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BYU football: Nationally televised games are a perk of Independence

By Ron Jensen

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 05: A view of the logo during ESPN The Party on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for ESPN)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 05: A view of the logo during ESPN The Party on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for ESPN) /
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Cougar fans have grown accustomed to seeing almost all of their favorite team’s games on TV, but that certainly wasn’t the case just a decade ago.

With the recent announcement of the kick-off time and TV details of the Boise State game, BYU Football’s regular appearances on national television networks continue.  Watching Cougar games on the likes of ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, ESPN, or ESPN2 most weeks has become a foregone conclusion.

In BYU’s seven seasons of Independence the Cougars have appeared on one of the aforementioned channels a total of 47 times.  That’s an average of nearly seven regular season contests each year.

This is a stark contrast to the previous seven seasons while BYU played in the Mountain West Conference.  During this time period, Cougar fans were only able to see 10 games on these networks.

Leaving their former Group of Five situation has brought one undebatable positive to Cougar Nation – unprecedented exposure.  It’s hard to believe that anyone, including Tom Holmoe, could have predicted the incredible availability that now exists.

These statistics are a reminder of a not-so-distant past, when most games had to be viewed vicariously through the eyes of the “Voice of the Cougars.”  Nothing against Greg Wrubell, but some images just can’t be described, even by some of the best sports broadcasters in the profession.

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Putting the financial perks aside, there is much to be grateful for when considering how many games can be seen.  BYU fans should never take for granted the current ability to access so many match-ups with such ease and affordability.

This season alone has already seen seven contests on these channels, and with details yet to be revealed about two remaining games, there could be even more.  Life is good for BYU Football on TV.

Really good.

A contract renewal with ESPN has still not been announced, but looking at how much time BYU has spent on the Worldwide Leader in Sports, the likelihood of a new deal looks pretty high.

Until the ink on a new deal is dry, though, Cougar Nation should keep their fingers crossed that this unprecedented era of national TV exposure is able to continue.

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