BYU makes for ideal Big 12 expansion candidate

Recent developments are a sign that Big 12 expansion talks are moving towards a solution that should include BYU.

This whole Big 12 expansion deal has gone on for too long but the Big 12 is finally ready to take the next step in expansion after the recent Media Days. The Big 12 will expand by either two or four teams and BYU should be one of the top candidates.

The main perceived obstacle is BYU’s no Sunday play policy, but that’s likely going to become a non-issue, especially if BYU is brought to the Big 12 in a football-only role.

Recently, the Big 12 stated that they were open to a football-only membership option for expansion. Ideally, all sports would be involved in any talk of expansion, but this isn’t an ideal scenario, so the possibility of a deal between BYU and the Big 12 still remains either way.

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If it really wants to fully analyze which programs would be the best to bring in, the Big 12 could take years. But by that time, it may be too late and the conference could be diminished.

Months ago Max Weitzenhoffer, chairman of Oklahoma’s board of regents, said of expansion options that “they have no seating capacities in their stadiums. They really don’t build them up. They really don’t have any TV. I really don’t know what we have to gain by that.”

But the statement actually supported the case for BYU inclusion. Besides Oklahoma and Texas, BYU would have the largest stadium (near 64,000) if it were a member of the conference. They also have an underrated nationwide TV market, along with BYUtv, which is claimed to be another obstacle in expansion.

Matt Brown from Vanquish the Foe explains through an interview with Mikel Minor how the Longhorn Network is different than BYUtv and highlights the benefits that BYUtv has. Minor, who previously worked at ESPN, is currently the senior coordinating producer at BYUtv and had this to say:

"“…The Longhorn Network is owned by ESPN…I was there when it was conceived and developed. The other obvious difference is that the Longhorn Network, etc, is 24/7 sports. We’re not.The thing all of these have in common is that they are very ‘values-oriented’, but they’re not overt, in any way, with proselytizing Mormon ideology, or LDS principles. It’s just good, wholesome, television."

Lastly, regarding the building of conference TV networks, Minor says BYUtv would be a “real asset to that development.” In 2011 BYU even broadcasted the WCC Basketball Tournament the season before joining that conference, which it’s currently a part of, outside of Independence in football.

To further elaborate the benefits of BYU’s tv network, Edward Placey, senior coordinating producer for ESPN and ABC College Football, said this of BYUtv in 2013:

“BYUtv’s facilities are as impressive as any you’ll ever see, on or off a college campus. First rate all around. Students who get the opportunity to work in this environment get a legitimate professional experience not often offered as part of a college curriculum to this extent…”

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So to sum it all up, Sunday play can be mitigated, and BYU’s television infrastructure has potential that no other candidates can offer. Add the success BYU has had in multiple sports, along with a nationwide wide fan base and it should be a no-brainer for the Big 12 to work something out with BYU joining the conference.

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