Q&A with Tom Holmoe: BYU AD opens up on Notre Dame series, Big 12 expansion and more


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PROVO — BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe held his semiannual roundtable discussion with members of the local media Friday morning in Provo.

The conversation varied with Holmoe, who spoke at length about the new football coaching staff and first-year head coach Kalani Sitake, as well as his role on the NCAA men's basketball selection committee and the recent cancellation of the BYU-Utah men's basketball series.

Here are a few takeaways from the half-hour discussion. Listen to the entire half-hour discussion in the "Cougar Cuts" section at the bottom of the page.

The Notre Dame series is being cut in half, but Holmoe expects at least one more game in Provo

Holmoe conceded that BYU's original six-game series, announced as two separate 2-for-1 contracts over three years with the Fighting Irish when the Cougars first declared independence in football, was being amended.

Notre Dame's move to the Atlantic Coast Conference and subsequent scheduling agreement with the ACC in football necessitated several changes on their end. Holmoe called the series "dormant," and said the second 2-for-1 series is "off the table" from his end.

But he hopes the Irish can make a trip to Provo in the next few years to complete the first contracted series.

"They made a decision to schedule over our remaining game, and we'll see how that goes. We have contract protections," Holmoe said. "Notre Dame is a great university and our fans love that game, so I'll be a little more patient to try to see if we can make something of that. I talk to my cabinet of people I trust, and right now we think it's worth hanging on for a little bit. It's out there anyway, and wasn't going to be played for a while."

Photo: Deseret News archives
Photo: Deseret News archives

Holmoe said no one in the BYU athletic department holds any ill will toward Notre Dame for amending a long-term series after the option to join the ACC in the Olympic sports presented itself.

"It was a great opportunity for them to join a conference in everything but football," he added. "It changed things for them, and that could happen for us. I would be really hypocritical to think that I would hold them to the fire on something that was really good for them."

Speaking of joining a conference ...

BYU is monitoring the Big 12, but won't speak publicly about it

Oklahoma President David Boren has been an outspoken advocate for the Big 12 to expand, adding a conference championship game and a television network in the process.

Basic assumptions within many of his comments have been an implication that BYU would be a natural fit for the league.

But Holmoe is less outspoken about any potential BYU shifts to the mostly Southwest-based conference.

"I monitor the situation often," Holmoe said. "But BYU has chosen to play our role in this privately. It's the way we do our business. We don't really try to compare ourselves to other people."

The Power 5's recent vote in San Antonio allowing the Big 12 to potentially play a championship game without at least 12 members had little effect on BYU, the 13-year athletic director added.

"I've always monitored it, but I think that the Big 12 can do whatever they want," Holmoe said. "I don't think there are a lot of factors or forces that can affect that.

"As far as BYU, it's important for us to be successful and stick to what we do best: that's try to build great championship teams and provide a great football program."

In the meantime, BYU will focus on what it currently has.

"We're in a conference, the West Coast Conference, and it's our responsibility to be a good partner in that conference," Holmoe said.

While we're on the subject of basketball ...

Related Story

The cancellation of the BYU-Utah hoops series still stings

Holmoe was reluctant to speak about the University of Utah's decision to cancel the annual rivalry series on the hardwood, noting it as an unecessary distraction to the players and coaches on both sides.

But he did reaffirm his displeasure at the decision, and hope that the series is renewed as soon as possible.

"I love the rivalry, and I wanted to keep it without interruption," Holmoe said. "We had a contract with them; we have never had a contract with Utah because they were always in our conference. You never needed a contract to play. But this series was a contract, and they had a choice where if they really wanted to buy out the contract, they can. We couldn't do anything about it.

"We'll put it aside right now. My pursuit is that we get that game back as soon as it can. What that means is between Utah and BYU."

In the interim, Holmoe said there's been little or no formal discussion about a potential instate basketball tournament between all the Utah-based teams, including BYU, Utah, Utah State, Weber State, and so forth.

Many outspoken individuals, including former BYU guard Jonathan Tavernari, have voiced a need for the non-conference addition to every team's schedule — especially in the wake of the Holy War hiatus. But Holmoe said there are plenty of reasons it hasn't taken place yet.

"People have been talking about some kind of a tournament for my 13 years," Holmoe said. "There's a reason that there isn't one; it's hard to do. There will be people left out, and people won't like that. It's really difficult."

Speaking of hard to do ...

The royal blue uniforms are here to stay … on a limited basis

Holmoe mentioned after the Las Vegas Bowl that he had visions of former BYU glory with the hiring of Sitake as head coach. That feeling continued as he saw Sitake round out his first-year staff, which includes seven of nine positions coaches who played at BYU.

"I'm happy with the staff," Holmoe said. "Right off the bat, you ask them about their staff and who they would like to assemble. That's a big part. Some people aren't really sure and haven't thought to that point.

"Kalani had a good feel for what he would do, and as we started working through that, it was important to get the coordinators in first. I like that he used the coordinators and counseled with them to select the position coaches.

But one part of the past that will only come out on special occasions will be the royal blue uniforms like the ones BYU wore in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah. Holmoe said there have been no discussions within the athletic department about making a full-time switch from the new navy blue primary color, and there likely won't be in the near future.

"We'll wear the royal blue occasionally," he added. "We made the decision to go with navy many years ago, and when they did that, the entire school had to change. It's hard for the athletic department to come back and say 'just kidding; we're tired and we want to go back.'"

Holmoe clarified that if the entire school and campus wanted to revert to the royal blue color combination — a significant task, considering the number of buildings on campus — the athletic department would be open to the move. But his office hasn't instigated any such discussions.

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