On September 1 , 2010 , BYU announced it would begin competition as a football independent starting in the 2011 season , primarily due to years of frustration with the lack of TV coverage in the Mountain West Conference and the University of Utah 's departure for the Pac-12 Conference . That same day , BYU announced an 8-year contract with ESPN in which 11 games would be broadcast on one of the ESPN networks and BYU would retain the rights to utilize its on-campus broadcasting facilities and nationally syndicated station . The Cougars were reportedly considered for invitations by the Big XII Conference and former Big East Conference for all sports during this period , but neither opted to add BYU
football independent
NCAA Division I FBS independent schools
BYU Cougars football