A few unoriginal thoughts

I think most things regarding independence are known, so I probably am not adding anything new. Also, due to time constraints, I don't have the time to paw through the old posts and check to see what has been covered. Apologies in advance.



- ESPN is perhaps the main driver in terms of BYU going independent. They've agreed to broadcast all our FB and BB games, and give redistribution rights to BYUTV.



- To encourage BYU, ESPN has worked the phones these past 2 weeks and received tentative commitments from some VERY good teams to come to Provo.



- Texas has indeed been in contact with BYU, and are extremely impressed with BYU's facilities.



- There is currently no Big12 invite coming down the pipe.



- The MWC's response to BYU's exploration of options did in fact curtail our possibilities.



- Because of the Comcast situation, BYU holds ALL the cards in terms of going back to the MWC. The MTN will positively die without BYU.



- As of right now, I see BYU staying with the MWC, with BYU getting all its distribution concessions granted.



Cheers,



JL McGregor

Dallas TX

McGregor,



Thanks for posting. I was hoping we would hear from you while all the MWC / WAC buzz is happening.

Thanks mcgregor. I agree, the best option and the most likely one is for BYU to stay in the MWC and have broadcasting rights to its own product.

CougarPeasant wrote:
Thanks mcgregor. I agree, the best option and the most likely one is for BYU to stay in the MWC and have broadcasting rights to its own product.

Although this is what I expect to happen (I don't think ANYONE knows at this moment what will in fact happen), I kind of like the independent idea. From what I understand, ESPN is willing to basically partner up with us to fill our schedule, pimp us, and pay us lots of money if we go indy. I can't think if a reason not to pull the trigger, except that our other teams won't have a viable home.

Do you all think that, despite what The Hair said about not granting ANY concessions to teams to remain in the conference



(of course, he always lies through his teeth...the snake)

33311710 wrote:
Do you all think that, despite what The Hair said about not granting ANY concessions to teams to remain in the conference



(of course, he always lies through his teeth...the snake)

I'm not sure what Hair was talking about. This isn't about the MWC. The only concession I can think of is playing the annual tournament at the T&M.



Otherwise, BYU's sought-after concessions are from the MTN. And BYU will get what it wants.

mcgregor wrote:

Thanks mcgregor. I agree, the best option and the most likely one is for BYU to stay in the MWC and have broadcasting rights to its own product.

Although this is what I expect to happen (I don't think ANYONE knows at this moment what will in fact happen), I kind of like the independent idea. From what I understand, ESPN is willing to basically partner up with us to fill our schedule, pimp us, and pay us lots of money if we go indy. I can't think if a reason not to pull the trigger, except that our other teams won't have a viable home.

I agree. Had reno and fsu not stabbed BYU in the back, I was behind BYU and ESPN partnering to build up BYU as the top program in the west on ESPN's broadcasting schedule.



Now that the MWC is going to a 12 team conference and BYU will have control over its own broadcast rights, they will still be on TV every weekend as each conference away game will be on the mtn and the home games will be on ESPN one way or another.



How does this sound to you. With BYU getting on ESPN more than any other team west of the Big12, BYU should benefit even more in recruiting and one upping :utard:, which will be stuck on the regional Fox Sports network.

With the WAC falling apart, ESPN has no interest in putting their games on tv. They need the MWC and a deal with the Mtn. Maybe the Mtn will say, let BYU do their OOC games on ESPN and they will keep the rest of the games for the same money. They gain new areas from the new schools and great prestige with the additions to the conference.

mcgregor, does Houston get an invite now that the MWC appears to be at 11 schools?

CougarPeasant wrote:
mcgregor, does Houston get an invite now that the MWC appears to be at 11 schools?

That would be good for me- might make the mountain available here in Houston.

mcgregor wrote:

- Because of the Comcast situation, BYU holds ALL the cards in terms of going back to the MWC. The MTN will positively die without BYU.

I know Comcast owns half of the mtn, but what exactly is the Comcast situation, and how does BYU hold the cards? I am very interested to know what I am missing here.



Thank you.

cscoug wrote:

- Because of the Comcast situation, BYU holds ALL the cards in terms of going back to the MWC. The MTN will positively die without BYU.

I know Comcast owns half of the mtn, but what exactly is the Comcast situation, and how does BYU hold the cards? I am very interested to know what I am missing here.



Thank you.

If BYU leaves the MWC then the Mtn fails. Without BYU there is not enough interest in the rest of the conference to justify the network's existence. Sooooo, BYU says "show me the money" or we walk, Comcast says, "okey dokey".

Without BYU, the nature of the contract is substantially altered, and Comcast could actually back out, as well as the other partners. Basically, no BYU, no Utah= no Utah market. Why else would Hair offer USU? So, that's how. That leaves the MWC with no TV deal, unless of course someone else offers, which ESPN would. Question is how much would it net the league Probably more than the MTN deal, but not much more, and not as much as BYU nets as an indy from ESPN.

The MWC can not afford to lose the SLC market, but it is about to. Utah is gone, and if BYU goes, MWC penetration in its former large market of interest in gone. That is a really big deal.

CougarPeasant wrote:
mcgregor, does Houston get an invite now that the MWC appears to be at 11 schools?

I don't know.

Mcgregor, any truth that the MWC appears poised to invite ND in the next 24 hours? ;)

I agree that the most likely (and best remaining) scenario is BYU returning with concessions, except that bridges have been burned between BYU and MWC on several fronts:

- BYU deals behind MWC's back (not unethical, everyone is doing this, but it still makes people angry)

- Hair and MWC presidents invite UNR & FSU without a BYU vote

- BYU officially and openly disdains the mtn

- Hair makes several snide remarks about BYU in the press conference



BYU/ESPN within the MWC/mtn is going to be icier than NE/TX, like one of those marriages where one spouse allows the other to have affairs but stay together "for the children," and I can't see it lasting much longer. First hint of any opportunity and the whole thing falls apart.

The MWC has done much of this to make any other home unpalatable for BYU.



I'm not sure Hair went about it the right way because you can't make as many promises and deals with the UNRs of the world before it starts to cost you more than it's worth.



What is Thompsons problem with giving BYU the broadcasting distribution they want? It increases exposure for the entire conference, allows the rest of the guys to get a little piece, and had it been handle correctly would have helped heal the rifts between the conference and their bread winner.

Instead, the conference creates enough anomosity that BYU, even if they decide to stay with the MWC, has lost enough trust to simply bide their time til an opportunity arises to bail again.

This isnt' about BYU being dishonest, it's about BYU not feeling appreciated when they ask for a couple simple concessions in the face of a lot of less than ideal situations.



It shoud be , "oh, you have a world class broadcasting setup at your school that will help you get money and exposure..." "well, then you should proabaly be using that then." "thanks for being such a good member of our conference and for paying the bills."

mcgregor wrote:

mcgregor, does Houston get an invite now that the MWC appears to be at 11 schools?

I don't know.

interesting development, don't you think??? (even if it is from bleacher report)



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/440133-breaking-news-houston-expected-to-join-the-mountain-west-conference" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;