(like Villanova), have stellar basketball programs. Again, I’m not saying that football is the ONLY way to gain name recognition for university, but it is a good one and in BYUs case is probably one of the best ways.
Also, I think it’s especially important for a religious university like BYU. As I alluded to, when people see BYU on ESPN or see our athletes in the pros, it makes BYU seem more normal and less stigmatized. Take sports away and many would view BYU like a Mormon Bob Jones University. That’s bad for BYU grads.