BYU football: Holmoe jumped at the chance to play Oklahoma

PROVO — When the chance to face national power Oklahoma on national television — at the Dallas Cowboys' brand-new, billion-dollar-plus stadium in Arlington, Texas, — presented itself, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe didn't shy away from it. Neither did coach Bronco Mendenhall.

From their perspective, the rewards far outweigh the risks.

"This wasn't a game that I took on solely by myself. I always talk to Bronco about the football schedule," Holmoe said. "He has ideas, I have ideas. We've pretty much been on the same page in most of the things we talk about. Certainly, with a team as nationally respected as Oklahoma, knowing what they have coming back, sure, it's a risk. It's a risk — you could lose the game, you could have a bad game and get blown out. But I don't think it's going to ruin our season. A lot of people are afraid to play the intersectional games because they're afraid they might lose and might not go to a BCS game. We're not thinking that way. I think there are way more positives about it than possible negatives. If we were scared about all that, we'd never play anybody."

The Sooners, who lost in the BCS championship game to Florida last January, return reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, projected by some to be the No. 1 pick in next April's NFL draft, as well as a host of other future NFL players.

"When you get the opportunity to play one of the best teams in the country in the Dallas Cowboys' beautiful new stadium — in, really, the inaugural college game there — we're not walking away from that," Holmoe said of the Sept. 5 showdown. "I think our team really understands what they're in for. They respect Oklahoma a great deal. It's just a great game for us. The Cowboys' new stadium is unbelievable. This is the Taj Mahal of football stadiums around the world — or sporting venues, for that matter. You don't have the opportunity to play many games like this. You pass on a game like this, you may not get another one."

Holmoe became BYU's AD in 2005, just months after Mendenhall was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach. At the time, the Cougars were coming off of three straight losing seasons. But over the past three years, BYU has posted a 32-7 record under Mendenhall.