BYU fans want to hear that the TV contract with ESPN has been extended

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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake at BYU Football Media Day 2017 (Sammy Jo Hester, Daily Herald).

Before addressing the headline of this story, allow me to make my annual public service announcement to help curb potential disappointment from a lack of major announcements during media day. First, as the name indicates, it is not for the fans. It is a day for the media. A perk of BYU being independent is that Cougar fans have unprecedented access that no other school or conference allows. Second, the purpose of the day is to give the media information they can use to promote the upcoming season, and just the upcoming season. The press release from BYU clearly states this is an "annual Football Media Day," and repeatedly references only the "Cougars' 2018 outlook" and "the 2018 season." There is nothing that implies anything beyond 2018 will be on the agenda.

In short, Media Day is a pep rally to get people excited for just the upcoming season.

That being said, there is precedent, that major announcements about the future could be announced. Just last year (2017), it was announced that ESPN would exercise the ninth year option in the television contract and broadcast BYU home games in 2019. Therefore, why not have a little fun and let fans weigh in on what "big news" they most wanted to hear at BYU Football media day.

That was Blue Cougar Football's weekly opinion poll on Twitter.  Followers were given three topics, and then allowed to select other and specify it in a reply. The official results are below.
Official Result
60% ESPN Contract Renewed
16% Other (specify)
13% Other future game
11% Bowl Tie-In 
More than anything else, a majority of BYU football fans would like to see the BYU-ESPN relationship continue. As noted, the current contract goes for two more seasons, so an announcement this year may be a little premature. However, the decision to pick up the 2019 season happened two years in advance. Plus, BYU may want to have a deal in place sooner rather than later to help schedule future games. There are only eight games announced for 2022 and six for 2023. Those seasons might sound far away now, but it is increasingly difficult to fill those schedules with each month that passes. In my opinion, I think most respondent who selected this option are those outside Utah who love the ability to view nearly every game each year. They want to see that continue.

Due to the Poinsettia Bowl folding, BYU doesn't have a bowl tie-in this season. That makes announcing a bowl tie-in a logical candidate for a 2018 Media Day announcement. After seeing the school's 12-year run of qualifying for a bowl abruptly end last season, this might be a low priority for BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe and head coach Kalani Sitake. In some circles, there is a lot of concern that BYU won't qualify for a bowl this year, too. The only thing that would be worse than not qualifying for a bowl, again, would be to ink a deal with a bowl and then not show up just a few months later.

BYU needs one more game for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. This would present a nice opportunity to announce one or both of those games, if contracts are ready. One Twitter follower was detailed about the future game he wants.


While one-sixth of respondents selected "Other (specify)" only a few did specify. One gave an alternative to ESPN for broadcasting games in the next decade.


That would be very interesting, but may be so big that it takes too much attention away from the 2018 season.

One last reply had to do with the hot button topic of CTE.


This would certainly make BYU a pioneer. I don't know of any other school that has done this. If done right, this could be a real positive for the school, but that is a big if. Assuming such an announcement was ready to be made, I don't know if BYU would want to risk having it come out wrong, and turn a day that is supposed to generate positive buzz do the exact opposite.

What "big news" do I want to hear? A future scheduling agreement with a Power 5 conference. Even if it is just a guarantee for two games a year. From there, Holmoe could use that deal to help persuade one or two more Power 5 conferences to enter a similar deal. Other than an announcement to join a Power 5 conference, I think that is the only announcement that could happen right now that would excite the fan base and calm the nerves of those who think Independence isn't sustainable.

Thank you to everyone who voted. A new poll question will be posted soon looking for your reaction to something specific from media day.


The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com

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