Comments about ‘BYU football: Athletic director Tom Holmoe calls independence 'exciting'’

I wonder how it will feel to start every season 1-4 against quality teams, only to pad your record and self esteem with WAC teams to end the season?

Chris B, you are exactly right. They did that last year, won some games at the end of the season against teams with records way below .500, and got cocky. Now they think that they will be 10-2 this year at the worst. Even the king of all homerism Hans Olsen thinks that the little kitties will be 10-2. They have 4 guaranteed losses right now for sure on their schedule. UTAH, Texas, Ole Miss, and Utah St. Plus, Oregon St, and USF will be difficult as well.

well christy - how bout go 0-12 every year if that makes you feel any better. so we will see. are you related to Doug Robinson or Brad Rock which I think you are one of them.

Jeff Call is a great journalist.........

@CHrissy, You will know that feeling first hand. For once, your prediction will come true.

I guess if you're going to pad your schedule, you should do it right. As for U, U are the pad.

Thank goodness I've never seen a picture of Scott Barnes wearing an argyle sweater. There are very few people in this world who can pull that off. Tom Holmoe is not one of them.

Asked about the rivalry with Pac-12-bound Utah, Holmoe said it will be "just as intense, if not more."

Will it rise to the intensity of a Colorado-Colorado State game?
In-state teams.
Different leagues.
Played in September.
Televisions tuned to games of national interest.
A win or loss that doesn't affect poll rankings.
An intense rivalry long forgotten by October.

I'm glad somebody is excited about BYU's independence. Personally I still can't see how this was a good idea for any BYU team. The only team it even has a chance of benefitting is football and even that doesn't look good at all.

Chris B | 2:53 p.m. May 12, 2011
Salt Lake City, UT
I wonder how it will feel to start every season 1-4 against quality teams, only to pad your record and self esteem with WAC teams to end the season?
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I wonder how it feels to start each day obsessing about something you have absolutely no control over?

The mighty ute victory over byu on a bad call and a blocked punt doesn't say much for utah's entry into the pac-12 either.

Our own media day is going to be great. All the focus will be on us and I've read that ESPN might broadcast it live.

I think the Cougs will go 11-1 during the regular season with the only loss coming to TCU. Realistically, though, I'm not even sure about that being a loss, especially given the fact that TCU lost their starting QB, several defenders, and several offensive threats.

More importantly, the Cougs will go 1-0 in the BCS game they play this year. Yes, you read that right. BYU will be the original independent BCS buster, Notre Dame excluded.

There's a change of guard in Pac-12 land. There's a report that the new PAC offices have been outfitted with new doormats. Long time WSU doormats have now been replaced in favor of the new U of U doormat. Out with the old, and in with the U!

The U is now the official doormat of the PAC-12. Bravo kids!

Of course BYU is happy to be independent. What else would they be? They wanted to be in a major conference but no one took them and they were tired of THE MTN coverage. No alternatives. I'm just not sure of one thing - Where is Herriman?

And please, don't coax the Jazz into drafting Jimmer. He will die in obscurity out there. Let him play in a media center like New York or LA.

Suuuure, Holmoe. BYU doesn't want automatic status because BYU wants to prove it belongs. Uh huh.

No, even as an ardent BYU fan I recognize that BYU doesn't have the Notre Dame-like qualities to demand an automatic berth.

Just win and everything else will fall in to place.

@Pavalova
Hardy har har. Nice attempt at humor. Not even original material. Rehashed.

Utah has a conference (and won't be the doormat). BYU couldn't even muster an invite to a BCS conference. No one would take them. You know, deep down, that BYU would have ran to the table to sign an invite with the PAC or Big 12, but the invitation never came......so the kewgs settled on independence.

Again, is the PAC-12 a difficult league or overrated? Many BYU fans come on here stating how hard it will be for Utah with the "big boys" and then in the next breath they mention how weak the conference is. Which is it? And be careful how answer that (hint if you answer it will be hard for the Utes then where does that put your team - Utah leads the head-to-head all-time and since 2002 Utah leads the series 6 to 3).

What is the PAC? The Pacific Athletic Conference? Never heard of it. Lookin forward to the Pacific 12 Conference, though.

Papa Smurf UTE, you are mistaken. BYU's only guaranteed loss is TCU in Texas. Ole Miss is a weak team, as is Texas. They are both coming off similar dissapointing years last year.... just like BYU. And in our current schedule, we truly do have 6 guarantee wins, 3 maybes, and one loss..... GO COUGARS!

@ casual observer

"The mighty ute victory over byu on a bad call and a blocked punt doesn't say much for utah's entry into the pac-12 either."

Two things:

first, now you know how SDSU feels on that blown call that was challenged! Which resulted in no home teams can have any representatives in the replay booth. BYU had to cheat to win that game! The replay shows it!!!

second, It wasn't a block punt, it was a block game winning field goal. Remember your "Harline is still open"? Well, "Burton is still unblocked"!!!!

Your 7-6 record doesn't say much with your journey into independence!

@ Hondo

"More importantly, the Cougs will go 1-0 in the BCS game they play this year. Yes, you read that right. BYU will be the original independent BCS buster, Notre Dame excluded."

Nope, Notre Dame already has the Original Independent BCS Buster Title. They busted the BCS in 2005 and 2006. Even Notre Dame has played in two BCS games along side Utah, TCU, and Boise State. A one loss BYU independent will not get you into the BCS. You have to go undefeated just like every non-aq team does. No special privileges unless your Notre Dame.