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PROVO — BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe admits his school is hopeful for an invitation to join the Big 12 conference.
Becoming an all-sports member is top priority. But the Cougars are also interested in joining the league as a football-only member, Holmoe said in an interview with ESPN.com Friday.
“We’re obviously open to listening to what they want to do,” Holmoe told ESPN’s Jake Trotter. “We’re going to go through this process with an open mind to listen to what they have to say.”
Holmoe also added that concerns about BYU’s policy of not playing games on Sunday can be worked out with the league.
“I believe that’s something that can be worked out,” Holmoe told ESPN. “We’ve been in a lot of leagues through the years, and we’ve been able to work it out.”
During Thursday’s press conference at Vivint Arena unveiling the three-year Beehive Classic college basketball doubleheader featuring four in-state schools, Holmoe reasserted his excitement at the chance to move into a Power-5 conference.
“Just to have the opportunity to play those teams in the regular season, I love it,” Holmoe said. “We’ve got a long way to go to prove our point, but we are going to get after it.”
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How BYU stacks up against other Big 12 candidates
Let’s compare how BYU stacks up to other schools (Connecticut, Colorado State, Cincinnati, South Florida, Houston, Memphis and Central Florida) that have been cited as potential candidates for expansion on each of these measures.BYU has consistently been rated among the frontrunners for Big 12 expansion, and continues to be in the mix even as schools like Houston, Cincinnati, Central Florida and Connecticut, among others, have jumped into the fray.
Even the no-Sunday play policy and other requirements of the private school affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have done little to sway the Cougars’ public momentum for Big 12 acceptance.
“We’ll do everything we can to give these guys an opportunity,” Holmoe coyly responded when asked how he was selling the school.
He added: “I’m always optimistic. I’m never going to say never. I just tried to keep our focus on what we can do.”
