BYU Cougars

Is the move away from Independence about money?

Published Apr. 27, 2015 4:40 p.m. ET

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The cost-of-attendance measure passed by the Power 5 schools will reportedly pay students on average between $2,000 and $4,000 a year for cost-of-living expenses. Most of the Power 5 schools won't have a problem paying the stipend because of their multimillion-dollar television deals.

However, the deal that BYU signed with ESPN in 2010, which gets them roughly $10 million a year, doesn't seem like a lot now compared to what other Power 5 teams are making. As a result, Tom Holmoe, BYU's Athletic Director, doesn't know how long the university can stay competitive with the Power 5 schools.

"So to try to compete in every aspect at that level, without having that [financial] support, is hard," Holmoe told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I don't think we can do it indefinitely. We are trying to come up with new ideas, new ways, to stay fiscally competitive. And that is something that we work on every day."

So, what's a potential solution?

Well, the Big 12, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall's ideal landing spot, made $26.2 million per member last season. That gives BYU at least 16 million reasons to keep trying to find a way into a Power 5 conference.

(h/t Salt Lake Tribune)