PROVO — Bronco Mendenhall desperately wants it, as his surprising comments proved last summer. And the large majority of BYU football fans are falling in line with the coach, maybe desiring it even more passionately.

Now it’s time by any reasonable means necessary to get it done.

The college football playoff committee’s decision to bypass Big 12 teams in the new four-team postseason format potentially was great news for BYU, which wants into a Power 5 conference. The “one true champion” motto the Big 12 promoted all season fell flat when Ohio State leapfrogged Baylor and Texas Christian into the top four to join Alabama, Oregon and Florida State.

All four teams won a conference championship game, which the Big 12 doesn’t have. Either through expansion from 10 to 12 teams or some other method, the Big 12 has to change its format or make sure one of its teams escapes the regular season undefeated.

Some argue a conference championship game can actually hurt the likes of Oregon and Alabama, saying a loss could have prevented either team from earning a spot in the final four. But that theory provides even more demand that all five Power 5 conferences play by the same rules rather than allow the Big 12 to remain alone in not having two division winners meet in a title game the first week of December.

Here’s where BYU comes in.

As Mendenhall essentially stated numerous times, the football program has no long-term future as an independent. To facilitate a move into the Big 12, BYU needs to present every possible option.

Related:

4 reasons BYU is a good fit for Big 12

With the four NCAA football playoff teams announced today, there was a noticeable lack of a Big 12 team. Being kept out of the playoffs has immediately set off talks about expansion for the conference. Here are four reasons BYU is a good option for the Big 12.

As it does in virtually any area, money talks. Big 12 administrators have said there’s no point expanding unless the new school can match the approximately $25 million each of the 10 football programs now get from the conference’s television deals.

Here’s where BYU must get creative. Since it is unlikely BYU’s inclusion can generate enough money to satisfy the Big 12, the school needs to trade reduced revenue for membership. With its numerous resources, BYU can afford to buy into the Big 12.

Two days after four-team announcement, The Sporting News reported the Big 12 is showing at least some interest in Cincinnati. Central Florida and South Florida also have been mentioned as possible candidates to allow the Big 12 to have a presence in the fertile recruiting base of Florida.

No doubt other schools will surface, meaning BYU would have competition. But no school can match BYU’s resources, including the ability to take a football-only deal and thus keep most of its other sports in the West Coast Conference.

To keep it simple, except for waiving the no-play Sunday rule, BYU should be willing to consider anything for Big 12 membership. Take it from Mendenhall, who understands what’s at stake.

“Our attendance is high enough. And our winning percentage is high enough," Mendenhall told the Austin, Texas, American-Statesman newspaper last June. "We have the entire Salt Lake City and Utah market as well as a worldwide following because of the church. There'd be a ton to offer the Big 12 because it's a money-generated world right now. You're talking about an amazing kind of brand."

If all else fails, BYU could propose a scheduling agreement with the Big 12 similar to the connection Notre Dame has with the Atlantic Coast Conference. While still maintaining independent status, the Irish play five football games against the ACC each season and also have a bowl affiliation with the conference.

A soft non-conference schedule, particularly for Baylor, was a reason critics cited for the Big 12 not getting a team into the playoff. Baylor’s atrocious non-conference opponents were Southern Methodist, Northwestern State and Buffalo.

An agreement with BYU would improve the Big 12’s reputation and also help solve a recurring problem for the Cougars, who desperately need to beef up their usually weak November slate of home games. Again, to facilitate such an agreement, BYU would need to come up with creative proposals.

Make ’em an offer they can’t refuse.

Related topics