Response to some silly comments...

Utah will become the 12th member of the Pacific Athletic Conference starting with the 2011-12 season. I plan to write another post expressing my thoughts on this, but right now, I just want to address some things. A lot has been said about this situation. I'd like to respond to some of the statements that have been made. Some of the names have been omitted to protect the ignorant... ;)

"Utah good for six years, BYU good for 30? Who gets invited to the Pac 10? Oh yeah, Utah..... This whole religious bigotry crap is really getting on my nerves!!" -- Random Facebook Friend

Strictly in terms of football -- if any non-BCS team deserved to be invited to a BCS league, it was Utah. The only other program that could possibly state that they should have been invited would be Boise State. But Utah's 2004 season when they totally annihilated everyone they played, combined with their 2008 campaign filled with gut-it-out type wins and a thrashing of Alabama clearly overshadow Boise's gimmicks and trick plays. Since the beginning of the BCS era, Utah has had more success against BCS teams than any other non-BCS school. And Utah holds the nation's longest active bowl win-streak at 9 straight victories.

But this move isn't just about football. Although Utah's basketball program has seen a couple of less-than-impressive seasons recently, they still rank in the top 20 in the nation in all-time win%. In womens gymnastics (which is important to the PAC), Utah has one of the most successful programs in the country, boasting multiple national championships.

But this move isn't just about athletics. Utah is considered a prestigious research university. Developments such as the first artificial human heart (1982), and multiple advances in cancer research (Huntsman Cancer Institute) have taken place at the University of Utah. Utah has a very respected and competitive medical school. These things are important to the PAC, and were factors in their decision to invite Utah to join their conference.

No one can say that BYU doesn't have a good football program. But the most impressive thing they've done since I turned 1 year old is beat a mediocre Oklahoma team. No one cares about 10 win seasons. No one cares about MWC championships. They want to see you win the BIG games. Run the table. Pound a perennial powerhouse into the ground. You're not going to turn any heads winning the Vegas bowl.

And while BYU is a fine institution, they are in no way a research university. They don't even have a medical school. They just don't fit the mold of the PAC. But as for the comment about religious bigotry, I'll address that next...

Dick Harmon -- writer for the Deseret News and notorious BYU homer -- was interviewed by ESPN. They asked him why Utah was invited to the PAC. His response:

"Primarily, [because] they were not BYU and they were not tied to the LDS church -- or the Mormons -- and that's probably the bottom line. BYU has better facilities, a bigger football stadium, umm... the last 40 years of better tradition in football, and they've just dominated the Mountain West Conference, and the WAC conference in total athletic supremacy, uh, for decades."

Poor Dick. Maybe he misunderstood the question. He was asked why Utah was invited to the PAC, and instead of answering that, he threw himself and Cougar nation a little pity party. Clearly Dick, my FB friend above, and many other BYU faithful feel that the one and only reason that BYU was not invited over Utah is because of their religious affiliation. They were discriminated against because they're the Mormons.

So here's my response to that. False. I've already responded to most of what Dick said above, but I really grow weary of BYU peeps playing the religion card. "We're at a disadvantage in recruiting because of our honor code!" "We're at a disadvantage because our good recruits leave on missions and lose some of their athletic ability due to 2 years without playing!" Blah, blah blah. Waaa, waaa, waaa. Yep, you're a church-owned private school. What do you expect? Quit griping about it. BYU should be proud of the church. They should be proud of their honor code, and proud of their players for putting athletic careers on hold to serve missions. But more often I hear it discussed as something that handicaps their athletic programs.

I'm sure part -- a very small part -- of the PAC's decision was due to the fact that BYU doesn't play on Sundays (well, until they get to the NFL that is...), which is usually part of the PAC schedule for multiple sports. BYU has this entitlement complex. It's like saying, "PAC, you should invite us to your conference AND accommodate us and change how you do things so that we fit in, because we're BYU!" Sorry guys, that's just not how it works. And that doesn't make other people bigots.

Anyway, I've never been able to read more than a few lines of Dick Harmon's articles, and this interview really irritated me. Grow up and try to be a little professional next time, Dick.