Scheduling Goosebumps

-- BYU used to play UMass on Thanksgiving. Now they play Oklahoma. 

Trivia time: over the past 12 seasons, what was the most anticipated home matchup BYU played in the month of November? 

Answer ...

Utah State. November 26, 2016. 

What was the second biggest home matchup in November? 

Answer ... 

There wasn't one. 

The absolute worst part of going Indy -- worse than the bowl agreements, worse than the dumb all-Independent end-of-year awards -- was that the month of November was a wasteland for BYU, especially at home. By my count BYU played 17 home games in November (and one in December) during independence. Of those 18 teams I cannot name the conference that 14 of those opponents belong to. The list of horrible opponents includes New Mexico's little brother, a Savannah, the UMasses, and two to many teams whose name starts with Idaho. 

In 2009 I hadn't graduated college, but I had just rushed the field following BYU's overtime win over Utah on a deliciously festive Thanksgiving weekend. Had you told me that night BYU wouldn't play another truly meaningful home game in November until the year 2023 ... well, I mean just read that sentence again. It's stupefying. 

Indy in November wasn't just bad for home games. In 2011, 2012, and 2017 BYU didn't play a single game of interest in November, home or away. The team could have stopped their season on Halloween. In 2014, 2019, and 2016 they managed three games of interest, but two of those games were Utah State. If you don't consider the Aggies a game of interest, then that's six Indy seasons featuring one interesting opponent in November -- away to Cal in 2014. Six indy seasons is half the indy experience, FYI. And the other half wasn't anything to write home about either; our best Indy seasons featured at most two good end-of-season games. 

This year BYU plays Oklahoma, at home, on November 18th. It's the biggest winter showdown in Provo since the 2009 Utah game. 

The week before BYU plays Iowa State. Also in Provo. Also the biggest winter game at home since the 2009 Utah game.

Last year our November home games were Utah Tech and Bye Week University. 

The year before it was Idaho State and Georgia Southern.

Do you see why I most definitely got goosebumps when BYU's first Big-12 schedule was released? Do you see why I most nearly got a legit tear in my eye? 

I used to measure how good Indy schedules were based on how many P5s we played, how many were at home, and how many meaningful games were played in November. Based on that criteria I ranked the Indy seasons as shown in the below photo -- and note for the purposes of this list I'm using the pre-Covid 2020 schedule, which was an absolute banger. Obviously the post-Covid 2020 schedule would be at the bottom had I included it. 

2021 was the pinnacle of Tom Holmoe's scheduling efforts. 

But 2021 was an anomaly. So was 2013. From 2011 to 2022 those were the only two seasons that featured three P5 home games and two decent games in November (and all four of course were on the road). Over twelve years it never got better than that. Now drop the 2023 schedule on top of that list for funsies sake. 

See? Goosebumps.

I never thought promotion to a power conference would happen for us. I followed expansion with the best of them. All of it. They called me Exspansen at work, a riff on my horrible nickname of Spansen (a mashing of Spencer plus Hansen) because I would chase every rumor, no matter the trolling trashcan from which it originated.

Speaking of which, I remember when Cougarboard legend SouthernBlueBlood dug through the garbage at a Marriot where the Big-12 held a conference meeting and found the mysterious agenda. I texted a picture of it to Devon Smith for his zapruderian analysis. I remember evaluating the powerpoints that BYU and the other candidates put together when the Big-12 held their ridiculous expansion Survivor party. I remember tuning the radio, following along when the commissioner announced that they weren't even going to play, let alone pick and choose who would and wouldn't get voted off the island. I figured we would be Indy forever. 

When Tom Holmoe put on the hat and welcomed us in, it was almost out of body type stuff. It can't be happening right? The Big-12 is going to collapse now right? College football is going to be dissolved. The second coming will happen summer of 2023. A floating balloon from China will detonate over LaVell Edwards Stadium and cancel our season. 

So far none of that has happened. I can't believe we're in a conference again. I'm so happy. I can't write smartly because my feelings are clouding my brain. I feel like dancing. I'm joyous. We're promoted. Is this what it feels like for Nottingham Forest when they advance to the premier league? (even typing that makes me worried the powers of jynx will have the SEC and Big-10 announcing their departure from the NCAA at any minute). But whatever. For now I'm happy. May we revel in recruiting gains. May we dream of bowl game prestige. May we never again be forced to watch BYU vs New Mexico State on the same weekend that other teams are jockeying for conference championships.