This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's good news for BYU fans who watch the Cougars on TV. Times and channels have been announced for the next two games:
• Idaho at BYU, Saturday, Nov. 12, at 7:15 p.m. MT on ESPN2
• New Mexico State at BYU, Saturday, Nov. 19, at 8:15 p.m. on ESPNU
Frankly, I pretty much expected both games to be on ESPNU, so the ESPN2 announcement is a bit of a surprise. And it does mean the game will start an hour earlier than it would have on ESPNU.
It also rounds out a fairly astonishing first season of football independence, at least in terms of TV exposure. By the time the season is over, BYU will have been seen live on ESPN six times (including the Armed Forces Bowl), ESPN2 four times, ESPNU twice, BYUtv once and Fox College Sports Pacific/KBYU-Ch. 11 once.
That's a cumulative total of more than 1.2 billion households. Which is an enormous number, particularly when you think that, not so long ago, BYU was playing games that aired on The Mtn., which was in fewer than 1 million homes when it debuted.
It's not all roses and sunshine, however. Particularly not sunshine. BYU fans who actually bought tickets are going to be fighting to stay warm at night games in November.
And, of course, only a tiny fraction of those 1.2 billion cumulative homes actually tune in and watch the Cougars. A few million here, a few million there.
Presumably, fewer millions when you're playing Idaho and New Mexico State.