So, BYU's AD, Tom Holmoe, recently did a media Q&A and discussed a number of items, including scheduling.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=33601035&nid=498...ss-extlink

He made the comment about it being BYU's "intention" to be in a P5 conference in the "near future." However, this sentence is taken out of context and has been over-analyzed in the local media and BYU fan boards. The sentences preceding the quote focus on what Holmoe "thinks" regarding future conference realignment and his "hope" for BYU.

Anyway, with that backdrop, I am concerned about the lack of American teams on BYU's future schedules. BYU and the American have recently put together some exciting, competitive, and memorable games - Houston, UCF, and Memphis (via the Miami Beach Bowl affiliation). Back-and-forth shoot outs and overtime finishes - it's been great football! I also foresee that the ECU and Cincinnati series will be just as exciting and competitive.

(The timing of the UConn series, with the Huskies' program down, has been less compelling than originally hoped).

But after the 2017 season, the association is rather weak; the only post-2017 series is with USF in '21 and '22.

I am hopeful that the main issue is that many teams haven't started to schedule beyond 2017 with earnestness and that we see many more BYU-American matchups involving MEMPHIS, UCF, Houston, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, Temple, etc. in 2018 and onward.

Thoughts? Have you guys enjoyed the American-BYU games so far? What scheduling openings and possibilities do you see?

Thanks - YNot

Tulane owes them a home game.

Why in the world does BYU play AT Umass in both 2018 and 2019?

I'm not a BYU fan, but the games have been awesome and with Memphis there is already bad blood which makes for fun games.

I think it's obvious that BYU, AAC, and some MWC teams have separated from the G5.

(02-25-2015 01:48 PM)tnzazz Wrote:  I'm not a BYU fan, but the games have been awesome and with Memphis there is already bad blood which makes for fun games.

I think it's obvious that BYU, some AAC, and some MWC teams have separated from the G5.

FIFY

(02-25-2015 01:28 PM)wavefan12 Wrote:  Tulane owes them a home game.

Why in the world does BYU play AT Umass in both 2018 and 2019?

I feel like the Mormon church is trying to make inroads into the Boston area. I have a Mormon friend who just got back from his mission trip in Boston.

(02-25-2015 01:50 PM)mlb Wrote:  

(02-25-2015 01:48 PM)tnzazz Wrote:  I'm not a BYU fan, but the games have been awesome and with Memphis there is already bad blood which makes for fun games.

I think it's obvious that BYU, some AAC, and some MWC teams have separated from the G5.

FIFY

Haha....fair enough. I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings on here.

(02-25-2015 02:01 PM)invisiblehand Wrote:  

(02-25-2015 01:28 PM)wavefan12 Wrote:  Tulane owes them a home game.

Why in the world does BYU play AT Umass in both 2018 and 2019?

I feel like the Mormon church is trying to make inroads into the Boston area. I have a Mormon friend who just got back from his mission trip in Boston.

I considered that, but I grew up there and don't see it. In my 30 years in New England I think I met 3 mormons. Still no reason to do two away games against an abysmal program.

FWIW, they have people on missions all over the world.

This is why we didn't need to rush in adding schools.

(02-25-2015 02:04 PM)tnzazz Wrote:  

(02-25-2015 01:50 PM)mlb Wrote:  

(02-25-2015 01:48 PM)tnzazz Wrote:  I'm not a BYU fan, but the games have been awesome and with Memphis there is already bad blood which makes for fun games.

I think it's obvious that BYU, some AAC, and some MWC teams have separated from the G5.

FIFY

Haha....fair enough. I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings on here.

I think the bottom of the league will improve. They have some solid coaches and facility improvements going on.

(02-25-2015 01:50 PM)mlb Wrote:  

(02-25-2015 01:48 PM)tnzazz Wrote:  I'm not a BYU fan, but the games have been awesome and with Memphis there is already bad blood which makes for fun games.

I think it's obvious that BYU, some AAC, and some MWC teams have separated from the G5.

FIFY

I think we're seeing a strong commitment from all the AAC teams. Particularly in coaching hires.

I agree with both posts above. It's fun to watch.

The big 12 is the only hope for byu, but they aren't in any rush to add teams. They need to get used to the indy schedule for years to come.

So when is the NCAA going to rule on the Big 12's appeal to stage a conference championship game? Have they even sent an appeal?

I live here and this definitely is not true laugh out loud

Looks like it's P5 or Independent for BYU.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-s...56569.html

BYU is still sending signals that it would like to be a member of a Power Five conference sooner rather than later.

Athletic director Tom Holmoe said Tuesday that he thinks there's a round of realignment in college football to come. And he hopes the Cougars are involved in it.

"We’re an independent team playing an independent schedule,” Holmoe said. “That’s what we’ve got and that’s where we are. We’re not really looking back, we’re looking forward because there are possibilities, and I have to do my due diligence on that.”

Meanwhile, Holmoe also said he foresees another shift in conference alignment coming, and "it’s our intention that we would be playing in what they commonly call a 'Power 5' conference sometime in the near future."...

... Holmoe also said that the school was handling discipline internally for the brawl at the end of the Miami Beach Bowl. BYU and Memphis players fought at the end of the double overtime game and Memphis has previously announced suspensions for players involved in the fight.
"There is a lot going on behind the scenes and we'd like to keep it that way," Holmoe said.

I'd like to add BYU, Boise, Colorado State, & Air Force to get to 16. If any of them say no, then SDSU and Fresno are up next. Or maybe we take all six to get to 18.

We need to do what we can to stay relevant. Absorbing the best of the West would help.

Your a good ship YNOT. I know most BYU fans would prefer Indy over anything other than a P5, a few want to go back to MWC (at least for Olympic sports) but your the guy who wants BYU in the AAC. You seem pretty pro AAC. Now, if BYU failed to get several (or any) MWC schools to follow them into the AAC, would you still want BYU in the conference? I mean, if Tom Holme can't get BYU into a P5, would your idea for second best option be AAC alone without any western partners? I think that seems to be an issue; maybe I'm wrong....

I thought the game vs us (Houston) was exciting, here hope more games are in the works with the blue Cougars. .

In reference to adding more schools/teams to this league, I'm totally not in favor.

No team from the mwc is gonna strengthen this league, we should remain at 12... Unless TV partners suggest $$$ otherwise.

(02-25-2015 10:13 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Your a good ship YNOT. I know most BYU fans would prefer Indy over anything other than a P5, a few want to go back to MWC (at least for Olympic sports) but your the guy who wants BYU in the AAC. You seem pretty pro AAC. Now, if BYU failed to get several (or any) MWC schools to follow them into the AAC, would you still want BYU in the conference? I mean, if Tom Holme can't get BYU into a P5, would your idea for second best option be AAC alone without any western partners? I think that seems to be an issue; maybe I'm wrong....

You're right, most BYU fans would say "oh my heck, no" to the AAC without some western partners.

But, if BYU was forced to join a G5 conference for football, I'd take the American every day of the week, except Sunday!

The MWC isn't a bad conference, but it limits BYU's exposure and access to its fan base.

First and foremost is TV. The MWC has improved its television since the Mtn. debacle, but the majority of its games are still on CBSsports - which still limits exposure and access. BYU's exposure and fan access is lightyears ahead of where BYU was 5 years ago - and that's directly owing to ESPN.

While the MWC footprint matches well with about 60% of BYU's alumni and fan base, it completely misses BYU's alumni and fans in Texas, Midwest, and East Coast markets. The American has helped BYU to reach those portions of the fan base - with recent games in Connecticut, Texas, and Florida.

Some fans would argue that BYU would throw the baby out with the bath water by moving eastwards to the AAC and ignoring the western markets. But to that, I say that BYU will continue to play PAC 12 and MWC teams frequently OOC. In fact, it's much easier for BYU to schedule PAC 12 and MWC teams OOC than any other opponents. So, why not build nationwide games into a regular season conference schedule through an AAC relationship?

Don't get me wrong, I would still push for a western AAC expansion that included at least Boise St. and San Diego St. But, I see the American as a much better fit for BYU.

The other issue is Olympic sports, especially basketball. I would love to see BYU play basketball in the AAC, against SMU, Tulsa, Houston, UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis, etc. But, the WCC is actually a decent fit because it reaches a lot of BYU fans and alumni in California, Oregon, and Washington - and of course Utah - while keeping the non-revenue sports' travel costs manageable. Full membership in the AAC just wouldn't make sense for BYU unless it was part of a western expansion.

(02-26-2015 07:41 PM)YNot Wrote:  

(02-25-2015 10:13 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Your a good ship YNOT. I know most BYU fans would prefer Indy over anything other than a P5, a few want to go back to MWC (at least for Olympic sports) but your the guy who wants BYU in the AAC. You seem pretty pro AAC. Now, if BYU failed to get several (or any) MWC schools to follow them into the AAC, would you still want BYU in the conference? I mean, if Tom Holme can't get BYU into a P5, would your idea for second best option be AAC alone without any western partners? I think that seems to be an issue; maybe I'm wrong....

You're right, most BYU fans would say "oh my heck, no" to the AAC without some western partners.

But, if BYU was forced to join a G5 conference for football, I'd take the American every day of the week, except Sunday!

The MWC isn't a bad conference, but it limits BYU's exposure and access to its fan base.

First and foremost is TV. The MWC has improved its television since the Mtn. debacle, but the majority of its games are still on CBSsports - which still limits exposure and access. BYU's exposure and fan access is lightyears ahead of where BYU was 5 years ago - and that's directly owing to ESPN.

While the MWC footprint matches well with about 60% of BYU's alumni and fan base, it completely misses BYU's alumni and fans in Texas, Midwest, and East Coast markets. The American has helped BYU to reach those portions of the fan base - with recent games in Connecticut, Texas, and Florida.

Some fans would argue that BYU would throw the baby out with the bath water by moving eastwards to the AAC and ignoring the western markets. But to that, I say that BYU will continue to play PAC 12 and MWC teams frequently OOC. In fact, it's much easier for BYU to schedule PAC 12 and MWC teams OOC than any other opponents. So, why not build nationwide games into a regular season conference schedule through an AAC relationship?

Don't get me wrong, I would still push for a western AAC expansion that included at least Boise St. and San Diego St. But, I see the American as a much better fit for BYU.

The other issue is Olympic sports, especially basketball. I would love to see BYU play basketball in the AAC, against SMU, Tulsa, Houston, UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis, etc. But, the WCC is actually a decent fit because it reaches a lot of BYU fans and alumni in California, Oregon, and Washington - and of course Utah - while keeping the non-revenue sports' travel costs manageable. Full membership in the AAC just wouldn't make sense for BYU unless it was part of a western expansion.

Yeah, from a BYU perspective the AAC is solid because the schools are in major metro areas which I have to think the church likes. They are also lesser tapped markets for you. We aren't P5 but the next best thing.