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PROVO — It may be a ceremonial signing, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson proclaiming July 1, 2023 as "BYU Big 12 Conference Day" was reason enough to celebrate for Cougar fans across the Wasatch Front.
An end to independence, an exodus from the West Coast Conference, and the realization of a long-sought after inclusion in college athletics' Power Five was reason enough to celebrate with a weekend of parties, fireworks and plenty of Cosmo for the blue-goggled faithful as BYU prepared to formally join the Big 12 Conference on Saturday.
Friday started with Lt. Gov. Henderson presenting BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe and other officials a copy of the state's "official declaration" signed by Gov. Cox, deeming the unofficial state holiday (for the year), while reasoning that adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the Big 12 will "expand market share, revenue growth, and sports programming in all four ranked TV markets, and the impact of the move on the local and state economies is still emerging."
The official declaration, penned by Governor @GovCox. pic.twitter.com/h5KYc8e9Ad
— BYU Cougars (@BYUCougars) June 30, 2023
BYU did its part in promoting the occasion with a countdown party Friday night (that will precede a day-long fiesta Saturday afternoon from 3-6 p.m. MDT at the Provo campus' SAB practice & turf field, indoor practice facility and Smith Fieldhouse Annex).
Cougar athletic staffers also began the celebrations early by "taking a page out of the music industry" and archiving every post on BYU's main Instagram account, as well as the football, men's basketball and women's basketball pages and replacing them with a single post that read: "The next chapter of BYU athletics begins" and the date July 1, 2023, said associate athletic director for creative strategy Tyson Hutchins on ESPN 960 radio in Utah County.
"It's hard to garner some attention in the middle of the summer, and we wanted to create a little bit of buzz," Hutchins explained. "It certainly wasn't an original idea, but the buzz and the chatter leading into some great content that we have this weekend worked out perfectly in the way that we wanted it to.
"I've gotten some DMs and replies from some very concerned Cougar fans, so I'll say: It won't be forever," he continued. "Your favorite hype video or post, you'll be able to find again after a small hiatus."
Hutchins and his team worked to archive posts "about 100 at a time" for the past month to make sure everything was ready for the weekend.
"We were concerned that someone might notice the total number of posts dropping," he said. "But luckily, nobody did."
Archiving old Instagram posts weren't the only things BYU (or the rest of the Big 12 newcomers) were doing in anticipation of July 1. BYUtv has sent video teams across the Big 12's now-14 team footprint to gather interviews and B-roll for informational packages and mini-documentaries about each institution that will air during the upcoming season, while BYU's creative team also teamed up with Cosmo to "visit" Big 12 headquarters in Dallas for a special project.
In the video, which debuted Friday, the hyper-viral Cougar unpacks his "Cosmobile" while moving into the league offices — suit jacket and all.
Naturally, this causes a bit of a stir from the current tenants.
"Yeah, having Cosmo in the office has been an adjustment," deadpans Anna Gomez, the league's controller and Human Resources representative, into the camera.
"I don't know how Tom gets anything done with Cosmo around," adds Big 12 chief impact officer Jenn Hunter.
And of course, there were official statements, like from newly installed BYU president Shane Reese.
"I'm so excited to be celebrating with you as we usher in an exciting new era in Cougar athletics," Reese said in a video. "This is a phenomenal opportunity for us to join a premier athletic conference. This will be yet one more opportunity to show the world BYU's unique light. … I can't wait for this fall athletic celebration to begin."
There were also some logistical nuances to finalize, including the Big 12's formal acknowledgement of a media-rights extension with ESPN and FOX through 2031, a deal reportedly worth $2.2 billion with an average annual payout of close to $31.7 million per school, according to The Athletic.
"The Big 12 Conference is thrilled to announce it has executed its long-form agreements for the extension of its media rights with partners ESPN and FOX through the 2030-31 academic year," Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. "We would like to thank both ESPN and FOX for their continued partnership. Additionally, we'd like to thank the tams at Endeavor and Proskauer for their contributions throughout this process. This deal not only provides stability for the Big 12 in years to come, but it creates a strong foundation for future growth and innovation."
BYU football also wrapped up some logistical hurdles by adding a Big 12 logo on the football field for the first time as a member of the league. Each end zone for the fall 2023 season will also be painted royal blue with the letters "BYU" to the north and south, and a stretch oval-Y at midfield.
(OK, so maybe it's a rendering. But you can still enjoy the photo below.)
New Conference. New Look. pic.twitter.com/yXtHvduCIg
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) June 30, 2023
Led by starting quarterback Kedon Slovis, the Cougars open the 2023 football season Saturday, Sept. 2 against FBS newcomer Sam Houston State (8:15 p.m. MDT, FS1). BYU's Big 12 opener comes Saturday, Sept. 23 at Kansas.
The BYU women's soccer team will kick off the Big 12 era across the athletic department with the annual blue-and-white scrimmage Aug. 5, followed by the regular-season home opener Saturday, Aug. 12 against Idaho State.
