BYU is not trying to become the Notre Dame of the West.
Its vision is much larger than that.
Getting out from underneath the television contract of the Mountain West Conference and gaining control over the distribution of all its sporting events, allows BYU to now deliver its games to a worldwide audience.
As has been mentioned in the national media, all BYU athletic teams will now be able to utilize the reach of BYUtv which is available in 55 million homes in the United States.
However, the opportunity to deliver games throughout the …

One of BYU’s most difficult issues in going independent in football is the immediate scheduling challenges for 2011 and 2012.
With the press release issued today by the Western Athletic Conference, scheduling for the Cougars is coming a little more into view.
BYU will play five games against WAC opponents in 2011 and four games in 2012. They will host three games the first season and two games the second year.
Utah State is not part of the agreement since the Cougars and Aggies were already scheduled to play each other during those …

BYU officially announced its football independence today, and in the process revealed that the Cougars have entered into an eight-year agreement with ESPN to broadcast every BYU home football game beginning next season.
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe also announced a 6-year agreement to play Notre Dame in football.
In addition, BYU will retain the rights to rebroadcast those games on a “same-day” basis on BYUtv.
Holmoe said that the two pillars of the the decision to go independent were access and exposure for the program.
BYU also officially announced that its other athletic …

BYU took control of its own destiny on Tuesday, announcing its independence in football and joining the West Coast Conference in all other sports beginning July 1, 2011.
The university will hold a press conference Wednesday at noon (MT) to make the official announcement and explain details.
In that press conference it is expected that BYU will also announce that it has entered into an agreement with ESPN to televise at least some of its home football games.
ESPN already has a contract in place to broadcast West Coast men’s basketball games.
The WCC …

The BYU Cougars face one of the premier players in college football when they open the season this Saturday against the Washington Huskies in Provo.
Washington quarterback Jake Locker may be the first player taken in next year’s NFL draft, and he’s a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy in 2010.
He’s big, fast, has a strong arm and can kill you with his ability to run.
The Cougars defeated Locker and the Huskies two seasons ago in Seattle when Jake was whistled for the infamous celebration penalty after leading his team to …

If Jake Heaps had even a portion of the game experience of Riley Nelson, this duel-quarterback situation at BYU would not exist.
The truth be known, Bronco Mendenhall and the Cougar coaches are seeking to play it safe to try to take some of the pressure off the true freshman.
They have made a decision to start the season-opening game against Washington with the quarterback that has taken snaps in 15 college games verses the one coming straight from high school with the big reputation.
There is some wisdom in that approach.
Nelson started …

If BYU is committed to going independent in football, there exists only one real option for a home for the school’s other athletic teams.
That place is the West Coast Conference.
The WCC provides good competition in men’s basketball with programs like Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, and Santa Clara.
Add BYU to the list and that’s not a bad basketball league. Gonzaga and BYU are arguably two of the best basketball programs in the West right now.
The conference also has a contract with ESPN to televise its basketball games.
The West Coast competes in most …

BYU has the next seven days to notify the Mountain West Conference if it plans to leave the conference in 2011.
One of the current options for the school is to move forward and go independent in football and move all of its other athletic teams to the Western Athletic Conference.
In order for the WAC to continue into the future, it would need to add two additional schools, perhaps North Texas from the Sun Belt along with a program moving up from the FCS such as Montana or UC Davis.
They would …

In a stunning move the Mountain West Conference has struck back.
Stealing two key schools from the WAC and potentially leaving BYU without a conference for its non-football sports to play in.
Fresno State and Nevada joined the the MWC Wednesday night, just hours after reports surfaced that BYU will leave the conference to go independent in football and join the WAC in other sports.
The move leaves just six schools remaining in the WAC with Hawaii, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho and Utah State. That’s not a very …

Brigham Young University’s plan to move to independence in football has apparently been in process for a while. Numerous reports are claiming that the move is imminent.
Our sources are telling us that BYU and ESPN have agreed upon a contract that would pay BYU $4 million per year for the rights to air Cougar football games.
ESPN would have the rights to broadcast four home BYU games, with distributions rights to the other home games remaining with the University, supposedly to be aired on BYU Television.
The reports also have the Cougars …

If you want to be able to predict how well a college football team will perform,  look at two key indicators:
A) Experience at quarterback
and
B) Experience on the offensive line
If you can check both A and B, your team will probably have a very good season. In BYU’s case it’s almost always a memorable one.
Since the Cougars will begin the 2010 campaign with little-to-no experience at QB, their saving grace will be the “big uglies” (the word uglies is use with a great deal of reverence) on the offensive line.
BYU returns …

The BYU defense began fall camp with several question marks.
The Cougars needed to replace the majority of their front seven. They were also searching for a solution at free safety, which was the only question mark in an otherwise solid defensive backfield.
As we approach the end of the first full week of practice some answers are beginning to unfold.
The ability of Travis Tuiloma to come into the rotation at nose tackle allows Eathyn Manumaluena to move out to defensive end.
That development greatly solidifies the defensive line and creates a rotation …

The BYU quarterback battle has quickly boiled down once again to a choice between Riley Nelson and Jake Heaps.
The question is which one of these signal callers is best suited to take advantage of the talent the Cougars will put out the field this season. They vary vastly in their strengths and style of play.
Heaps is the prototypical pocket passer, while Nelson is a guy that relies on his feet as much as his arm.
In our previous segment, we mentioned that the Cougar offense will operate with more receivers on …

2010 marks the return of the wide receiver for the Cougars.
The BYU offense will look a little different this season. Expect to see more receivers on the field and fewer double tight end sets.
BYU is well known for employing its talented tight ends with great effectiveness, but this year the combination of inexperience at tight end and depth and talent at wide receiver will necessitate a change in the way the Cougars approach things.
As usual, there is talent galore at tight end, but there isn’t a single tight end on …

Our final preview focuses on the oft-overlooked special teams.
Any football coach will tell you that special teams make up a significant portion of plays during a game and execution in special team situations can make or break you during a game or season.
The Cougars weren’t spectacular on special teams last year, but they did turn in a mostly solid performance in ‘09.
This year brings higher expectations and the hope for more big plays and more consistent performances in certain areas.
Here’s how the various BYU special team units shape up this …