Just when we think the waters that are college athletics had calmed and settled, the Mormons had to go and screw it all up. Wednesday the BYU Cougars attempted to move from the Mountain West Conference into college football independence. The Cougars were also moving to the Western Athletic Conference for their sports.
This move is strictly about money, which they need a lot of to feed all their wives. The MWC's current TV contract only allows each team to profit $1.3 million through 2013, a number that the Cougars believed they could top on their own especially since the number might shrink when renegotiated after the departure of their geographic rival, the Utah Utes, to the Pac-10/12. BYU also has to share any money allocated from a bowl appearance with other MWC members instead of hoarding it for themselves like they could as an independent. The Cougars were also inquiring about a Notre Dame-esque at-large stipulation with the BCS. (The Fighting Irish automatically qualify for the BCS as an independent if they finish the regular season in the top 8 of the BCS standings with at least 9 wins.)
Well Thursday the Mountain West Conference fired back in a big way. Before BYU could finalize their move, the MWC swooped in and convinced the WAC's 2 remaining athletic programs of any worth, Fresno St. and Nevada, to come aboard beginning in 2011. Suck it Mormons. OK not quite. This move will keep BYU in the MWC and create a very deep football conference that could potentially make a great case to be incorporated into the BCS. Even after the exodus of Utah, once the 2011 begins, the MWC will contain Boise St., TCU, BYU, Fresno St., and Nevada. 2 of those teams, Boise St. and TCU, matched up in the Fiesta Bowl of the BCS just last season, and Boise St. is preseason ranked #2 in the country this season.
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