From the stands: BYU benefits from exposure

PROVO -- Saturday saw a sold out Marriott Center, 22,700 strong; a top ten team coming to town; a BYU team riding a solid winning streak and fighting for future NCAA tournament seeding; BYU students taking up residence once again in the makeshift "Occupy Marriott" camp; and Jimmer Fredette nowhere in sight.

While a lot has changed since BYU basketball's historic 2010-2011 campaign, much remains the same.

When BYU announced its plans for football independence in September 2010, there was a lot of concern over how the related move to the West Coast Conference would affect its hoops program.

If Saturday's basketball match up with Baylor is any indicator, BYU is getting exactly what it wanted with its new position in the collegiate sports world.

From Day 1, BYU has maintained its move to football independence and the WCC for most other sports was all about exposure.

In announcing the move, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe stated, "Being independent increases access to our national following of fans. Every home football game and men's basketball game will now be carried nationally."

That second point is especially telling, considering last year's homecoming game between then head coach Steve Cleveland's Fresno State Bulldogs and BYU wasn't televised —the Mtn. owned the rights and they passed on producing the game.

Head football coach Bronco Mendenhall echoed Holmoe's sentiment, saying, "It'll be a chance for tremendous exposure for our program and I love the idea of being more visible."

When it broke from the Mountain West, BYU announced an eight-year deal with ESPN and a major overhaul of BYUtv.

BYU fans were ecstatic about the possibilities and the sky was the limit.

Then came a rough start to the 2011 football campaign, followed by a schedule filled with less exciting opponents to finish out the year. Throughout it all was the ongoing saga of the 2011 realignment roller coaster, where, seemingly every day BYU was on the verge of joining a BCS league—first the Big XII, then the Big East.

In the end, BYU stayed put as an independent. For fans, it seemed every time the Cougars came close to joining a league, their once-lauded TV deal got in the way.

While ESPN televising 10 of BYU's football games—as many as it was contractually allowed to—has been praised by Cougar fans nationwide and even across the globe, many have questioned the benefit of games on BYUtv. After all, would anyone really tune in to watch a sporting event on a station buried with other religious channels on basic cable?

At least for one Saturday in December, the answer was a resounding yes.

Within minutes of Baylor's Pierre Jackson blocking Brandon Davies' desperate 3-point attempt at the buzzer, the Internet was buzzing with praise from Baylor players, coaches, and fans praising their team's gritty win, and complimenting what they saw and experienced in Provo.

Baylor's Perry Jones III, who dominated with a game-high 28-points, commented on the atmosphere in Provo, saying, "I want to give respect to the fan base here. That's one of the top hardest places to play. They didn't use foul language. They stayed humbled. I respect them for that and for not cussing us out like other places."

Perry later added, "Great win team, but much respect from me to BYU and the fans they have."

Bears fans watching at home came away equally impressed.

During the pre-game party, BYU students unfurled a large banner congratulating Baylor's Robert Griffin III on winning the Heisman trophy.

Baylor fans watching at home noticed.

"The congrats Baylor/RG3 sign? Are you kidding me? What kind of fans do that? Total class. Can you imagine any of our Texas brethren doing that?" remarked one fan on baylorfans.com.

Bears supporters also praised the broadcast itself, while providing some amusing commentary on the commercials they saw.

"I was afraid it was going to be like watching [the Longhorn Network], but the announcers were complimentary and very professional throughout the game. I kept forgetting that I was even watching BYUtv—until the food hoarding commercials and Mormon bookstore stuff came on."

"Anyone know why there were a bunch of ads for emergency food rations? What do the Mormons think is going to happen?" quipped another Baylor fan.

Perhaps one Baylor supporter summed it up best by stating, "…please take note that Baylor Nation would much prefer something that works like BYUtv rather than All Access." The fan later added, "Is it too late to get BYU in the Big XII as a replacement for [Texas A&M]?"

All this coming from a fan base that has what many BYU fans have been clamoring for—membership in a BCS league and all the glory, laud, and honor that comes with it.

BYU's grand experiment with independence is still unproven. Football scheduling will remain a challenge as long as the Cougars have no league to call their own. In addition, despite what officials in Provo are promising, November slates could remain filled with less-than- exhilarating match-ups.

The Cougars haven't played a full year in the WCC, and there's no telling whether BYU, with its large student body, fan base, and state-of-the-art athletic facilities, will really be happy in a league filled with much, much smaller institutions.

However, if you believe some Baylor fans, BYU is nowhere near being exiled to sports oblivion—it is the model for the future.

"That's the future folks. The day will come when most major universities either will have something like [BYUtv] or will want something like it. Not just for sports, but for all sorts of things that help colleges and universities "spread the word" about their service, research, and educational mission."

Jimmermania may be over. But hope, enthusiasm, and optimism still abounds in Provo. And for at least one electrifying game in December, people were watching.

David Gale is a BYU graduate, former television news producer and a lifelong BYU fan. See more of David's thoughts at planetbyu.com.

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