were solely tied to CFP implications that drew from the massive audiences in the midwest and the south. Not the schools' fan bases.

Utah was one win from the CFP in 2019. Oklahoma was on the outside looking in.

The game drew a whole new set of viewers. The CFP spot was the draw. But credit Utah for being #5 and leveraging that.

Oregon #3 at Utah was widely viewed for the same reason. But it would outdraw other 3 corners bc Utah was highly ranked, at home, favored and figured to be a close game and potential upset.

Utah-USC was identical but yielded higher because of the Ohio St fan base. Utah-USC drew 50% more voters than USC-Tulane.

In the west, the key to drawing large audiences is attracting national viewership.

BYU has a nice fan base. Larger than most in the west, including Utah. For that reason, BYU fans will say all that matters is the fan base tuning in. But the numbers aren't that significant when factored against BIG and SEC fan bases.

So the schools that can consistently get / create those games that draw them in are going to have markedly more value. As just one marquee game has the ability to match or exceed an entire year's viewership for a school like SDSU or UofA.

Rn, it's going to take BYU, CU, ASU, SDSU, UofA...a couple of fantastic seasons and big wins to draw that cred.