BYU Football

I grew up attending BYU football and basketball games. I was a BYU scholarship player on BYU's freshman basketball team in 1964. In 1980, when living in the Philippines, I drove to Clark Air Base from Manila to listen to, via Armed Forces Radio, the Holiday Bowl, where BYU beat SMU in a game considered to be one of the greatest football comebacks ever. I attended BYU's football victory over Michigan in 1984 at the San Diego Holiday Bowl which resulted in BYU accomplishing an NCAA national championship.

Over the ensuing years, my interest in BYU football waned, largely because I lived far away from Provo and because of the school's consistently mediocre football performance. Since 1984,
BYU celebrity quarterbacks shining in weak conferences notwithstanding, BYU has been a lower top 25 college team, say half the time, and out of the national rankings the rest. And so, this year also, one year away from being admitted as a new member of the Big 12 football conference, the BYU football program, with an admittedly strong schedule, seems to be struggling to achieve a .500 win/loss record.

After several decades of mediocre football, one has to question BYU's commitment to be a winner. In many respects, BYU is a national school and like other national schools such as Notre Dame and Stanford, should have a top-class football program if they are committed to competing at the Division One level.

Bottom Line: To become a top five NCAA football program BYU needs a $5MM coach. The quality of the coach is the most important factor in building a successful program. All devolves from that... the quality of the assistant coaches, the quality of the recruits and so on. BYU pays its current coach, Kalane Sitake, neighborhood $1.5MM. To get BYU football the "next level," BYU needs to recruit a $5MM coach. If having an LDS coach is important to the school (it is), try to recruit Andy Reid or Kyle Whittingham, both $5MM plus coaches. Make the job offer sound like a mission call. Say, $6MM per annum, five-year contract, $5MM bonus if national championship is accomplished. Have LDS President Russel Nelson make the first recruiting call. This is a commitment level I could believe in.

Short of a serious commitment to build a winning football program, the BYU Board of Trustees should consider whether having a perennial mediocre Division One football program contributes to building the superior, unique national image deserved by BYU. BYU should consider fielding a Division Two team or exit NCAA football altogether and refocus the school to building, a la, say, Hillsdale College, on its unique academic and spiritual mission.