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PROVO — As I sit here at the BYUtv broadcast center after another BYU football media day staring at my BYU notepad they provided along with my BYU pen, my BYU journal as well as my BYU press notes after talking to BYU players and BYU coaches, I can’t help but write about, well you guessed it, BYU.
Here are five random observations from another impressive BYU football media day:
1. The new Bronco.
He’s relaxed. He laughs. Heck he’s even joking around. In fact he told five of them in one segment of the live BYUtv show on the state of the program when he was up on stage with his defensive coaches. Mendenhall then came on the radio show I co-host, Gunther and Graham on 1320 am KFAN, and literally had us rolling. Maybe it’s his new three-year contract extension or after a tumultuous season a year ago he realized he has to be more cooperative and accessible with the media and fan base, which would explain opening a Twitter account. Now I don’t see him hitting the comedy circuit soon, but the fact he was less robotic and showing actual human emotions isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe we’re finally seeing the “real Bronco” that we always thought was there.
2. Scheduling ahead.
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe’s announcement that they reached a three-year deal with USC that will have the Trojans coming to LaVell Edwards Stadium in 2019 with return trips there in 2021 and 2023 is a very positive sign. It shows the Cougars can get elite opponents on their schedule, years in advance, which has been a possible concern with the new playoff system approaching. While a two-for-one isn’t perfect, when they play the games is. The first matchup of the series in Provo will be in September, but the latter two in Southern California will be played on Thanksgiving weekend, which secures another elite team in November. One though has to wonder if that will even be an issue when those years roll around based on the always changing college football landscape. By then, maybe BYU will actually be in a big time conference.
3. Rivalry confidence.
Holmoe appeared to very confident or in his words “secure” that the BYU-Utah rivalry will continue after the two year hiatus. In fact talking to him on the radio show, I wouldn’t be surprised if an announcement doesn’t come sooner than later. That obviously is good news considering how senseless it is to take time off in the first place. While BYU did the two-for-one with USC, Holmoe said that will not be the case with Utah requiring a home-and-home agreement.
4. Bowling in San Diego.
While conferences have been aligning with bowls over the last few weeks, all was quiet on the BYU front until Wednesday when Holmoe announced they have a deal to return to San Diego in 2015 with the Poinsettia Bowl. It's clearly a destination that makes sense since BYU put itself on the football map in a lot of ways with its appearance in Holiday Bowls over the years. Now the question is where BYU will go for five of the rest of the six-year bowl cycle that is currently up.
5. In Taysom BYU trusts.
Once again I was impressed about how poised and confident quarterback Taysom Hill appears to be. The big question is can he stay healthy. Hill says he realizes he has to and says we’ll be seeing a lot of sliding from him this upcoming season. He also admits that is something that doesn’t come naturally to him. If BYU is to have any success this season, there is no question Hill has to remain healthy. Kevin Graham co-hosts Gunther and Graham, 3-7 p.m. on 1320 KFAN. He is also the founder and editor of www.SportsMashup.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KevinGrahamKFAN and like him on Facebook (SportsMashup).
