With their low CFP ranking, do you think they will start to reconsider not being in a Conference?
Even a NY6 Bowl bid is never a given because the can never be a "Conference Champion ". They’d have to be selected as an At-Large.
Funny how Notre Dame get the Religious Independent School nod and BYU does not.
They were flying high with this idea that they could schedule like they did this year and be national players. This disabused them of that notion. At the least, scheduling more AAC programs seems like something they may want to do.
The fact that they may not even get an NY6 bowl out of this, though, has to be a wakeup call.
They have no conference championship to play for, very limited access to NY6 bowls, each year their bowl actually being determined by agreement before the season begins, and no chance at a national title… what exactly are they even playing for?
We don’t have access to a national title, but we at least have the rest.
This year is an anomaly. If they had won the games originally scheduled for this year then they’d be in better shape for a run to the championship.
This year, even for our coogs, is not anything to make decisions about, including whether cdh is on track, or not.
This year is kind of important for them because it provides the counterfactual.
Earlier in the year they were saying this year’s schedule was great and that with it they have a path to national prominence, and were talking quite frankly on the ineffectiveness of what they had been doing (September Murder Row).
But Murder Row wasn’t working.
This didn’t work.
Their options aren’t good. If I were them, I probably wouldn’t go joining the AAC or MWC, but I’d at least be feeling out for scheduling/bowl agreements.
AAC with BYU and Boise St would be approaching a Power conference. Even if BYU had their original P5 laden schedule, they end up playing lesser strength schedule towards the end of the season because they don’t play in a conference. The MWC is not as strong as the AAC. We should be looking at a BYU vs Cinci conference championship, that would be a playoff contending game. Keep in mind that most of the conference did not play their OOC P5 games, which, assuming some wins, would further strengthen the conference
Why shouldn’t BYU consider joining the AAC? Of course from a travel distance perspective it doesn’t make sense, but it is a step up from the Mountain West.
I understand BYU has their own 7-year TV deal with ESPN and some bowl tie-ins, but I think it would be great if they joined for football and MBB.
This is the corruption of this “system”, it’s self-certifying and designed to make sure the “have-nots” stay in their “place”. How on earth is someone like BYU supposed to strengthen their schedule? P5s won’t play good non-P5 teams because if they lose they are out of the playoff picture, if they win it doesn’t help them that much.
I can’t believe this continues to be allowed to exist. It’s a completely un-level playing field. Sad pun intended.
If they join, I would expect it would be football only.
They seemed pretty uninterested when the subject came up previously, but maybe this moves the needle for them.
BYU will not join a G5 because they think G5s are beneath them and will hold out for a P5 invite.
Someone need to call it out, publicly! Someone need to bring the P5 to their knees, kicking and screaming! I just doubt anyone is willing to “lose their health benefits” by attacking the Cartel.
…and in the interim, teams from the AAC flirt with the playoffs and take almost all of the G5’s Automatic NY6 Bids.
BYU needs to realize they are NOT a Notre Dame type independent.
Why not join the AAC…increase your competition…compete for a NY6…build more rivalries…and if a P5 expands with BYU they can always dump the American like every single program in the AAC that gets the call up.
BYU plays about 6 P5s a year to boster their strength of schedule for a possible playoff spot or NY6 bowl. Their SOS will change if they join a G5.
Next year they play 7 P5s. If they go undefeated, they will be in the conversation for the CFP even though BYU does not have a conference championship game.
I don’t think they will ever make the playoffs unless they can beat a traditional high ranking team.
How is that working out for them?
I know the American has produced multiple NY6 participants and multiple teams in the playoff discussion.
Yesterday’s ranking show the committee respects an undefeated AAC member more than an undefeated BYU
You have to be highly ranked for a few years (three straight minimum) to get respect. AAC has done this more than three combined years with different teams.
Maybe their schedule going forward is improved, but so far BYU has managed about four P5 opponents a year. They got six one year, three two years, and four the rest. They basically schedule a bunch of P5’s before everybody is wrapped up in conference play. Then during conference play they go up against MWC and AAC teams at best, and often have to schedule the likes of UMass.
It’s true that if they win out they may be in a better position than the AAC champ, but (a) I don’t think it’s that much better a position, and (b) the schedule is extremely disadvantageous in that they play their toughest opponents in succession, during the time of year their opponents are playing North-Central Tech tune-up games.
All of which means that I don’t think in reality their chances are better than ours of getting into the playoffs. And they have no conference championship to play for, are in a mostly-weak basketball conference*, no direct access to major bowl games, and a bummer of a bowl situation even apart from that.
Their situation is a bit different from hours, but if we had an opportunity to do what they do I would definitely pass.
They had a great schedule, killed by Covid. So, they tee’d up whatever teams they could get to play. The schedule isn’t their fault, though they might not be undefeated to this point in the season. If ND didn’t have the ACC connection, they’d be in the same boat as BYU.
As I said, the problem with BYU’s P5 schedule is it is front loaded then they finish off with MWC opponents. Assuming they win their P5 schedule, which is a big assumption, while other schools in stronger conferences are able to overcome an early season loss with big conference wins, BYU’s schedule gets weaker at the wrong time.
They can think they’re above G5 all they want, their TV deal says otherwise. It is pretty much on par with the AAC’s. We are all waiting for the mythical P5 invite, but in the meantime they could strengthen their cause by joining the AAC. Schedule the P5s and then fight their way through the AAC…conference championship vs Cinci this season would make a strong case. Add Boise St and, as I’ve mentioned previously, the AAC approaches power competition.
Does the American Athletic Conference REALLY need BYU?
Right now, BYU is all bright and shiny, and they are being lauded, but, if viewed in the context of their recent history, it can be postulated that BYU is just cycling a class of mature players. [And, no, I’m not just referring to their players’ advanced chronological age.]
Check it out:
In 2016 BYU was 9-4 with 3 P5 wins;
In 2017 BYU was 4-9 with no P5 wins (but a 0-27 loss to LSU):
In 2018 BYU was 7-6 with 2 P5 wins (one of which was over Kevin Sumlin’s AZ Wildcats, who UH beat that season too);
In 2019 BYU was 7-6 with 2 P5 wins again.
So, for the last three seasons BYU has been bad to mediocre and now, this year, they are great (at least so far). But, does that mean BYU is perpetually a great program? Or, are they just having a great year?
As far as geography is concerned, BYU is most definitely NOT a good fit for the AAC. There is no traditional rivalry aspect either. (BYU’s traditional rival is Utah. They first played each other in 1896.)
None of the foregoing means that we should not schedule BYU whenever we can. But, if AAC was going to expand westward, the best candidate would by Colorado State, which would bring the Denver TV market and is in a state that is adjacent to one (Kansas) that already has an AAC school in it.
Boise State had their chance at the AAC, accepted, then stabbed us in the back to stay in the MWC. They think they are entitled and are a bully in the MWC. On top of all this, they are a tier 2 academic institution. We only need to add one team for 12 in football, if BYU wants in we should accept them, otherwise, stay put for now.
Yeah. What I’m saying is that after the season got started there was a lot of talk like “Hey, this is much better!” The CFP ranking probably killed that idea.
That said, BYU had what was basically an open offer to schedule as many AAC teams as they want and they chose to stick to the two they had (at least I think they already had Navy scheduled). So I have less sympathy for their schedule this year than I otherwise might.
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