But, I want to bring in another point. It's the point of potential. The PAC probably has to take into account the fact that they will help each of these schools to achieve their maximal potential. While Colorado had struggled on the field recently, there is no reason that CU can't return the program to a more reputable status. They have a great location, a nice recruiting pool in the Colorado area, and they have done it before.

The PAC probably looked at what Utah was able to accomplish without much funding in a smaller conference and felt that with better funding and more name brand recognition, they could continue to achieve success on the field at a level that would reflect well upon the rest of the conference.

Now look at BYU. Perhaps BYU could start reeling in a few more of those blue chipper LDS guys that they miss out on, but I would argue that PAC-12 recognition wouldn't mean as much to the program as it would to places like CU and Utah. If a Souther California black speedster can't get in to the USC/UCLA crowd and is looking at BYU vs. CU, where do you think he is going to go? To a place where 90%+ are white and Mormon or to a place where he will play alongside more people like himself. So you could argue that BYU has had success in sports but their ceiling is somewhat limited.

Just a thought. Might not be anything to it. In the end, I think Utah and BYU were looked at as equals on the football field but BYU was looked at as being difficult to deal with and their strong religious stances didn't mesh well with the ideals and viewpoints of the conference. IMO, that sums it up right there.