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BYU wants to join Power 5 conference

By Patrick Schmidt

Oct 16, 2015; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) looks to pass in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) looks to pass in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /
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BYU wants to ditch being an independent in college football and wants to join a Power 5 conference, under one condition.

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The BYU Cougars don’t want to be an independent any longer and wants to join a Power 5 conference, but under the condition that they will not play any games on Sunday.

BYU, a large Mormon university, has a written policy against Sunday competition for religious reasons and the school will not bend their rules to join a Power 5 conference, according to athletic director Tom Holmoe.

“I really would love to see our football play at that level, be playing in a P5 conference,” Holmoe said, via ESPN. “I want our players … in all of our sports to be able to play at the highest level. I don’t know [if the policy is a deal-breaker]. That’s up to the P5 conferences. But I do know that it’s something that we hold very sacred. We have never played on a Sunday and we’re not going to play on a Sunday.”

This wasn’t an issue when BYU was in other conferences and if the university were to be added to the Big 12, for example, I would assume it wouldn’t be a problem this time either.

From a football perspective, it would be a non-issue with football games scheduled on Saturday with the rare Thursday games on the schedule. But it could be an obstacle for basketball and other sports, but the conference who is looking to expand, like the Big 12 is, should acquiesce to BYU’s needs and make sure they won’t play on Sunday.

It could be a minor logistical hurdle for schedule makers but when you consider the schools outside the Power 5 who would bring what BYU brings to the table, there aren’t many who have the resume that BYU has, so it should be pretty easy for BYU to join the Big 12, right?

Holmoe makes a pretty convincing case for the Big 12 to consider the Cougars.

“It’s in our best interest not to be pushing the envelope,” Holmoe said. “They’re well aware of what we’ve done. The stats and the records speak for themselves. We’re a very, very good football program for over 40 years. We have an excellent athletic tradition outside of football, and educationally this is one of the best schools ever.”

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Do you think BYU will soon join the Big 12 or another Power 5 conference, perhaps the Pac-12, in the next year or two?

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