that independence wouldn't work. Perception becomes reality when others start believing it. The problem was that he said it and then it got repeated by Tom (although I think he meant something different by it) and then for the next 7 years fans have bought into the notion that BYU can't be competitive (or survive) without being in a conference. Truth is, all teams will struggle if they aren't winning and in one of the 5 wealthier conferences.