It Begins. BYU Begins To Build The Schedule Fans Dream About

BYU just signed an agreement to play Notre Dame for each year for the next 6 years.  ESPN just purchased the right to broadcast all of BYU's home games for the next 8 years.  What does this all mean?  It means that Cougar fans will be enjoying football schedules that they could only dream about before.  This upcoming season may or may not be much of an improvement over previous years (see the link below)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/448271-byus-2011-football-schedule-ideal-probable-and-worst-case-scenarios

but in the years to come... it is enough to make me start to drool (finguratively of course).  With ESPN on board, it will be a lot easier for the Cougars to get "home and home" matchups because the opponents know that they will be on ESPN instead of The Mountain.  Lets take a look at what treasures BYU already has scheduled for the next couple of years.

2011: Texas, Oregon St., Notre Dame, Probably Utah (BYU athletic director said a long term series has only a few details left before it has been finalized.).  All of which I expect to be ranked that year.

2012: Oregon St., Notre Dame, Utah, Boise St,

2013: Note Dame, Texas, Utah, Boise St, @Hawai'i (don't particularly care for the matchup, but it does give BYU a 13th game.)

2014: Note Dame, Texas, Utah, Boise St. All of these teams have multiple BCS appearences this decade.

And that is just the beginning.  BYU just announced it would be going independent yesterday.  Add 2 more ranked teams to the schedule and suddenly half of BYU's opponents are in the top 25.  That is a schedule that the Cougars could lose 1 or even 2 games a year and still get into a BCS bowl as an at large team.

I was initially against BYU's going independent (see article below for some of the reasons)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/439492-7-reasons-why-byu-should-not-go-independent

but now I am a believer.  All I have to say is Goooooooo Cougars!