U to PAC-12 and recruiting

The biggest issue for me with Utah going to the PAC-12 is recruiting. Will this hurt BYU in state and help Utah? Bronco has basically cornered the LDS market on kids locally the last 3-4 years, but will this change? I hope not, but if it does, this is what will hurt BYU the most with Utah getting that invite. BYU needs to continue to dominate locally.



Harvey Langi might be the first test case to this. If he picks BYU over all others, that sends a good signal that Bronco and Co. can get it done, in spite of Utah being a PAC-12 team. But if Harvey leans to Utah now, I will get nervous for the future. Utah will gain some confidence and go after 2012 recruits we both want, including Troy Hinds, etc.

BYU's recruiting is one of the few bases that wouldn't really change if they were in a BCS conference or not. Kids like Jake Heaps would still come to BYU. Kids like Stanley Havili will still not come to BYU. I don't think we're going to be losing any more kids to Utah now than we have in the past.

You're telling me that we could not have landed Hiloti Ngata, Havili, Martinez, Sua-Fila, etc if we were a BCS team? I do not buy that. And the opposite is not true for Utah. some LDS kids will give them a harder look since they are a BCS team now. I know I'd rather play USC, UCLA, UW and co than UNLV, SDSU and Wyoming.

If the choice is between middle of the road no chance for a BCS bowl PAC - 12 Utah, and always in the hunt for a BCS bowl MWC BYU, I think we will win more than our share of the battles. The battle up to now has been with BYU fighting off the USCs and Oregons and that won't change much will it?

Lawboy wrote:
You're telling me that we could not have landed Hiloti Ngata, Havili, Martinez, Sua-Fila, etc if we were a BCS team? I do not buy that. And the opposite is not true for Utah. some LDS kids will give them a harder look since they are a BCS team now. I know I'd rather play USC, UCLA, UW and co than UNLV, SDSU and Wyoming.

Nope, I don't think Haloti was ever coming to BYU. Martinez never had any interest in BYU - ask his Dad who is vehemently anti-BYU. Sua-Filo wanted to go big time. We never had a real chance with those kids. The only one who MIGHT have listened a little to BYU would have been Sua-Filo. Utah still isn't BYU if they're in the BCS. It's not the same atmosphere.

Only time will tell. Initially, the answer is definitely yes. gordon monson has a great article about this today. I think he hits it on



http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_15310530



utah fans are fickle. if they lose 5 games every year byu will keep their edge if they keep winning becuase they will continue to be in the national spotlight and on pace to get into a bcs game if they can beat bsu and tcu.



utah however i think will have a great shot at doing well in the pac10. by the time they go their team will have a junior qb who is very good and they will have a lot of experience both on the offensive and defenseive front. they could enter and really make a splash. the stars have just aligned for them in a ridiculous way.

It only takes 2-3 kids a year to make a difference. The 2009 class is proof of that. And the 2010 class needs that 2 or 3 difference makers to elevate it. If Utah gets Ryker or Langi now, I'd say the PAC10 invite had a lot to do it with it.

Good-bye to them Yewts!!! Have fun in the PAC-whatever! I predict - a humbling experience for cocky Yewt fans.

8)

This will have an effect on kids that are considering both schools. Die hard Utes will go to Utah, and die hard Cougars will go to BYU. (There are the Pendletons and Jorgensens who will occasionally switch, but its rare).



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I like the point that BYU kids will still come here, but we have been royally trumped. We will lose more recruiting battles. period.



We won't have the money, the schedule or the BCS prestige. And when it comes to fan base, if you can either go to LES and watch a Wyoming game, or RES and watch USC; which one are you going to pick?



I think Utah will do quite well in the Pack of scumand as much as I'd like to see them flop I don't think they will. Here's to hoping for AQ status or a Big 12 invite.

CougarClaw wrote:
I like the point that BYU kids will still come here, but we have been royally trumped. We will lose more recruiting battles. period.



We won't have the money, the schedule or the BCS prestige.

Agreed. If you're a highly skilled Utah athlete (football or basketball - and get the chance to play UCLA, the Arizona schools, or Stanford in BB!) - you want a shot at the "Big Show"; and you now have to decide between the Cougs or "them Yewts!!!" Man!! Yewtah has a HUGE advantage for talented athletes because of the media stage they can now play on - and still live close to home if desired.



CougarClaw hit it - "trumped" is right. I feel like someone let the air out of my Cougar / MWC tires! Ugghhh!!!

:crazy:

CougarClaw wrote:

And when it comes to fan base, if you can either go to LES and watch a Wyoming game, or RES and watch USC; which one are you going to pick?

Who is going to go to the Utah game over the BYU game? You? Me? I can't speak for you but I would never do that no matter who Utah is playing and I don't know a BYU fan that would.



My point is the fans that pick what football game to attend based off of who the opponent is aren't real fans anyway. They are the type that go for entertainment purposes only. They are the type that won't wear red or blue or whatever to the game anyway. They are the type that will vanish if Utah starts sucking in the PAC and Whit will have to start handing out free tickets like Urban did.



If there is an increase in Utah's fan base just because they are in the PAC it will be extremely minimal and they will rise and fall with the tide of Utah football.

One silver lining in all of this is being Y fan first and a UW fan a distant second, when the pukes are playing the Huskies at home, and BYU isn't at home that week, I can put on my UW hat and go sit with the UW fans and cheer against the pukes.

When we continue to beat the Oklahoma's(and soon Texas) type schools, and Utah struggle against the Oregon's and USC's... I don't doubt we'll still continue on with good recruiting IF not better.

northerncougar wrote:
One silver lining in all of this is being Y fan first and a UW fan a distant second, when the pukes are playing the Huskies at home, and BYU isn't at home that week, I can put on my UW hat and go sit with the UW fans and cheer against the pukes.

Sweeet!!! Ha-ha-ha!!! Luv it!!

:lol: 8)

northerncougar wrote:
One silver lining in all of this is being Y fan first and a UW fan a distant second, when the pukes are playing the Huskies at home, and BYU isn't at home that week, I can put on my UW hat and go sit with the UW fans and cheer against the pukes.

What a coincidence! I will be a UW fan that day too!! :evil:

Looks like Langi is impressed:


http://blogs.sltrib.com/byu/index.php?p=17545&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1



“Utah going to the Pac-10 just blows my mind. That’s crazy. That’s unreal. That makes the decision for me even harder, because it puts Utah higher up, no question. Now they are up there with the big boys I’ve been visiting, schools like USC, UCLA, Stanford and Washington,” he said.

A moment later, he added: “But don’t get me wrong -- I still have a lot of respect for BYU.”

Langi didn’t have a lot of time to talk, but it was obvious that Utah gained a lot of ground in his eyes on Wednesday.

“Utah is big-time now, no question about it,” he said. “It’s just crazy, almost hard to believe.”







I know the Udub coaches are high on him. Will be interesting to see how Utah to the PAC impacts the traditional recruiting landscape.

PurpleReign wrote:
Looks like Langi is impressed:


http://blogs.sltrib.com/byu/index.php?p=17545&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1



“Utah going to the Pac-10 just blows my mind. That’s crazy. That’s unreal. That makes the decision for me even harder, because it puts Utah higher up, no question. Now they are up there with the big boys I’ve been visiting, schools like USC, UCLA, Stanford and Washington,” he said.

A moment later, he added: “But don’t get me wrong -- I still have a lot of respect for BYU.”

Langi didn’t have a lot of time to talk, but it was obvious that Utah gained a lot of ground in his eyes on Wednesday.

“Utah is big-time now, no question about it,” he said. “It’s just crazy, almost hard to believe.”

Harvey made an unofficial visit to BYU yesterday during the Nike Camp. Let's hope Bronco can close the deal here and fast. If we lose this kid to Utah, I will absolutely hate it.

I will be shocked if Utah does not lose 4-5 games this year...and next. Utah has a pretty good football team, but winning 9-10 tames in the MWC and winning that many in the Pac-10 is another. Winning at SDSU with 100 fans in the stands is way different than winning in L.A. with 100,000 in the stands...and against far better teams.



I've often wondered, would BYU fans prefer BYU to go 10-2 in the MWC, or 6-6 in some other conference?



If you're a basketball player, would you rather ride then bench at Duke, or be a starter at Utah State?



I don't think UTah or their fans are much different; they will throw up at their team losing 6-7 games a year, they will hate their team, the Pac and Wittingham. But all that changed is their schedule, not their coach, not the players, not the team, not the school.



And for Utah, I see basketball being a complete disaster this year...and next year in the Pac. Boylen will be fired either way. But Utah doesn't have the players to win in this conference, or the Pac.