Articles like the "BYU is Standing Strong" article by Jason Shepherd on KSL need to stop. I'm sorry, it just makes me want to puke.

Shep says: "By all accounts, it seems that the only way BYU is going to get into one of the big four conferences, is to relax their stance on some core beliefs." This position postulates that BYU was excluded from the B12 SOLELY for Sunday play reasons. Yes, it's an issue, but not the whole reason.

Too often I feel that BYU enthusiasts and apologists hide behind some sort of religious persecution bias to play the martyr. Then in the end we get fluffy articles like this that talk about how noble, holy, and nice our players are. Holy crap, this is college football! Not the qualification process for the Duty to God Award!

There are a NUMBER of things that would help BYU get into a bigger conference. None of them have to do with shadowy bigotry.

- It's FOOTBALL, win your way in. Win big games. BYU has had one Top Ten team in 28 years. WIN. Are you telling me that Utah would still have been invited to the P12 without their 2 BCS wins/undefeated seasons? Of course not. They earned their way in.

- Be a more effective negotiator. Don't go to the negotiation table with a potential future partner and ask for the world. The conference holds the cards, not you. BYU goes into negotiations with a list of demands when they are in no position to make any. The only one is Sunday play, that's it. You go in with the same approach as Utah: Ask for very little up front, and sign on the dotted line as soon as its offered. Access is more important than every ticky-tack demand that won't matter in the long run if access isn't granted.

- Be a more friendly negotiator. One thing I've never heard is that BYU is good or pleasant to negotiate with. You've only heard that they're difficult and high-maintenance. Old MWC feedback, as well as the "BYU's Legal Counsel is a piece of work" report attest to this. It's not a problem with others, it's a problem with us. Our negotiation demeanor is essentially like the pain-in-the-butt Baskin Robbins customer who who wants to sample all 31 flavors.

- Put the athletic program and its merits first, not the religion. It turns people off. Tone down the "we're a special institution" crap. No one cares. They care about Money, Winning, and Football.

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