The Big 12 has had enough, and BYU is at the center of why.
After another round of derogatory chants aimed at the church, its followers and the school, the conference is taking a harder line. That push comes after the Big 12 had already pressed for better sportsmanship, but this time it is going beyond talk.
The conference’s new response is a serious one: a $100,000 fine for a confirmed “first offense” and a 15-yard penalty on the host team for a “second offense.” The second part has already drawn criticism, with some calling it “unenforceable” by NCAA rules.
For BYU, it means something simple and long overdue - someone is finally willing to stand up for the Cougars.
The Big 12 knew exactly what it was getting when it invited BYU to join in 2021. With Texas and Oklahoma headed to the SEC, the league needed a program that could help fill the void when those schools departed in 2024.
BYU brought more than just another logo. It brought a huge fan base, recognizable venues and a television presence that reaches far beyond one region.
It also brought winning. For another week, BYU remains the only athletic department in the country with every fall sport ranked in the top 20: women’s cross country at No. 1, men’s cross country at No. 5, football at No. 8, women’s volleyball at No. 9 and women’s soccer at No. 16.
Football has been a major part of that rise. Since the Sooners and Longhorns left, the Cougars are 29-5, and they routinely turn road games into something close to home games with the number of fans who travel. That was on display last week in Orlando.
But the Big 12’s stance now is about more than wins and rankings. Commissioner Brett Yormark is trying to draw a line around decency for BYU and every other school in the league. After more public abuse that crossed into religion-based attacks, the conference decided it had seen enough.
For plenty of people, including this writer, the double standard has been impossible to ignore: some groups are treated as fair game in public while others are treated as untouchable. Yormark is done with that.
It may or may not work. But the league has at least chosen action over silence, and that matters. Doing nothing would only let it continue.
BYU has brought value to the Big 12, and the Big 12 now appears ready to defend what BYU values, too. That kind of partnership is worth something.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” shouldn’t have to be a parent’s pregame pep talk to their kids as their team takes the field.
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Tim Fanning, BYUs associate head coach, has been part of the conversation about what the Cougars need to carry over and who can help lead the way, while Diebler has done the same from the Buckeyes side as both teams sort through expectations before the ball is tipped. It is an early-season test, but not just a routine one, because the opener offers a first read on whether BYU can build on last spring or whether the questions about life after that Sweet 16 will linger a little longer. [Read more 🡒]