could pull off a move to independence, I don't see why we need to measure it against Utah. Makes no difference why Utah was included in the pac12 in this discussion. For BYU, independence is far superior to staying in the MWC, and we had the ability to pull it off. No reason to bring up Utah, since they aren't exactly in the same situation BYU is in.

For BYU, who is not a member of a P5 conference, we have the option of voluntarily remanding ourselves to the little kid's table - a gathering of have-nots, or of staying with independence. By going back to a G5 conference, the gap between most P5 teams and BYU would only increase over time due to money/prestige issues. That doesn't sound like a good plan. Other non-P5 programs do not have this option. Not even BSU has enough as a program to survive on its own. So, they will not reap the rewards BYU will reap as a result.

By selecting independence, BYU is making far more TV money than any other non-P5 program, and we are receiving far better TV exposure than any other non-P5 program, although BSU isn't too far behind as far as exposure is concerned. Their money situation isn't anywhere near what BYU's is, however. Because BYU is choosing the harder path of independence, we have the ability to keep up with the P5 programs. We also have better TV exposure than all but a few P5 programs. We don't make quite as much media money as P5 programs, but we do bring in more money overall than some P5 programs, and certainly bring in enough money to remain competitive. That would not be possible in a G5 conference.

We're still in the early stages on independence. Hopefully, we won't be at this very long, and we'll be in a P5 conference. However, if we do need to keep at this long-term, we can do it, and it can yield great rewards compared to what we would achieve in a lesser conference. We can eventually achieve P5-like status with good enough schedules and with a lot of winning on the field. Who knows what the future holds? It might take a decade, or two decades, but we can grow this program into something that nobody would be able to deny, as far as any kind of "inclusion" is concerned. As long as ND remains independent, the overall structure of college football should be something than can accommodate an independent BYU. If we can get to 8 playoff teams, independence becomes even more desirable as compared to being part of a lesser conference.