But if you really think about what you're saying, I think you'll find that you agree (to some extent) with the original post. Sometimes it surprises me that other non-BYU church members (which I assume you are) don't take offense to this.

By almost every standard, BYU is a bigger program than Utah and CU - larger student body (Provo is bigger, but when you include Idaho and Hawaii; its really not close), better and larger facilities, better overall sports program, etc. You also get the added upside of having a nationwide and international fanbase with a vested interest in the program. It's no secret that BYU travels well when playing at PAC10 schools. That one is easy to measure and definitely valuable. I value assets for a living and I think it's clear that its really a no-brainer.

I'll concede that Utah's BCS success is a differentiator for you guys, but the programs are still comparable as illustrated by BYU's better overall conference record. We're even head-to-head over the recent history. In fact, if future performance is what you're looking at, BYU is probably the better bet (e.g., Bronco has won more championships than Whit) and been more consistent. Every other sport really isn't debatable, except for Gymnastics. But again, if you expand the argument, BYU more than compensates with its Volleyball, Rugby, dance, and other nationally competitive teams.

So, those are the important factors, and almost all of it is in BYU's favor. So what dropped them from first to third or worse? Remember, we were never officially considered. You're response: research and "culture," although in the end "it's all about money."

Okay. We've already talked about research and money seems to be in BYU's favor. I believe "culture," as I said above, is your way of agreeing indirectly with the original post (to some extent), but not conceding that BYU is > Utah. Personally, I think Stanford and Cal received very clear messaging from their donor base (think liberal, gay) that BYU was a non-starter. It's no secret that this demographic has been very proactive about targeting the LDS community.

So, to your last point, maybe Utah and CU made more financial sense because of the negative fundraising impact associated with BYU, which has to do with religion.