Independence granted Holmoe immense football schedule freedom for the Cougars, with which he took and ran to the hills. Let me make this as clear as possible: without BYU’s decision to go independent in football, the Cougars would not be in the Big 12 today. Tom Holmoe is welcomed onstage before a rowdy Cougar crowd /LyZv0baDOH- Daily Universe Sports July 1, 2023

Independence was a colossal gamble, of course, but one that brought forth the joy of today.īYU’s Big 12 countdown party at the SAB practice field is LIT. The thousands of hours Holmoe spent organizing and reorganizing independent football schedules out of thin air have paid off. The man who was originally thrust into his role as athletic director nearly two decades ago in the wake of the department’s darkest hour has now completed his Moses-ian delivery of the Cougars to their rightful new home. So can we get a round of applause for Tom Holmoe? It seemed as if the world of college sports was bound to move forward at a pace the Cougars couldn’t keep up with. The Pac-12 stiff-armed the Cougars time after time. “U” hate to see it.įor years, BYU has been discounted for not hailing from a major league. The Cougars will be ultra-visible on television - and compensated handsomely for it - while a red nemesis up the road languishes in media rights purgatory. BYU’s brand, tradition and legacy will both shape and be shaped by its conference surroundings. New foes will emerge and rivalries will form. Cosmo might actually get the love he deserves as America’s top mascot. Basketball road affairs will occur in classic, esteemed facilities instead of WCC high school gymnasiums that fuel hoop nightmares. Late season football games at home will involve a race for the conference title rather than a meaningless exhibition against the likes of Scott Pilgrim State and other FCS punching bags. The “Bo Diddley Tech” allegations are behind us.

BYU’s legitimacy can no longer be questioned. Gone are BYU’s days as an outsider within the national power landscape of college sports.

It was a heck of a journey, but the destination is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in Cougar Town. YOUR BYU COUGARS ARE OFFICIALLY MEMBERS OF THE BIG 12!!!!!! /GPUY5DeARr- Daily Universe Sports July 1, 2023Īfter spending more than a decade wandering the hazy wilderness of football independence and WCC obscurity, BYU has finally reached the promised land of a Power 5 promotion.

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