge money, a great coaching staff, and good bowl tie ins. We play on espn.



Our situation has a lot of question marks. I worry about recruiting. So far so good, but I am not convinced that independence is a long term solution. I don't think Holmo thinks so either.



At this point in time things do look a little bleak. to mock those who point out those concerns is stupid. Why not address those concerns instead of just mocking people who voice them.

You must have more information than I do, I don't see how we're burning any bridges. I don't see how the Big 12 could be mad at us, they have a great conference, and we couldn't get a deal done, they're certainly not out anything not getting us, are you saying that we're so special that they are mad that they got West Virginia and TCU instead of us? So mad that no one from that conference will schedule us anymore? And the Big East, are you saying that it now isn't going to happen?

jonnylingo wrote:

I am not sure who this post is referring to. It is a little dramatic.

this whole thread is a bit dramatic, don't you think? Fits right in. lol

Who really knows what the hey we're doing since BYU admin doesn't discuss these sort of issues? That is honestly where we stand at the present.



I think it could impact different relationships in different ways. Some administrators are looking only at good business and what makes sense financially. Some, like the PAC12 take "other" issues into their thought process over money issues, so you really don't know without knowing specifically the people at the helm.

What I do not understand in all of this is why BYU is going out of its way to maintain its WCC relationships and with Notre dame, while basically killing the B12 and BE relationships. If ties to other religious schools is more important than actual competition--which is what sports are about--I have a major problem with that. It makes it tough to buy into BYU sports as a fan when you are not sure that the decision makers really care all that much about BYU sports and competition. What they care about are other things. I get that other things do matter, but do not mess with my BYU sports in that way. That does not sit well with me. And I think Many other sports fan agree.



There is religion, and there is sports. The church does not want sports to become religion for some as it seems to be right now, and I do not not want the church to make BYU sports about religion either.

Great job right now by BYU. Keep steady. Don't get stuck with a lemon because the used car salesman (the BE) promised you the stars and the moon. Indy is not the worst gig and could work out great for BYU, even if some of you fans aren't happy with the schedule.

declocoug wrote:
Great job right now by BYU. Keep steady. Don't get stuck with a lemon because the used car salesman (the BE) promised you the stars and the moon. Indy is not the worst gig and could work out great for BYU, even if some of you fans aren't happy with the schedule.

The irony is that if fans are not happy with the schedule, they will not attend games, which makes its chances of success less likely. BYU Sports is a product. If the entertainment value does not justify the cost, people take their $$$ elsewhere. Idaho games did not sell out, NMSU did not come close. SJSU did not sell out. That is $$$ BYU will not make up because they lose ticket sales and game day revenue.

Lawboy wrote:

Great job right now by BYU. Keep steady. Don't get stuck with a lemon because the used car salesman (the BE) promised you the stars and the moon. Indy is not the worst gig and could work out great for BYU, even if some of you fans aren't happy with the schedule.

The irony is that if fans are not happy with the schedule, they will not attend games, which makes its chances of success less likely. BYU Sports is a product. If the entertainment value does not justify the cost, people take their $$$ elsewhere. Idaho games did not sell out, NMSU did not come close. SJSU did not sell out. That is $$$ BYU will not make up because they lose ticket sales and game day revenue.

More importantly recruits will not be interested which is my main concern. winning makes almost any situation doable, but losing as an independent means a slow death for the football program.

declocoug wrote:
Great job right now by BYU. Keep steady. Don't get stuck with a lemon because the used car salesman (the BE) promised you the stars and the moon. Indy is not the worst gig and could work out great for BYU, even if some of you fans aren't happy with the schedule.

Yea, that's the mantra I've been saying for weeks now, but I've been having problems convincing myself.



There are a lot of levels of frustration out there and on the surface it seems to me that BYU will struggle to get descent games to LES as an indy and while those not in Utah care more about games on TV, that's not where I am at the moment, but I understand. It just seems to me that either I need to take a sabbatical from BYU FB or lower my expectations. Either road is difficult to travel.

jonnylingo wrote:

declocoug wrote:
Great job right now by BYU. Keep steady. Don't get stuck with a lemon because the used car salesman (the BE) promised you the stars and the moon. Indy is not the worst gig and could work out great for BYU, even if some of you fans aren't happy with the schedule.

The irony is that if fans are not happy with the schedule, they will not attend games, which makes its chances of success less likely. BYU Sports is a product. If the entertainment value does not justify the cost, people take their $$$ elsewhere. Idaho games did not sell out, NMSU did not come close. SJSU did not sell out. That is $$$ BYU will not make up because they lose ticket sales and game day revenue.

More importantly recruits will not be interested which is my main concern. winning makes almost any situation doable, but losing as an independent means a slow death for the football program.

Give indy a chance to build. Rome wasn't built in one day... or year. If I was in provo, or even within 2 hours, I'd have attended each of those games. The fan support has actually been surprising to me. Could be much worse.



And while I think that it's nice to have sellouts, the ESPN money more than makes up for a couple thousand fans not being in the crowd.

EM_Puma wrote:
it seems to me that BYU will struggle to get descent games to LES as an indy and while those not in Utah care more about games on TV, that's not where I am at the moment

I am with you on this completely. I am a season ticket holder for football, Cougar Club member, and I want a good slate of games to watch in person at LES. If the games start to suck at LES on a regular basis, I cancel my season tickets, cancel CC, and just buy games I want to see and watch the rest on TV. The irony is that BYU just made it easier for me to do this.



Times are different now. Fans are more demanding and are smarter. Fans want more. A WAC/MWC type schedule at LES with 1 odd game of interest will no longer cut it. Especially when we see Utah bringing in a solid line-up of games. That is what BYU is competing against in this media market, and home scheduling has to improve. If it does not, expect a seismic shift in fan bases of the next generation.

I think you're overreacting a bit. But who knows.

declocoug wrote:
I think you're overreacting a bit. But who knows.

Perhaps, but maybe not. Game day attendance this year has been low. Casual fans have no urgency to see the team in person and spend money on crap games when they cam watch in comfort at home. If BYU home games do not create a buzz, that trend will continue. My couch is a great place to watch a game. I have easy access to a bathroom, great food/bev, and no travel hassles, so the time commitment is much less. BYU could be facing what NBA owners will face really soon--apathy. And the blame lies with those in charge, not with fans.



November home schedules have to improve, the times have to improve. Or else we have already seen the result.

Lawboy wrote:

I think you're overreacting a bit. But who knows.

Perhaps, but maybe not. Game day attendance this year has been low. Casual fans have no urgency to see the team in person and spend money on crap games when they cam watch in comfort at home. If BYU home games do not create a buzz, that trend will continue. My couch is a great place to watch a game. I have easy access to a bathroom, great food/bev, and no travel hassles, so the time commitment is much less. BYU could be facing what NBA owners will face really soon--apathy. And the blame lies with those in charge, not with fans.



November home schedules have to improve, the times have to improve. Or else we have already seen the result.

Yes - many BYU fans are spoiled - and late games in cold weather against poor teams will not bring out the best. I have a suggestion. Other teams do it. UH does it in Hawaii. Black out the TV in Utah and do not show the replay in Utah, So. idaho, No. Arizona, and most of Nevada for at least 24 hours. Maybe offer pay-per-view for $65.00 per game for the live game. That should fix attendance problems as long as we are winning. There is no way to fix it if BYU is losing.



BTW - a bad day at LES > a great day at RES



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