clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

BYU didn’t get into the Big 12 but says it ‘certainly’ belongs in a P5 conference

Yeah, yeah we aren’t in. But we should be. BYU says so.

By Mary Blanchard
BYU Announces Independence in Football 2011
AD Tom Holmoe and BYU release statement in the wake of Big 12 rejection.
Photo by George Frey/Getty Images

In case you missed it... BYU did not get invited to join the Big 12 Monday. None of the hopeful schools did. After months of ups and downs and being given the runaround, David Boren and Bob Bowlsby announced in a press conference that the Big 12 would not be expanding at all.

They also announced that the aforementioned decision was unanimous, and that no votes actually took place. Good “exploring”, guys, you’re basically Lewis and Clark.

Anyway, the cat was let out of the bag hours before the press conference actually started, but BYU had the class and decency (no, YOU’RE biased) to wait until after the press conference to release its statement on all the hoopla. It reads as follows:

The highlight of the statement? Probably the penultimate sentence. “Our national fan base and broadcast ratings, along with the many historical and recent successes of our teams, attest we certainly belong [in a P5 conference].” Boom. How about that confidence?

We’ll see what happens in 2025 (when the Big 12 media contract expires), but until then, prospects are seemingly few and far between.

Stick with Vanquish the Foe for continued coverage on the snub, and fan reaction (the Twitter meltdown was pretty good).

More From Vanquish The Foe