BYU Football fans are once again split on the idea of BYU needing to join a P5 Conference.
While normally this time of year we are talking about BYU joining a Power Five Conference because it is June and there is nothing else to be talking about, this year we are talking about it because of all the changes coming to college football.
With the new proposed 12 team Playoff, access to the Playoff suddenly has opened up dramatically for every team in the country, except for BYU and other Independents who would still need to go 12-0 to have a good chance on making it.
This has led many to believe that BYU Football needs to join a conference, but they are split on which one. Personally, I believe that the AAC would be the best choice, but many are saying P5 or bust.
But what are the chances and realities of each P5 Conference? Here is the breakdown.
ACC
The ACC, or the Atlantic Coastal Conference, is the furthest eastern reaching conference in the country. It is the opposite of the Pac 12 Conference and that alone almost disqualifies BYU from the list. The ACC currently goes as far west as Louisville, Kentucky. BYU is 1,538 miles further west.
How BYU could get invited: There isn’t a lot here other than if the ACC cleaned house and decided to become a country wide conference. The problem is, there aren’t a ton of terrible teams in this conference unlike other conferences we will go over later. Wake Forest, Syracuse or North Carolina State are the most likely to be dropped, but again that seems like a long shot, especially NCSU who has been trending in the right direction.
Essentially, the ACC would have to say that travel doesn’t matter and they they are willing to drop three or four teams and add five or six around the country adding BYU and probably two or three other teams out west.
Why BYU won’t get invited: Location and size. The ACC already has 14 teams so adding more teams would mean that the ACC is going to 16 teams which would make it the biggest P5 in the country. There just aren’t a lot good arguments to have BYU join this conference in any direction.
Chance of happening: 1%