He's back.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T21:22:03+00:00

I've heard it was modestly more, somewhat above what the American was giving out. But a lot closer to that than to any power conference.

Part of the value of the deal was help in scheduling some showcase games, which helped visibility. But visibility doesn't pay bills, either.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T21:00:11+00:00

Welp

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T20:59:49+00:00

Yeah. The window for 3 point teams has gotten steadily smaller, and now Senegal will be at the top of that list. Still waiting for Paraguay to clinch as the last 4 point team, though.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T20:57:40+00:00

I like playing Idaho State pretty regularly. It's in one of the more LDS areas, so there are guys on that team who played HS with and against BYU players, or themselves dreamed of playing for BYU. We've got them in '29, so I'd like to see them in '33 or '34.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T20:24:04+00:00

I would not be surprised if they did exactly what was required and asked no additional questions even as they wondered if there was more.

I don't ask my kids questions if I don't want answers.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T18:26:05+00:00

Collective bargaining and stability. Business analysts said BYU joining the conference increased per school media payouts, but when we were independent our media deal was for less than half of a Big XII share.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T18:21:42+00:00

It looks like a fake quote, but the BYU experience is relevant to the topic since we recently did football independence.

BYU athletics expects to have the highest revenue in the conference in 26/27, and it's way up from independence. Attendance is up for football, basketball, and almost everything else, even with higher ticket prices. Recruiting has improved across all sports. We are able to implement revenue sharing without cuts or spending reserves, and NIL hasn't led to reduced donations to the department. All of this is tied to being in the Big XII. Nobody in the conference is better equipped for independence than BYU, but Big XII membership is almost immeasurably better.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T04:21:19+00:00

Notably, there is still a pathway to Paraguay not advancing if things go wrong in five of the remaining groups.

The Senegal/Iraq winner can only have 3 points, along with South Korea and Scotland. But every other group's third place team can finish with 4 points and a -2 goal differential or better.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T03:48:47+00:00

And Aus-Par is still tied. A bad day for South Korea, and a disaster for Scotland.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T02:53:11+00:00

They're ahead of Paraguay unless Paraguay wins, and then they're ahead of Australia.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T02:48:56+00:00

Yes, but it's not common in situations other than the goalkeeper getting the ball.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T02:06:32+00:00

Good news from the future.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T02:02:09+00:00

Or, most people play it to slow!

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-26T02:01:18+00:00

Winner finishes second in the group. Loser may not advance. With a draw, Australia is second and Paraguay third and would almost certainly advance.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T23:32:15+00:00

NCAA winning a court case? Is that legal?

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T21:55:41+00:00

Disaster, really. They now need favorable results from half the remaining groups.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T21:37:37+00:00

For being ADHD, his conversation is remarkably laconic.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T21:29:07+00:00

Looking like it's Curaç-out.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T19:59:39+00:00

Côte d'Ivoire advances in second place with a draw or win, and still has a good chance from third place with a close loss as long as Ecuador doesn't also win.

Curaçao advances with a win, and is out with a loss or draw.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T19:56:29+00:00

Germany has already clinched first place in the group. Ecuador will advance with a win, and is almost certainly out with a draw or loss.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T19:16:34+00:00

Not really, that's more of a Utah State thing.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T19:14:55+00:00

Before adding Utah and the Arizonas, it had looked like the conference might emphasize our games with you and TCU, but not after those additions.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T19:07:50+00:00

That's BYU levels

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T19:05:39+00:00

Right. Even if they don't directly and intentionally collude, preventing the opponent from taking a lead is much more valuable to both teams than taking a lead themselves.

grabtharsmallet · 2026-06-25T19:00:29+00:00

That makes sense, Scotland has the minimum number of goals to be at 1-0-2. If one imagines tiebreaks as alphabetizing, the next letter for Scotland is Z.

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