This past Friday, when the dramatic conference realignment that took place last summer became official, Nebraska’s move to the Big Ten grabbed the biggest headlines. And that made sense, as the Cornhuskers have been one of college football’s most storied programs.
In addition to Nebraska’s move, Colorado also left the Big 12, officially joining the new Pac-12 while Boise State left the WAC for the Mountain West.
But the moves of Utah from the MWC to the Pac-12 and BYU’s declaration of independence seemed to go a bit more under the radar. But for fans of both Utah schools, the new leagues will present big opportunities for their athletic programs.
Of course, the large increase in revenue for the Holy War rivals is the most notable of the positive gains. But what else could be in store? Let’s take a closer look at the futures of both football programs — both immediate and long term.
Utah
2011: For any team entering a new league, becoming familiar with new conference opponents is the biggest obstacle for first-year success. In the past, the coaches knew their league competition inside and out. Now, watching film of future opponents becomes even more of an obsession — these coaches need to find out anything and everything about their new conference brethren.
ICONKyle Whittingham has guided the Utes to three straight seasons with at least 10 wins.
For the Utes, having an accomplished head coach in Kyle Whittingham is a great first step. Whittingham, who led the Utes to an undefeated mark in 2008 and a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, has guided his squad to three straight seasons with at least 10 wins and has the benefit of working with an accomplished offensive mind in new coordinator Norm Chow, who will be motivated to put behind his struggles at UCLA.
The Utes will have to adjust to Chow's pro-style scheme, however, after effectively running the spread for so many years. The unit didn't look great this past spring, but quarterback Jordan Wynn missed practice with a shoulder injury. The running game, though, will be strong as usual despite losing Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide. The backfield depth is strong.
Replacing all four starters in the secondary was the biggest concern entering spring, especially against the passing attacks in the Pac-12. However, the coaching staff was pleased with the strides the defensive backfield made, and I don't think there's any question the team will compete in the South division this fall.
Beyond: For the first time since 1978, when Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pac-8, the Pac-10 has expanded. And commissioner Larry Scott couldn’t have done a better job, bringing in a program that has thrived under Urban Meyer and Whittingham as well as Colorado, which never quite fit in the Big 12. Most importantly, though, Scott inked a deal with ESPN and Fox worth roughly $250 million annually over a 12-year period — about $21 million per program. That’s one hell of a haul for a former non-AQ.
This is the Utes’ moment, the big chance that every non-AQ program seeks — entrance into a BCS conference. After making their necessary adjustments to a new league, Utah will have the resources to annually compete in the Pac-12 South division. With a strong coaching staff in place, the program will be able to bring in higher-quality recruits to remain competitive year in and year out. Even as a member of the MWC, Utah was able to get high school players from California. As one of the top states for talent, California should continue to serve the Utes well as they adjust to stronger competition annually.
BYU
2011: The Cougars finished the 2010 season with a flourish after a disastrous start. After an opening win against Washington, the team dropped four straight to put itself in a 1-4 hole. But head coach Bronco Mendenhall righted the ship, as the Cougars won five of their next six before falling by one point in the regular-season finale at Utah. For the sixth straight season, Mendenhall had BYU in a bowl game.
Behind true freshman quarterback Jake Heaps, the offense finally clicked and exploded for 52 points against UTEP in a New Mexico Bowl blowout win to close the season. Heaps threw four touchdown passes and passed for 264 yards — and he did it all with a broken rib suffered in the loss to Utah.
The Cougars enjoyed a spirited spring practice season, with Mendenhall — who assumed defensive coordinator duties this offseason — noting it was the best spring of his tenure. That’s a very good sign, especially considering the brutal early-season schedule: at Ole Miss, at Texas, vs. Utah and vs. Central Florida. But BYU better get used to quality opponents, and no matter how the team starts we know that it has the toughness to overcome adversity, as evidenced by last season’s strong late-season play. With Heaps, a strong offensive line and depth at the skill positions, the Cougars should be fun to watch in 2011 under quarterbacks coach and new offensive coordinator Brandon Doman.
ICONAfter a rough start to the 2010 season, Bronco Mendenhall and the Cougars righted the ship.
Beyond: The major problem facing BYU is potentially increased difficulty reaching a BCS game. Of course, if the Cougars remained in the Mountain West — a non-AQ as of now — going unbeaten would continue to legitimately be the only option to earn an at-large bid anyway. So staying in the MWC would continue to be an uphill battle in earning a BCS bid. However, if the team went unbeaten in the MWC and was the highest-ranked non-AQ, the Cougars would find entry into the BCS party. Now, as an independent, finishing as the highest-ranked non-AQ does NOT garner an automatic bid. As an indy, the Cougars would likely have to run the table in order to net a BCS bid — unless the Cougars had a loss that came against a high-ranking opponent. But if another non-AQ team finishes ranked in the Top 12 from a conference such as the MWC or WAC, the automatic bid would go to a conference-affiliated school. Keep in mind that two non-AQs have competed in BCS game in the same season only once.
BYU can help solve this BCS riddle by scheduling top opponents and playing a difficult schedule. But will a major BCS-conference team be apprehensive about scheduling BYU when it could just as easily play an FCS squad or lower-tier Sun Belt team? The good news is that BYU has inked future deals with some bigger-name programs, so the Cougars athletic department should feel good about contests against Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Boise State. But will that last?
Financially, however, this move to independence was a slam dunk. In addition to already possessing BYU-TV, the Cougars will receive increased exposure and television revenue with seven of their games currently scheduled for ESPN or ESPN2. In addition, their scheduling flexibility should at least give them a better chance to schedule higher-profile opponents.
While BYU may not trigger memories of dominant independents of the past — Florida State, Miami, Penn State, etc. — the Cougars certainly have a bright future on the gridiron. And despite no longer being in the same conference, the Holy War will continue to live, as the two schools have agreed to home-and-home games during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and are working on making the football game an annual event for 2013 and beyond.
Email dave.miller@nationalfootballpost.com or follow me on Twitter at Miller_Dave