So now that it’s official, BYU is leaving the Mountain West, we can look less at what it means to the WAC (RIP) and the Mountain West (ouch), and focus on what it means for BYU.

Going independent is a bold move. And we’re fine to question the logic.

BYU has said that the reason for exploring (and now going forward with) independence, has been due to the low revenue numbers for the MWC TV deals. Perhaps that’s a big factor. But it’s clear that at some level, BYU is guilty of the sin of envy regarding the University of Utah. In a blink of an eye, as the Pac-16 plan with Texas fell apart, Utah was accepting it’s Pac-10 invite. Meanwhile, BYU admins waited by the phone and never got as much as a wave by the Pac-10. Utah now stands to generate much more revenue than they have in the past. And BYU was set to get no revenue boost.

Note that with the Pac-12 being a BCS conference, they get a larger payday regardless of the TV contract. And the Mountain West has been on the cusp of a BCS autobid. Utah was leaving, sure…but they were being replaced with the top non-BCS program in football during this BCS evaluation period, Boise St. So on paper, replacing a top school like Utah with Boise St., and teaming them with BYU and TCU, made the MWC an even stronger conference; a conference that might have been awarded an autobid after next season.

And hopes for a MWC autobid are now over. It will take another long and strong run by it’s members to prove a new sense of worthiness to the BCS gods. TCU and Boise St. will need some help by a 3rd MWC program to do some damage. Maybe that will come from one of the new additions, Fresno St. or Nevada. Or maybe one of the other programs will turn things around and build a strong program. UNLV has a new coach. SDSU has the recruiting advantage. Colorado St. a solid historical program back in the Sonny Lubick
days. Whomever it is, at least 1 of the other 8 MWC schools will need to improve to a much higher level.

But for BYU, their envy of Utah and greed for more TV money, might have hurt them.

BYU will participate as an independent. And they won’t get any preferential BCS treatment like Notre Dame does.

So if BYU goes 10-1 in a season, their are no assurances that they will get a BCS invite. Meanwhile, that same record in the Mountain West would in most years assure them a spot. And with that spot comes the riches of the BCS.

For now, the only revenue boost will be from having it’s own TV schedule. But how great is that advantage? BYU will have the help of ESPN, a big reason they’ve gone down this path.

But the Goliath that is the BCS will have an even bigger advantage over BYU than it will over Mountain West programs like TCU and Boise St. Don’t be surprised in a few years if you see a 2 loss MWC team selected over 1 loss BYU team that was forced to offset 1 big game against an opponent like Texas, with a flurry of late season games against the likes of Idaho, SJSU, NMSU, LA Tech, Utah St as well as a Big Sky or MAC foe.

BYU has a challenge ahead of them. But they know what they’re getting themselves into (we can only hope). Ultimately, BYU hopes to defeat the Goliath of the BCS, but now by taking control of it’s destiny. BYU hopes to plant some seeds that will grow into an eventual Big 12 invitation and entrance into that BCS conference. And if things work out for them as an independent, the Big 12 might knock on their doors and take away the pain of being slighted by the Pac-10