BYU to Big 12 -- good for missionary work?

[_Morley]

You have moved to the top of my list of favorite posters!

Did you attended U of U? I did for four years. Later, Vanderbilt.

And you mine, good sir. I graduated from the U of U and, much later, the University of British Columbia.

[_Blixa]

Every time BYU loses, an angel gets its wings.

[_Hoops]

How would getting pounded every day of the week help missionary work?

[_harmony]

How would getting pounded every day of the week help missionary work?

At least the RMs on the squad would feel right at home.

[_Quasimodo]

How would getting pounded every day of the week help missionary work?

Maybe they could play on the sympathies of potential converts. "Please don't turn us away. We're BYU fans and just can't take anymore disappointments."

[_DarkHelmet]

Whe I was a kid in 1984, our deacons quorum teacher told us god helped BYU win the national championship because it will bring people into the church in droves. Of course it didn't happen, probably for the same reason no Mormons that I know of converted to Catholicism when notre dame won the title in 1988.

[_BartBurk]

All I know is that I keep reading that BYU went independent and wants to use sports on the BYU-TV HD channel as a way to lure people into the faith. I have also read that a senior GA (Packer?) who went to Utah State University wants BYU to drop college football altogether.

[_Hoops]

BYU win the national championship.

CO-national champions

[_Bond James Bond]

How would the current BYU fair in the Big 12 vs:

Texas: Loss
Texas A&M (probably going to SEC but currently in Big 12): Loss
Oklahoma: Loss
OK St: Loss
Texas Tech: Loss
Baylor: Loss
Kansas St: Lean KSt
Kansas: Lean BYU
Iowa St: Lean Iowa
Missouri: Lean Missouri

Basically you're looking at basically 6 guaranteed losses and 4 toss up games. Better than SEC, where BYU would lose to everyone guaranteed except Kentucky and Vandy but not great. BYU thinks they're going to do this Notre Dame of the west thing, but the problem is they don't have the tens of millions of religiously tied people to watch their team.

Plus BYU doesn't have the tradition that Notre Dame has (not that Notre Dame has been worth a damn the past 15 years) but they still have the name and a fat deal with CBS/NBC (I forget which one I never watch Notre Dame) which is why they're an independent in the first place, so they don't have to share that deal. BYU doesn't have the built in fan base of Notre Dame nor the ability to land the big TV contract.

If BYU could get into the Big 12 it would be great for them, but why would the Big 12 take them? Big 12 could as easily pick up Boise St which has a better football program, or could go the other direction and look at a basketball program like Louisville which also has a relevant football program as well as geographic proximity to the midwest. Or the Big 12 could look at a traditional Texas team like SMU which used to be one of the best programs until they got the "death penalty" in the late 1980s. BYU just isn't very good compared to some of the other candidates.

To the OP: where did you hear that BYU was going to the Big 12? I've been following the conference shake up rather closely and haven't heard anything about them except the pipe dream model of them getting into the Pac 12/16.

[_Bond James Bond]

All I know is that I keep reading that BYU went independent and wants to use sports on the BYU-TV HD channel as a way to lure people into the faith. I have also read that a senior GA (Packer?) who went to Utah State University wants BYU to drop college football altogether.

Problem is that Mormonism has a couple million Americans (people can claim 5 mil but assume 30-40% activity/give a crap rate) while Catholicism has tens of millions to watch Notre Dame. Plus Notre Dame built their name with many national championships while BYU hasn't. BYU-TV?