Two BYU Myths

[UteThunder]

There are a couple of BYU fan claims that I hear quite a bit, but there is no way they can both be true.

1) The supposed gentleman’s agreement between Utah & BYU that we would stick together in whatever conference affiliation. We’ve all heard this, that Utah didn’t keep their end of the agreement by leaving BYU behind when we joined the Pac-12. 

We know this isn’t true because BYU folks like to spout the urban legend that they were all but signed, sealed, and delivered to the BigXII back in the mid 90’s before the Texas governor stepped in on Baylor’s behalf. (sidenote: It’s funny because there are other schools like TCU, SMU, and Rice who all tell the same story about their school.) So, what about that gentleman’s areement?

2) They had been planning independence for years, really ever since the mid 90’s when “Baylor took their spot” in the BigXII.

Again, what about that genleman’s agreement to stick together? So this claim debunks the first, if it is to be believed. However, if they had really been planning independence for nearly two decades, then it wouldn’t have required their AD and everyone who works in that office to work 80 hours per week for 3 months (as was claimed) to put the move to independence together. 

No real point to this post other than to dispute these ridiculous claims which I get tired of hearing from them. Carry on.

[sweetgrass]

hasn’t Tom Holmoe claimed that Independence is unsustainable? If that’s the case that kind of kills theory #2

[EagleMountainUte]

Don’t use logic ever to debunk BYU claims. 

[Tony (admin)]

…and don’t ever get into an icecream eating contest with byu fans.

[EagleMountainUte]

Change myths to lies and you have me nodding in agreement.

[rbmw263]

Number 1 is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. It checks all the boxes for bias (make U look bad and Y look good, isn’t provable, is nonsensical). What school is turning down a P5 offer and P5 check “unless you take our rivals too”

I don’t think they realise how stupid they sound. But alas, the bubble

[Utes99]

Growing up in the 80’s, my father taught at BYU, and I remember him talking about that gentlemen’s agreement back then.  Whether it’s true or not, there’s enough smoke to make me think that at one point (long before our rise) there was something there.  

[UteThunder]

Even if that was true, they had allegedly decided to break any such agreement when the BigXII was forming. 

It is my belief that the only agreement between the two schools was when they broke away from the 16 team WAC to form the MWC. At that time they agreed to stick together in forming the MWC because neither school wanted to be left behind in what remained of the WAC.

[Utes99]

Certainly true.  

[mpute]

“It is my belief that the only agreement between the two schools was when they broke away from the 16 team WAC to form the MWC. At that time they agreed to stick together in forming the MWC because neither school wanted to be left behind in what remained of the WAC.”

This is correct UteThunder. It seems this agreement was in place around the time the WAC grew from 8 teams to 16. BYU and UTAH had this “agreement” with the conference to remain in the same region as rivals, to be traveling schools, etc.

Now, it is not published anywhere but this “agreement” seems to have been broken the year BYU defeated Utah in 2009, 26-23. The fans stormed the field and in the melee, it was rumored that Whittingham’s wife was hit or accosted by a BYU fan. This was the same year BYU QB, Max Hall, said on national tv “I don’t like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program. I hate their fans. I hate everything…I think the whole university and their fans and organization is classless.” (Wikipedia, Holy War, Utah vs. BYU) By the end of that year, there were rumors floating that UTAH was going to the PAC-10. I hope that sheds light on how that “agreement” may have been broken. UTAH may have had enough of their gentlemen’s agreement with the University down south.

Regarding #2, as soon as UTAH officially announced they were going to the PAC-10, around June 17th, it seemed that BYU announced they would go Independent and leave the MWC in a matter of a week or so. It seemed it was fast. They didn’t want to give the impression that UTAH had left them behind, is how it seemed with red goggles on. I hope this helps.

[Utahute72]

There is no such thing as a gentleman’s agreement. Both schools worked together when it was in their mutual interest (preventing USU from joining the WAC, forming the Mountain West). If the Pac 10 or Big 12 had offered BYU would have jumped at the chance to join with or without Utah. They did realize that having Utah come with them improved their chances at getting to either one.

As far as independence, that has been a long held view that they could somehow become another Notre Dame if they went independent. That is why so many jumped at the chance to do it when Utah left the Mountain West. As with most thing BYU, reality is far less desirable than the imagination.

[Utah]

Val Hake has stated many times BYU would have left Utah to join a P5. BYU’s problem is nobody wants them. 

[RiseasUtes]

#1 is so dumb.  If BYU was invited with us, great.  They weren’t and there is no way you turn down a P5 invite to appease the crazies in Provo.  We were fortunate and in reality nobody wants to deal with them.  They think they are a national brand and yet they are still waiting for an invite.  The delusion is strong in those fans.

[Anonymous]

It’s horse s**t, all of it. I was at school in the 80’s, and the talk then was how they couldn’t wait to leave us behind when their “inevitable” invitation came along for the PAC or Big Eight or NFC West. Anyone saying differently is talking straight out of their anus.

[Puget Ute]

Big 8 perhaps.made sense, but the PAC was a non-starter.

At a minimum UW,Stanford, Cal, UCLA, ASU, UA, and at least one of the Oregons would absolutely veto them, even today, over events that took place in the early 70s.

In fact our next opponent, SJSU, was one of the schools who organized the boycott of playing byu in the 70s.

[Anonymous]

I know that. You know that. You should have heard the idiots go on and on about it back then. They had the newspapers and tv slack-jaws all droning on about how the zoobs were a shoe-in for PAC membership, because the Arizonas got in and so should they.

[Puget Ute]

They will scream about religious oppression, while continually doing awful things to innocent people. No wonder no conference wants to deal with them.

[UtMtBiker]

Details? What happened in the 70’s that spurred the boycott? I’m assuming it was the fact the Church still officially didn’t want anything to do with POC.

[Puget Ute]

For your reading pleasure:

http://www.mormonmatters.org/2009/10/21/1968-1970-the-civil-rights-movement-comes-to-byu/

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/14088182/nine-historically-significant-protests-involving-college-football-athletes

Remembering Black Protests of the 1960s-70s

http://www.uwyo.edu/robertshistory/fired_by_conscience.htm

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2009/09/college_footballs_season_of_discontent.html
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/byucougars/ci_13728556

[UtMtBiker]

Good stuff. Thank you!