Forget Georgia and Alabama. In the world of college football, TV is king. That is why BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe says adding the school was an easy decision for the Big 12 Conference last year.
"We gave ESPN a very unique window, a Mountain Time Zone window, which they could use to their advantage," he recently told Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
By 2025, the conference loses Texas and Oklahoma. Without the national brand power of those two schools, the Big 12 would likely lose value in the eyes of TV networks. A home field in the Moutain Time Zone means at least some of the conference's games could start later. That would mean a conference headlined by teams like Baylor, TCU and Cincinnati wouldn't always have to compete with powerhouses like the SEC and the Big Ten in the evenings and it would create a later television window.
BYU is set to join the Big 12 in 2023. At that time, the Big 12 will become the only power conference with members in three time zones.
Media rights have been an open discussion amongst the conference's power players lately. Following the resignation of Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Nicole Auerbach, Matt Fortuna and Max Olson of The Athletic wrote that television will likely be the ultimate driver in the search for his replacement.
Holmoe said he knows it isn't something his fans love, but exposure is what creates more brand value for BYU and BYU's flexibility creates value for the Big 12 with ESPN.
"I get all kinds of complaints when we have another 8 or 8:15 kick time. But we're on TV nationally. And when we're on TV nationally, on the big game, we want those games. That's one of our pillars. We want those exposures. We understand that could be a factor."
He added that he expects many of the team's conference games, once it joins the Big 12, will kick off after 8 pm locally (10pm on the East Coast), he does not expect that will be the case for every home game.
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