Well, let's go out to Provo, Utah and talk to one of our newer members here in the Big 12.

We've got four coming in this year, four came in last year.

And of course, BYU, what a great addition to the conference.

Ben Criddle needs no introduction to the BYU fan to the other Big 12 fans, maybe a bit of an introduction.

But he does an awesome job on ESPN 960

out there in Utah doing outstanding work covering the Cougars. And if you want to know what's

going on with the Cougars, Ben is your go-to man. I'm Pete Mundo, Heartland College Sports. Of course,

we cover the Big 12 conference. Well, Ben, let's just start off. It's been almost a year now,

what, 9, 10, 11 months, something like that. How have you enjoyed and how as BYU in general and the

fan base enjoyed this honeymoon in the Big 12 conference? Man, I can't tell you from like,

I started doing this radio show in 2012.

I got in the radio business in 2008, but, you know, 2012, I think during independence,

we were always looking for an exit strategy.

And we always felt, I mean, at least me on my show, I always felt from a geographical and sociocultural standpoint,

even from like a spiritual religious standpoint, I'm like, guys, we fit so much better into the

big 12 than we do the PAC 12 from a culture standpoint. And I was hoping, praying that this would come about for so long.

And you saw the prior leadership vacillate and tinker and flirt, but never really put a ring on it.

I think BYU was always kind of considered as a prospect of as far as addition and conference

realignment addition was concerned.

But I don't know if it was Texas, Oklahoma that ultimately put a kibosh on any sort of

expansion.

Maybe that's the truth of the matter.

...