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According to CBS Sports' Jeremy Fowler the University of Alabama still needs to schedule an opponent for one more game in 2015. Apparently, the situation is dire and the Crimson Tide is getting desperate. "Sounds like the Tide would even take a home-and-home at this point," states Fowler. Alabama AD Bill Battle has said, "We've called everybody we know." So that means that either 'Bama doesn't know BYU or BYU has already turned them down.
WHY IT MAKES SENSE FOR BYU TO SCHEDULE ALABAMA
1) This is an opportunity for the Cougars to put their money where their mouths are. Mendenhall and Holmoe have been tooting the exposure horn since they announced the team was going independent in 2010. They want to play at the highest levels of college football. The Cougars could not find a more worthy program to play during the regular season.
2) BYU can take advantage of senior leadership and experience. The Cougars will potentially have 7 returning starters on both offense and defense. It will be year three of Anae's new offense. Just like when BYU played the Oklahoma Sooners in 2009, 2015 could very possibly shape up to be a year bursting with both talent and experience that could help the Cougars pull off a serious upset.
3) BYU could get Alabama to come back and play in Provo. It seems like a no-brainer to schedule Alabama for a home-and-home. That would strengthen the schedule twice over and raise the profile of the program.
4) Economics. BYU will make a pretty penny off of the gate sales at Alabama. Conversely, the Cougars will lose money if they play an FCS team by paying out ticket sales.
5) Playing Alabama will boost any team's strength of schedule and a good showing, if not a win, will have to increase BYU's relevance to other programs and conferences.
6) Having Alabama on the schedule, especially if it is a home-and-home series, will be very attractive to recruits. Everyone wants the opportunity to play against the best competition out there.
WHY IT MAKES SENSE FOR BYU TO NOT SCHEDULE ALABAMA
1) BYU's schedule in 2015 is front loaded. The Cougars will already play at Nebraska and Michigan, with a home game against Boise State. That is already a difficult start to the season. Add Alabama and the Cougars could feasibly go 0-4 to start the season.
2) Under Mendenhall, the Cougars seem to be the weakest in their first four games, going 19-17 since he became the head coach. That is half of Mendenhall's losses as head coach coming in the first four games of the season.
3) If the Cougars go 0-4 to start the season they could find themselves in a do-or-die position to become bowl eligible and the Cougars need to make a bowl game. They will have a smaller margin of error against lesser competition
4) BYU will be playing 7 away games and only 5 home games.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do you think BYU should have scheduled this game or do you think they are better off without it? Let your voice be heard by voting in our poll and sharing your comments below.