Big 12 Expansion at 15%

https://twitter.com/espn960sports/status/733774177170116608



BYU's chances of being invited if the Big 12 were to expand are probably right around 0-10%, so say 5% of 15%.



I'm glad I like Independence.

Seriously folks, the sooner we embrace where we are, or that our only hopes are in a non-P5 conference, the better off we'll be. We've been recognized as a cut above the rest of the non-P5's and we'll just have to hope that TH can continue to pound out a descent schedule. It still beats what we used to have in the MWC.

When the Chair of the OU Board of Regents publicly expressed his sceptism on the need to expand, the Boren campaign suffered a major blow.



I think the expansion proponents, rather then lose the vote, will table the issue and not revisit it until at least 2018.



Future realignment may not occur until the TV contracts and GORs of the ACC and Big 12 expire.

That old guy, board of regents chairman, Max Whatever, made a public fool of himself with his grossly misinformed descriptions of the expansion candidates. While true of some, like Memphis, or Boise State, his criticisms of stadium size and TV market do not apply to BYU. But it's not just that he is inaccurate. It marks him as some kind of senile ignoramus. He has no clue that by his own stated criteria, he makes BYU more worthy of Big 12 inclusion than 8 of the 10 current members. He asks, "What do we have to gain." Well, Max, how about a national name brand program to compensate you for losing Texas A&M and Nebraska?



What a doofus. I can't imagine him retaining credibility after that. What's he gonna do, try to double down on that goofiness when the Big 12 meets in June?



Please understand that I am not promoting any hope or need for P5 inclusion with this. I just think it's a funny irony here.

I dunno, Boid. I read the Regent's statement as either 1) having already dismissed BYU out of hand (for reasons other than those stated), or 2) not seeing a good partner for BYU because of the reasons he did state. Either way, he's saying that BYU is tossed out for other reasons (Sunday play?) and the leftovers aren't appealing.



Ascribing otherwise-respected people's views to isolated stupidity is too easy and often mistaken. He's a smart guy; of course he knows BYU's strengths. But he's not going to comment on a specific school. Rather, he's going to make sweeping comments that apply to all of the other schools--because without 2 BYU type schools, there won't be any.

You may be right. I'm kind of resourcing back to the 1980's Barry Switzer here, having lived through that level of willful ignorance ( I know he sings a different tune this year, to his credit).



It would have been easy enough for this regent to have prefaced: "Outside of BYU," or "Other than BYU...."

The Sunday play issue isn't a problem for most of the schools--a hassle, yeah, but they can get over it. The two schools that have a big problem with it are TCU and Baylor. They don't want to be forced, as a Disciples of Christ and a Baptist school, to accommodate BYU in sabbath day observance, because it begs the question/comparison why they are playing on Sundays.



If BYU wants into the Big XII, it will have to be without the support of TCU, Baylor and WVU (for different geographic reasons). That's quite a disadvantage to start from.

Just win. BYU wins and makes post-season noise and someone will gobble us up. We haven't played a NY6 bowl game in the last 15 years. Gotta give the P5s a reason to invite us.

In this anti-religious climate our country is currently in you'd have to be crazy to take on one of the few openly religious institutions. It won't happen regardless of any other factors, it's too risky.

I would love to ask the Pope why they play on the Sabbath.

scott715 wrote:
I would love to ask the Pope why they play on the Sabbath.

:lol: ;)



I have to agree with Hawk. The religious affiliation will keep us out. We're not just some ordinary Protestant sect. We're considered to be kooky Mormons. I don't think that the Big 12 can rise above their fears and suspicions.



Independence is cool. We're not "Group of Five," and we're not "Mid Major." We are a Major Independent, and a competitive one at that. 8)

scott715 wrote:
I would love to ask the Pope why they play on the Sabbath.

In all seriousness I would love to ask Mormon athletes why they don't play on the Sabbath during college (at BYU) but it's suddenly ok to do so at the pro level. Sure, they got to feed their family. That constitutes breaking the commandment?



I've been very "blessed" to have a M-F job but that is also what I sought for. As I contemplate starting my own business rule #1 is I will not be open on Sundays. I'm not trying to sound holier than thou, but I just don't understand the justification for a pro Mormon athlete competing on Sundays..

byufan4ever wrote:

I would love to ask the Pope why they play on the Sabbath.

In all seriousness I would love to ask Mormon athletes why they don't play on the Sabbath during college (at BYU) but it's suddenly ok to do so at the pro level.

Easy -- they never get the opportunity to make that decision at BYU. I'm betting 90%+ of scholarship athletes at BYU competed on Sundays in high school, pee-wee, little leagues, AAU, etc. before coming to BYU. I doubt Sunday play is much of a factor in any athletes choosing to come to BYU or not to. It's just part of the fabric here that they don't have to think about.

byufan4ever wrote:

I would love to ask the Pope why they play on the Sabbath.

In all seriousness I would love to ask Mormon athletes why they don't play on the Sabbath during college (at BYU) but it's suddenly ok to do so at the pro level. Sure, they got to feed their family. That constitutes breaking the commandment?



I've been very "blessed" to have a M-F job but that is also what I sought for. As I contemplate starting my own business rule #1 is I will not be open on Sundays. I'm not trying to sound holier than thou, but I just don't understand the justification for a pro Mormon athlete competing on Sundays..

It's an interesting question, for sure. Some of our athletes don't go pro to avoid playing on the Sabbath; others are not bothered by it, and have probably become a net positive for the church in terms of positive publicity, regardless of how it has affected their personal relationship with God. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I were in the shoes of someone like Steve Young - do I make a statement by refusing to play on Sunday? Or do I do it, set a good example, and use the gobs of money I can earn with my God-given abilities and my personal fame to build up the kingdom of God on the earth? Tough call, and I couldn't make it without being there and praying about it.



Then there are other professions which require working on Sunday (doctors, nurses, police, firefighters, etc), where even if the entire population of the planet was 100% devout Mormon, you'd still need these people to work on Sunday. Others may not have the ability to get a job that supports their family without a Sunday requirement, given their abilities and education. Everyone has to draw a line individually for what work is okay on Sunday and what isn't. The general authorities have given some guidelines about where you draw that line, but every once in a while the Lord asks someone to chop off Laban's head, so to speak, and when he does so it's usually not broadcast to the entire membership. If it were, so many would be looking for their own personal exception to all sorts of commandments.

byufan4ever wrote:

I would love to ask the Pope why they play on the Sabbath.

In all seriousness I would love to ask Mormon athletes why they don't play on the Sabbath during college (at BYU) but it's suddenly ok to do so at the pro level.

Because BYU, being representative of the church, has already made that decision for them, it's not an individual decision while at BYU. Beyond that, it's between them and the Lord.

I like working Sundays. Less car wrecks that day!

I think there are two reasons for the difference in Sabbath attitudes between BYU and the pros



1. Like Schmoe said, BYU is making a decision as a representative institution of the Church of Jesus Christ. Individuals are making decisions as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Individuals are given their agency.



2. (and this is by far shakier ground) Collegiate Sport does not come with a paycheck. It is not a required part of a job. It is preparation for a job that may or may not happen. It is not a necessary component of a professional pursuit. Therefore, it is optional. Recognizing that man must live by the sweat of his brow, and that the Sabbath was made for man, the church has generally not come out against positions that require Sunday work. The church itself also makes internal allowances for it for semi-necessary services, like the BYU students who swipe meal cards at the Cannon Center on Sundays, or paying MTC staff for their work on Sundays. The church (that is, BYU and the MTC) does what it can to minimize staff on Sundays. The church encourages members to keep that day holy and to strive to do the best they can to do that. Steve Young talked about gathering with a few other members on the team(s) to have the sacrament and worship on a different day of the week (not unlike the BYU Jerusalem Center having the Sabbath on Saturday).

https://twitter.com/BDavisAAS/status/738816634794606592



The dream is over.

They did make one decision so far:

https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/status/738809963703894016

https://twitter.com/john_shinn/status/738803897565745153



https://twitter.com/kbohls/status/738820818621190148



Also said that the Big 12 network isn't happening.

https://twitter.com/kbohls/status/738818783427452929