RE: MHver3 rises like a phoenix....more realignment talk
Look there are supporters of BYU in the Big XII. That's not news. So communication is ongoing. However, they don't have the votes to bring them in. And that is unlikely to change in the interim.
REASON ONE - BYU DOESN"T ADD MONEY FOR EXISTING MEMBERS
Even if BYU could get around the obvious issues with culture and fit, and they won't, the whole value proposition fails with BYU. The amount of money will fall going forward as people cut the cord. Does BYU help Iowa State's or West Virginia's bottom line? Nope. Do they help anyone in the conference's bottom line? Also no. Its just another mouth to feed from the TV pool.
REASON TWO - BYU DOESN'T GAIN THE EXISTING MEMBERS ANY ADDITIONAL FOOTBALL PROMINENCE
And while they have the profile, attendance wise, of a lower to mid tier P5, their record recently and versus P5 competition hasn't met the profile of a 'need to have' team. So 8-16 versus the P5 in the last 5 seasons, with only 2 wins over P5 teams that had winning records (neither were ranked at year end). Most of the 8 wins came against the absolute dregs of P5 conferences too. The on the field product doesn't make the case either. No statement wins in the last 5 years. This is the profile of a low tier P5. Low tier P5s are drains on the other members. The Big XII already has Kansas and Baylor. They don't need another gimmie. And lets get real about the impact of BYU being in the P5. Do you think BYU is going to get significant non-LDS recruits as a result of being P5? Nope. Maybe the get a recruit or two from Utah that they wouldn't have otherwise gotten. Moving BYU to the Big XII doesn't really transform the program from a competitiveness standpoint either.
BTW, any Big XII team who wants to play BYU can get a series with them.
REASON THREE - BYU DOESN'T HELP ANY TEAMS WITH RECRUITING AND THEIR MARKET ISN'T WHERE THE CONFERENCE WISHES TO GO
And then there's the market. Who in the Big XII recruits Utah/the Intermountain West? Will moving the Big XII to the west help them out? Seems to me so long as WVU is in the conference, the move is to the East, not the West.
REASON FOUR - COLORADO ISN'T GOING BACK TO THE BIG XII PERIOD, AND ISN'T LOOKING TO PLAY BYU
And then there's the whole Colorado is going to leave the Pac12 to rejoin a Big XII with BYU issue. That is a complete non-starter. The Pac12 is a terminal conference. No one leaves it. Colorado isn't going to leave Stanford, USC, Cal, UCLA and Washington so they can play Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor and BYU. Just not going to happen.
Also, Nebraska is unhappy with how they've played recently, but so long as the Big XII is unstable at the top, Nebraska is going to stay in the B1G. That's also a terminal conference. No one leaves it.
REASON FIVE - EVEN IN A BIG XII GETS POACHED SCENARIO, BOISE BECOMES THE BIGGER TARGET IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST
Now there IS a scenario where BYU gets picked up by the Big XII. That scenario is one where the Big XII has lost several of its teams and is desperate to fill spots. One issue BYU will still have is that WVU still wants he conference to move East. Even if the Big XII gets poached, BYU might still get passed over. They need a scenario where Boise and BYU come over in a package deal and that will only happen if the Big XII is a shadow of its current self. If they lose prominent members, Boise becomes the real prize because they have a more recent record of statement wins. And do they want to go alone or with BYU? Basically, BYU needs the Big XII to get poached and for WVU to be one of the poached teams.
By the way, eight of the Big XII members are just sitting around, waiting for the next TV deal and the realignment that will come from that. And praying that UT and OU don't bolt. They're not going to add another potential competitor for a P5 landing spot at this time. There's a reason they haven't expanded, and probably wont for a while....do you think Kansas State or Texas Tech wants to elevate BYU right now so they can potentially beat them out in a competition for P5 landing spots in a half decade or so?
Given the current membership of the Big XII, BYU doesn't really provide more money, better recruiting, or a higher profile to the existing members of the conference. And that's even before you even address the elephant in the room, which is fit.
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