There’s nothing to wonder about Pac-10 expansion. If it happens, it’ll be BYU and Utah. Perhaps the conference could interest another school of similar stature to join the league, but unless that school is Texas, it won’t unseat BYU.
(Or a mere 40 of OE in this case)
From a competitive, financial and logistical perspective, there’s not enough financial upside a non-BYU school could provide to not go Cougs and Utes. Especially considering the state of Utah’s ultimate trump card - as noted today by SALT LAKE DESERET NEWS columnist Dick Harmon.
Harmon observed today that if the Pac-10 tries to claim Utah but not BYU for its league, the Utah Governor Gary Herbert has legal precedent that could block the move.
If Utah received an invitation but BYU did not, would an ultra-conservative, right-wing state Legislature soon hear a bill mandating Utah, a state school, remain tied to the same conference as BYU? It could become law.
Could Utah’s Gov. Gary Herbert, a native of Utah County, sign an executive order telling the Pac-10 any invitation to a university in the state must to be a two-team deal? Texas governor Ann Richards set that precedent in the early ’90s when the Southwest Conference disbanded and the Big 12 invited Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.
“Not without my Baylor,” was Richards’ edict.
Recall this is also the home state to Orrin Hatch, who has been the primary political leader in the assault on the B.C.S.
To properly pack 12, Larry Scott & Co. will have no choice to force down both Salt Lake schools, no matter how homogenized the product.
3:31 pm on February 11th, 2010
PAC10 will not take BYU and their no playing on Sunday. BYU is going nowhere.
3:32 pm on February 11th, 2010
Why wouldn’t the pac 10 go after Boise St.? That would make for a interesting football schedule!
3:50 pm on February 11th, 2010
Also keep in mind the Pac 10 loves their “pairs”. There are 5 geographic pairs in the 10 - USC\UCLA, AZ\AZ State, etc… They’ll be looking for a pair that fit that geographically. BYU\Utah fits the bill. That’s why I struggle to see how Colorado makes the jump - who’s their partner? There’s no way Texas makes that jump, to play games 2 time zones behind every road game.
3:52 pm on February 11th, 2010
The 2 Utah schools would be a logical choice for a Pac-12 expansion.
Some people here in Honolulu want UH to be in the Pac-10, but it probably won’t happen in this round of expansion. The travel costs are high.
It might create a spot in the Mountain West to let UH leave the WAC.
4:12 pm on February 11th, 2010
Boise St is not even close to the academic standards which the Pac 10 has. They are not even close to the lower two academic schools, WAZZU and Oregon. Plus, their TV market does the conference no good.
Adding two Utah schools just gives them SLC, the # 31 TV market. BYU’s academics will be an issue, in addition to the LDS aversion to playing on Sunday.
Part of the reason why The Mtn. network was created was so that the teams could play (on TV) at the times most conducive to them. The Pac 10 would have to get their next media contract in order prior to even asking a MWC school.
4:30 pm on February 11th, 2010
Oregon State is actually much worse academically than Oregon based on any rankings you can find out there.
Oregon is also an AAU while OSU and Wazzu are not.
And which sports even schedule on Sundays? Is that even an issue? The only time I hear it come up is during seeding for March Madness.
4:47 pm on February 11th, 2010
BYU will never be a part of the Pac 10. First of all it is not a research institution (Oregon State and Wazzu aren’t eaither, but were grandfathered in). Second the discrimination in tuition amounts for Mormon v. Non Mormon violates the policies of almost every Pac X institution. Maybe the state government ties University of Utah to BYU in any conference movement, but it will be to the detriment of Utah.
5:38 pm on February 11th, 2010
The Mormon chicks are hot.
5:50 pm on February 11th, 2010
For SlipperyPete to suggest that Oregon State and Wazzu are not research institutions is so stupid everything else he has to say has no credibility. Oregon State is a Sea Grant and Land Grant University attracting $150 million in Federal Research money last year, and graduating research PhDs in every science and engineering discipline.
10:14 pm on February 11th, 2010
For you education, only two U.S. universities hold the federal land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant designations - Oregon State and Cornell. It is Oregon’s only and one of 96 universities in the US to be classified in the premier “very high research activity” tier by the Carnegie Foundation. OSU does not have a medical school and its research budget for the past year exceeded 250 million dollars, which is approximately five times larger than University of Oregon’s. U.S. News and World Report typically assign’s OSU to their third tier level, but several international publications place the university in the top 150 in the world. OSU’s has at least eight academic programs (Forestry, Nuclear Engineering, Conservation Biology are examples) ranked in the top ten nationally and this amount exceeds all the other State funded universities combined. Outside of this, OSU is really mediocre – not.
2:05 am on February 12th, 2010
Utah and Colorado to the Pac 10, BYU to the Big 12.
2:58 am on February 12th, 2010
the really important thing that needs to be answered is:
what is that cougar’s name in the picture?
3:49 am on February 12th, 2010
OK Contrary, OSU does some great research. Good for the Forestry department. I’ll hug a tree today.
However, BYU is still not a research school. And BYU still discriminates based on religion which is in conflict with the Pac 10 constitution.
Again, BYU will never be a Pac 10 member.
7:56 am on February 12th, 2010
Get your facts straight, BYU is in Provo, not Salt Lake City.
10:44 am on February 12th, 2010
How is BYU charging non-Mormons more in tuition any different than state schools charging out of state students more in tuition??? BYU is a PRIVATE institution whose operating costs are subsidized by donations of church members just as the operating costs of state schools are subsidized by tax payers, so why should those who don’t pay into the subsidy get the same benefits of those that do?
11:13 am on February 12th, 2010
Mooks, it’s different because BYU’s discrimination is based on religion and not on residency. The Pac 10 Constitution clearly states that member institutions should not discriminate on the basis of race, RELIGION, nationality, or gender. BYU can charge whatever they want to whomever they want (they are a private institution) but their discrimination will continue to be in conflict with the Pac 10 (and member institution) policies.
8:37 pm on February 12th, 2010
It’s most likely that the added schools will need to be in the Mountain time zone - really means Colorado (media market #16, taking from the Big-12) would have to be one. Utah the other?
1:38 am on February 13th, 2010
Thoughts on expanding the Pac-10:
1. To those who think adding Colorado is a great idea: Why would the Pac-10 want to have a member too broke to buy out its failing head football coach?
2. Everyone keeps mentioning size of Denver TV market when discussing Colorado in Pac-10. However, it’s a market that pays, literally, NO attention to college basketball. Heck, University of Denver HOCKEY gets more TV time than Colorado men’s basketball. We’re talking a market that, after all Denver pro sports, is divided between Colorado, Colorado State, Air Force, Nebraska football, and Kansas basketball, for goodness sake.
3. As far as BYU’s alleged lack of academic pedigree, what makes anyone think the LDS church would skimp on academics at its flagship University? Or is that just the anti-Mormon animus talking again?
11:30 pm on February 14th, 2010
Wazzu not a research institution? Say what?
4:48 pm on February 15th, 2010
All of the so called “problems” with BYU joining the Pac !0 are lame and irrelevant. All that matters in College sports is money. And BYU produces money. They have a national following especially up and down the west coast and are a great TV product. ESPN regularly featured them before the stupid Mountain TV deal They have a 65,000 seat football stadium and a 24,000 seat b-arena. Both of which sell out when Wyoming comes to town. Imagine USC and Stanford regularly showing up/ Why do the Pac 10 schools play them now? Money. They will help sell out every stadium/arena they visit in the current Pac 10. All the principles the Pac 10 like to vaunt all irrelevant when the money starts being counted.
9:38 pm on February 15th, 2010
If the Governor of Utah ever made a decision to hold back the State of Utah’s flagship university (The University of Utah) from accepting an invitation to join the Pac 10 because a private, religion-owned university in his state (BYU) didn’t get an invitation, there would be major repurcussions–separation of church and state to start with–and it would go down hill from there.
Many of us in Utah wouldn’t shed one tear if BYU didn’t get an invite–contrary to what the major media in the state is trying to promote.
12:42 pm on April 23rd, 2010
There are those of us in Utah who strongly dissagree with Mr. Utah Man… And I am a Utah State fan for basketball at least… It is tough enough not to have rivalry games work with 2 conferences… 3 would create a situation where Utah State never played the Utes or the Cougars. Ill call huntsman myself if this is an issue…