We'll be just fine. In the 1980s and 90s BYU won the WAC football championship almost every year and it meant every team hated BYU. While that wasn't so much the case in the Mountain West (TCU and Utah got better) that old bitterness never went away meaning that there was a lot of vitriolic venom thrown at BYU and its fans in opposing stadiums and the alcohol only made that worse. In the Independence era BYU has had a lot more diverse schedule and without that historical animosity the experience has been generally really good (Coastal Carolina being a notable exception - too many drunk rednecks). We are excited to be with a group of schools where we have no enemies and can enjoy fun games with great fans in cool college towns. If some or many have a few drinks on game day, more power to them and I hope you aren't shocked when you come to Provo and find a stadium full of sober fans who can still enjoy a college football game.
Big 12 Expansion (new thread)
- Thread starter Gilbyone
- Start date
We'll be just fine. In the 1980s and 90s BYU won the WAC football championship almost every year and it meant every team hated BYU. While that wasn't so much the case in the Mountain West (TCU and Utah got better) that old bitterness never went away meaning that there was a lot of vitriolic venom thrown at BYU and its fans in opposing stadiums and the alcohol only made that worse. In the Independence era BYU has had a lot more diverse schedule and without that historical animosity the experience has been generally really good (Coastal Carolina being a notable exception - too many drunk rednecks). We are excited to be with a group of schools where we have no enemies and can enjoy fun games with great fans in cool college towns. If some or many have a few drinks on game day, more power to them and I hope you aren't shocked when you come to Provo and find a stadium full of sober fans who can still enjoy a college football game.
Right. B12 membership can help grow these schools, which, consequently helps all members.
I drove through BYU, Utah and Utah State's campuses on my way to a long backpacking trip in Grand Teton NP...so I've gone a week with no internet but I got an up close view at those stadiums in the past few days.
BYU's stadium is big time, the campus is nice but not as nice as I expected to be honest. Spending a long weekend in Salt Lake/Provo area in Sept, Oct or November would be absolute heaven for anyone unless they really hate the outdoors (guessing most ISU football fans enjoy being outside). For me living in LA it's a 9 hour drive and a road game I could drive to in a fun area I might visit for outdoor adventure anyway.
Just five minutes after driving past BYU's stadium I was in the mountains seeing hundreds of what I assumed were college kids taking float trips down the river in the mountain valleys.
Utah State's campus and town were surprisingly nice, not that I think they are B12 expansion candidates, I just happened to have all three stadiums/campus towns right on my drive from LA to Grand Teton NP.
Stopping for lunch in SLC on a Sunday there is some truth to the city closing down on Sundays, but plenty of places were open and even bars. I could have gotten a drink if I wanted on Sunday at noon when I was there yesterday...even though it would have been a pretty empty bar.
BYU's stadium is big time, the campus is nice but not as nice as I expected to be honest. Spending a long weekend in Salt Lake/Provo area in Sept, Oct or November would be absolute heaven for anyone unless they really hate the outdoors (guessing most ISU football fans enjoy being outside). For me living in LA it's a 9 hour drive and a road game I could drive to in a fun area I might visit for outdoor adventure anyway.
Just five minutes after driving past BYU's stadium I was in the mountains seeing hundreds of what I assumed were college kids taking float trips down the river in the mountain valleys.
Utah State's campus and town were surprisingly nice, not that I think they are B12 expansion candidates, I just happened to have all three stadiums/campus towns right on my drive from LA to Grand Teton NP.
Stopping for lunch in SLC on a Sunday there is some truth to the city closing down on Sundays, but plenty of places were open and even bars. I could have gotten a drink if I wanted on Sunday at noon when I was there yesterday...even though it would have been a pretty empty bar.
Nobody complained about divisions for the first decade when the B12 North was dominant and the South was an afterthought riding the coattails.
Suddenly when the south was stronger and the north was lean it was this huge deal that the South was carrying the standard for the conference.
I mean it's almost like the fans, alumni and administrators of a few of those schools were...hypocritical egomaniacs? Nah couldn't be.
I think BYU is already there. I just drove around stadium/campus, purely circumstance that they aren't already P5 type of conference for decades.
Cincy as a second program in a massive population big football state...yeah it's got the ingredients.
I'm not sure I can make the argument for UCF as the 4th program in Florida, just don't know.
TCU/Baylor are only Big 12 schools over Houston by pure luck. We have three of them now. I'd already put Houston above Baylor because they aren't a known crime syndicate operating behind a front of religion.
Wish we could have swapped Houston for Baylor a while ago unless Baylor was ready to impose actual significant punishment on its program. (What I'd have demanded ISU do in the situation where the football team wasn't punished for running a mass rape syndicate and tarnishing my degree.)
Personally, they are all yuck. I’d rather grow state schools like CSU and Ohio. But, I’m no business guy. I do know that as awful as city schools feel they are infinitely better than religious private schools for my taste. Directional schools, also meh. But, these are the cards we have.
I'm not convinced LV is the sports market mecca people are selling it as. Yeah the supported a winner in the NHL and are supporting NFL...with tourist boost.
Tourists aren't going to UNLV games...unless they are fans of other teams like ISU in 13 days.
I just drove through I15 in 20% of the time it takes to drive through Des Moines in either direction. The population is not as massive as people think and there are no other cities nearby unless you count LA which is 4 hours away and nobody from LA is coming to LV to watch college sports.
Give me Provo/SLC or Cinci for a real local college sports fan base. UCF has way more potential to grow a college football fanbase than UNLV. Orlando metro has more people than LV and isn't as isolated in the middle of nowhere. The town also doesn't have its own NFL team like LV.
Ive watched enough BYU games to be impressed by your fanbase’s support. Which is why I’m glad we’re adding you. All I know is your fanbase managed to piss Melvin “Choir Boy” Ejim off so bad that he flipped you off as he fouled out in Provo, so you can clearly bring the heat regardless of BAC.
BYU has a large, passionate fanbase that belongs in major college football. Your religious quirks make you a unique foil and will give the new Big 12 some unique flavor.
Welcome to the show, and go piss up a rope.
For BYU fans lurking, this basketball player won pretty much every student athlete award imaginable for work in the classroom, community and on the court. If he had even 2-3 technical fouls in four years as a starter and B12 MVP I'd be shocked.
Translation...some BYU fans likely went ridiculously over the line of common decency into some ugly territory.
I'm excited for BYU and what they bring, but BYU fans will need to go a ways to disprove some negative stereotypes that were reinforced in ISU's fanbase by this particular incident.
FWIW I asked Ejim about this incident in a fan forum of questions here a few years ago but he just gave "no comment"...because that's how squeaky clean he is, he didn't even want to discuss water under the bridge.
Has nothing to do with that for me. Regardless of conference and regardless of teams, I simply like the idea that it ensures the top 2 teams from Regular Season play in the CCG. When the Big Xii started doing this, I thought it was silly, but I have seen the light. The ACC did it last year too with a good effect. I would like to see all conferences go this route to avoid (11-1) vs. (9-3) matchups, etc. It also keeps more teams in the race with more meaningful games down the stretch.
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It's about the same size as the KC metro. I can't imagine their sports fans are any better than the ones in PHX which are terrible.
Surprised to see the Las Vegas MSA population is only 2.3 million.
Smaller than the Twin Cities. Des Moines is pushing 700,000 which is some decent growth
I will admit that I don't remember much about that game except that ISU was really good and I trust that whatever caused your player (who seems very much a class act) to be so ticked off was an isolated deal.
I have been to a lot of games (both football and basketball) over many years and have never heard anything said to opposing players or fans that I would be ashamed of (not to say that it couldn't happen or that I can vouch for all BYU fans).
There is no question that civility and respect should be top of every fanbase's resume.
1. Forget Boise State over UCF. UCF won the play in game.
2. One of son’s friends claimed to have heard the abuse Ejim took from BYU. Prefer Boise St to them although I know they add less value.
2. One of son’s friends claimed to have heard the abuse Ejim took from BYU. Prefer Boise St to them although I know they add less value.
Been browsing some Cincinatti and Houston forums and both fanbases seem ecstatic to join the B12. Saw a few funny memes as well, this one being one of my favorites:
Ohio and CSU is a massive stretch. No thanks. I mean maybe I could argue CSU but Ohio no freaking way.
Fair enough, definitely a stretch. The 4 we are taking feels like we are following someone else’s script.
