The Mountain West is still waiting on BYU’s next move

Colleges and Universities A-Z Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs
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<p>In the past couple of weeks, BYU has explored becoming an independent in football while moving its other sports to another conference. The biggest lingering issue is television distribution, and BYU’s desire to rebroadcast or simulcast its games on carriers that don’t have The mtn., the conference’s network. BYU has its own network, BYUtv, on many television platforms and goes out to about 60 million households. The mtn. is in about 6-to-7 million households. BYU could also be interested in a contract with ESPN to televise its football games.</p>

<p>MWC commissioner Craig Thompson, who attended the “Building a Great City Through Sports” luncheon at The Broadmoor on Tuesday, said he was in discussions with BYU and also the conference’s television partners (CBS College Sports Network and Comcast, which own The mtn.) in recent days.</p>

<p>“We’re trying to see what can be resolved,” Thompson said.</p>

<p>The Cougars are still a part of the conference. If they are to leave for the 2011-12 school year, they would have to notify the conference by Sept. 1. Their future remains a mystery.</p>

<p>“They have some major concerns with the television contracts,” Thompson said. “But I’m not going to put words in their mouth, I don’t know (what BYU will do).”</p>

<p>Thompson characterized recent talks with BYU as “friendly conversations.” Mutually beneficial options for a resolution are unclear. Redistribution would probably need some concessions from the television partners.</p>

<p>“Exclusivity is very important to those distribution agreements,” Thompson said.</p>

<p>Letting BYU’s other sports stay in the Mountain West while football competes as an independent isn’t an option. The league’s constitution bylaws state that every conference member has to compete in four core sports: football, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball.</p>

<p>And making financial concessions to BYU, like giving the Cougars a bigger slice of the revenue, hasn’t been discussed.</p>

<p>“There have been no discussions about any kind of disproportionate sharing of revenue,” said Air Force Superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould, who is also chair of the MWC board of directors, after Tuesday’s luncheon.</p>

<p>Gould said he didn’t know what BYU would do, either, but he was excited about the conference’s future, especially after adding Fresno State and Nevada last week.</p>

<p>“With or without Brigham Young, we’re confident we have a strong conference,” Gould said.</p>

<p>Thompson, who met with Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky last week to exchange ideas, said there are no current plans to form a partnership with that conference.</p>

<p>The Mountain West would be stronger with BYU, which is probably the conference’s most visible member. Certainly, the hopes of getting an automatic qualification to the Bowl Championship Series would take a major hit if BYU leaves.</p>

<p>“We are a better business model with BYU,” Thompson said.</p>

<p>“I don’t know what their line of thinking is today.”</p>

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<p>While Mountain West Conference member Brigham Young mulls a future that could include football independence and membership in a conference for other sports, Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Karl Benson said Monday that his league was not on the verge of extinction and planned to survive the latest round of realignments.</p>

<p>“We’re going to put a plan in place to add the necessary pieces to continue,” Benson said. “It does not look bleak.”</p>

<p>BYU had its own plan, as recently as last week, to be an independent in football and a WAC member in other sports.</p>

<p>But the Mountain West pre-emptively struck Wednesday and grabbed Fresno State and Nevada from the WAC. This came two months after the WAC had lost its flagship football program, Boise State, to the Mountain West.</p>

<p>With the WAC looking like a much-less desirable place to land, BYU has until Sept. 1 to tell the Mountain West if it still wants to leave at the end of the 2010-11 academic year.</p>

<p>The WAC is also facing the possibility of losing Utah State to the Mountain West. “It wouldn’t surprise me if those conversations were going on,” Benson said. "And there were reports this weekend out of Hawaii (another WAC school) that they’re exploring all their options.</p>

<p>“That’s probably a phrase that applies to all of us now. And we’re doing that, too. That’s the operative phrase.”</p>

<p>Benson, while continuing conversations with Brigham Young, says he has already reached out to other schools about joining the WAC in the next couple of years.</p>

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<p>Mikel Hunter scored twice and Air Force’s defense caused three turnovers, helping the Falcons snap a six-game slide against BYU with a 35-14 win Saturday in the final conference meeting between the rivals. </p>

<p>So long BYU…</p>

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<p>AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — BYU’s final trip to the Air Force Academy as a member of the Mountain West Conference was one it would like to forget.</p>

<p>The fired-up Falcons handed the soon-to-be-independent Cougars a bitter parting gift Saturday afternoon during BYU’s first stop on its MWC farewell tour — a convincing 35-14 loss before a sellout crowd of 46,692.
Actually, it was BYU (1-1, 0-1) giving gifts, in the form of three turnovers, while the Cougar defense generously gave up three long touchdown-scoring plays and 477 yards of total offense to Air Force (2-0, 1-0) in the conference-opener for both teams.</p>

<p>Truth is, the Falcons dominated BYU in every phase of the game.</p>

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<p>GO AIR FORCE!!! This was so exciting!</p>