After years of anticipation and build up, the first year of competition in the Big 12 has come and gone for the BYU athletic department. In the first year in the Big 12, the BYU football team stumbled to the finish line, losing their last five games and missing a bowl game. Meanwhile, BYU basketball exceeded expectations, finishing fifth in the Big 12 and earning a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Following the basketball season, Mark Pope left for Kentucky and BYU made a splashy hire in Kevin Young. Kevin Young and staff have made a handful of promising additions to the roster, and they also managed to retain Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders after they entered the transfer portal. Given BYU basketball's success in the first Big 12 campaign, interest in BYU basketball grew to the highest levels since Jimmer Fredette.
Despite the undivided attention on basketball over the last few months, interest in BYU football still exceeded the interest in BYU basketball in the first Big 12 year. According to Google trends, peak search interest in BYU football exceeded peak interest in BYU basketball by 6%.
Search volumes about BYU football peaked in late September when BYU was coming off an upset win over Arkansas and they were preparing for their first Big 12 game against Kansas.
However, BYU basketball definitely closed the gap on BYU football during the 2023-2024 academic year. From 2011-2022, interest in BYU football exceeded interest in BYU basketball by an average of 65%. You would have to back to 2010-2011,Jimmer Fredette's senior year, to find the last time interest in BYU basketball exceeded BYU football.
The below chart shows google search queries in BYU football vs BYU basketball. Anything in royal represents more interest in football than basketball, whereas any year in navy blue represents more interest in BYU basketball than football.
BYU is a football school – the data proves it over the last decade. But winning creates interest and BYU basketball won at a much higher clip than football last year. Basketball's success has allowed it to close the gap on football in a hurry.
For the long-term health of the athletic department, BYU needs football to be successful. Football success is a rising tide that lifts all boats. In reality, BYU football isn't competing against BYU basketball. The success of one is good for the other, and success builds the BYU brand overall.
Once BYU football is able to be more competitive in the Big 12 and even compete for a Big 12 championship, the interest in BYU football will reach an all-time high. Never before has BYU had this level of access and exposure in college football. The ceiling is high for BYU football, but it's up to the current staff and players to realize that potential.
In the meantime, interest in BYU basketball will continue to grow while BYU is in the Big 12.
CASEY LUNDQUIST
Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.
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