I guess I'm alone in my non-Hatred

It's funny, but this week I've seen a lot of anger on all sides, both towards BYU (from just about every MWC and WAC team), and from BYU fans towards just about everyone else. And I don't get it. Just putting some thoughts down in writing:



~Boise State. I just love the color blue I guess. Even when it comes to grass. Excited to play them a bunch this decade, no matter what happens.



~Fresno State/Nevada. I like these two schools! I've been actually, literally rooting for them to beat MWC teams for years now because I figured they would have to be added to the conference eventually, and that every win of theirs would help the slower Mountain West school Presidents notice that fact. What's not to like? Nevada has a great men's basketball team, and has been the 2nd best football team in the WAC for the past 5 years, along with one of the top 5 rushing teams in the nation. Academics are solid. Baseball is decent. Fresno State has been the 2nd best WAC football program this decade under Pat Hill. They hate the BCS and show no fear in challenging them. They won a baseball national championship recently, and their men's basketball coach is none other than Steve Cleveland. Both schools provide great in-conference rivals to UNLV and SDSU, which the conference badly needs right now (we were down to just CSU-Wyoming). Both are in the central/northern California television and recruiting markets. Sacramento baby! And BYU has been pushing hard to add both of them, along with Boise State, for years now behind the scenes, to WESTern out this Denver-based conference. I'm very happy with their additions.



~The Big XII. Say BYU signed a $10MM deal that we would stay in the MWC for 10 years, and that Texas and Friends came calling the next day. Would we leave our conference to join theirs? In a heartbeat! They like BYU, but they need a big-name 12th team as well (like Arkansas or Notre Dame, not just Louisville, Cincy, Memphis, or Air Force). Nothing happening until both Nebraska and Colorado are gone and their debts are fully paid off.



~Craig Thompson. Give this man a raise! TCU, Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada- all great additions to the MWC! This guy makes old WAC Commish Karl Benson look like a worthless old fool. You know, Benson, spearhead of the Rice/Tulsa/&Co. to the WAC-16 guy, the main reason we left our old conference? Yeah, I like "Hair". Once again, the guy makes a bold move and betters his conference. Just like with The Mtn. (which the Big Ten appears to have copied pretty well), with instant replay (which the rest of the nation seemed to copy pretty quickly), with multi-conference ref crews, with the fight against the BCS, on all fronts really. I like the guy a lot. Even more now that he saved us the ignominious fate of returning to the crappy old WAC.



~The MWC. Liked it at 9 with Utah. Loved it at 9 with Boise State. Crazy about it at 11 with FSU and UNR. And at 12 with Houston?!? :bug: :D :crazy: Can you say BYU-TCU Championship Game in San Diego? Yeah baby!



~The WCC. Gonzaga. St. Mary's. San Diego. San Fransisco. Really not a bad option at all. This is a 3-bid conference every year just about, and that may be saying more than the MWC. Baseball and volleyball both have the MWC beat, and women's soccer is a push. Not to mention the possibility of adding men's soccer/women's rowing. Maybe it's just the fact that I could commute to just about every school in that conference pretty easily from my hometown. Then again, I'm not the only Mormon from California!



~Tom Holmoe. Terrible Cal Bears head football coach; Awesome AD at BYU. So what he let Arizona State and Washington out of games in Provo? So what he scheduled 4 games against Oklahoma and Texas and only one of them was at home? So what he doesn't care if Coach Rose has to recruit kids to play in the Big Sky conference? I like the guy. He's great at making the right internal upgrade hires (Bronco Mendenhall anyone?). He's apparently been a great ambassador to the Big XII. He's done just about everything you could expect for a man in his position. Easy target, but undeservedly so. The man is True Blue.





Okay, so I'm not a man without hate. Here are some of the things I despise:



~Utah. 'Nuff said.

~The PAC-12. Buncha godless heathens. Also goes without saying.

~The WAC. A festering garbage heap of college athletics (Sorry Hawaii).

~Karl Benson. The guy has lost, what, 15 WAC schools while he's been the commissioner? Expect C-USA to take Louisiana Tech soon as well, and for Hawaii to go indy. What a cancerous piece of crap.

~Wyoming. If the MWC can re-write their rules to let BYU go independent but play their Olympic sports in the MWC, and maybe to let Hawaii join then in football only, can they also write-in a clause allowing them to kick out crappy, worthless schools... you know, like that one in Laramie? Seriously, the Cowboys offer the conference absolutely nothing but a bunch of drunken redneck hicks that will always hate BYU no matter what. Screw those turds! There's just no way to polish them.

~Utah State. I hope they drop football, if not just go I-AA (with Anderson walking). I hope Stew Morrill quits when they rejoin the Big West or Big Sky or whatever. These guys are Weber State with a bad attitude. They think they're our rival, our equal. They're not. Who do you think told everyone on Tuesday that BYU was leaving the MWC for the WAC? Who do you think cost us our original independent bid? These tools. No one likes or supports their football program or their conference. Let the weakling disappear, as Mother nature intended.



And that's Mars' Rant O' The Day (patent pending). :D

BYU has done nothing official yet, so hard to hate wasn't hasn't been done.



I do hate how Craig Thompson has treated BYU and have hated it for a long time now. Nothing has changed there. If for some reason BYU got no concessions and stayed in the MWC, I would still hate Craig Thompson (and Utah)



And as i have clearly stated, I would hate independence IF the MWC gives in to a palatable amount of our broadcasting demands... Is that possible? I don't know; but it's the one scenario I would be unhappy with. If seeking independence in the first place was about freedom with broadcasting and the MWC concedes that and we still bail....



Maybe they wont' concede a thing and it'll be an easy decision.

craigoscarson wrote:



I do hate how Craig Thompson has treated BYU and have hated it for a long time now. Nothing has changed there. If for some reason BYU got no concessions and stayed in the MWC, I would still hate Craig Thompson (and Utah).

I guess I have looked at that Thompson is simply an extension of the rest of the Conference Presidents. He is a talking head for the majority of the voices in the league, and that is it. He knows if BYU leaves, he can still have a job for the rest. So when he is an @$$, it means the other Presidents are being that way. So makes me want to tell the rest to stick, and Hair as well. The simply do not understand what losing BYU and the Utah market will do to them. They become the WAC again, but without an ESPN deal. Obscurity.

I think the question is WHY would BYU sign a $10M agreement to stay in the MWC for 10 years? I understand you need that caveat to create a balanced comparison with BYU/Big12 and Reno/Fresno but I don't think BYU would ever sign such a thing.



Do I blame them for jumping for the MWC? no. absolutely not. But promising to stay in the WAC in a deal that would have greatly improved the conference for all its members, leaving 24 hours later and then trying to avoid the $5M fee THEY AGREED TO; not to mention the key role in screwing over new conference member BYU all stand first in line to replace Utah's classlessness. They've left ruin in their wake(destroyed an entire FBS conference!) and ruined our grand plans at the same time.



Neither Utah's move out of the MWC, Boise's move out of the WAC or a move by BYU to the Big 12 would have done any of those things. So I do think some vitriol is appropriately directed.

Mars, one of your best posts of all time. When you list the facts like that, I tend to agree with you.



My goal is to wait for all of the dust to settle before I chime in. I've got faith in Holmoe and Coach Mendenhall and will support my Cougs no matter how things shake out.



I'm starting to root for BYU and ND to join the Big XII and round it out again after a few years of our independence. Seems to feel good to me.

Mars - somebody has gotta give you an award. What a post. If I may - Damn!!! Impressive my man!

:crazy:

Mars, I hereby nickname you Barney



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I do find it telling that Dick Harmon actually tweeted that some at BYU are quite upset with Hair due to his dismissive remarks in his press teleconference. Harmon did not name names, but he did not have to. Because it was noted that TH was at practice, so was either a coach, or the AD. Either way, glad to hear that people in charge are not pleased with Hair. He is a dolt.

Let us anoint and cleanse our eyes before we look upon the Baby Mars, for he has come to save the world...