...reasons in the present and future matter more and are not the same as in the past. I still believe ANY pretend BYU fan that wants the Cougars to join the MWC or far away AAC is really a UTAH troll here. They've been salivating for BYU to go back to big fish in little pond for 10 years now. BYU as an independent is finally in a great position similar to Notre Dame. Also, not sure if you all noticed, but the way major business players stepped up last yer and are upping the financial game this year is going to pay all kinds of dividends for BYU in ways most of you are not looking at. Just think about all the moving targets in 2022 and beyond, and why BYU should wade carefully into new waters:

1) Independence is popular with people who remember why America declared a Revolution in 1776, but today's generation of Millennials and Gen-Z's that never learned about it in K-12 are clueless and people that think the first thing Jesus did was join team Pharisees in 31 AD completely miss the value of setting your own destiny. In college sports you can't be completely independent, but in football, a very few programs really can. BYU is one of them so BYU will ONLY join a conference if it makes good sense for it all the way around.

2) Preferred P5 invitation will obviously be either the PAC12 or Big 12. Nothing else makes any geographical sense. Having said that, both conferences are under pressure to grow for different reasons. The PAC is so far west it loses recognition in the afternoon time slots. It does have large metropolitan geography programs (LA, Phoenix, The Bay Area, Denver and Seattle), but not really many more than the Big 12 (Dallas/Ft Worth/Austin and....really the entire rest of the Big12 Footprint is corn, cattle, wheat, soy, oil and hay). Both conferences need more eyes and BYU is attractive because it brings more eyes. Colorado State is attractive to the Big 12 for that reason. Yes Utah brought in SLC, but what else beyond the Oil Refineries and 90th South? BYU is a national program. UNLV is in a massive and rapidly expanding market. Boysenberry State is literally no better than Washington State and Academically no better than Dan's Refrigeration, Stripper Pole and Car Detailing Trade School. If things begin to shake out (and TV draws says that will happen) as likely in the next round of contract negotiations then no-market schools are going to be pressured to up the number of games on schedule in which they face better TV draws. That favors BYU getting an invite to the Big 12 at some point. I's not fact, just solid reasons for it. BYUtc is NOT an impediment. It would be seen by the conference as expanded exposure, world wide at that without cost.