Laramie, Wyoming - At a press conference today, University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman addressed a range of pressing topics, mainly conference realignment. This was the first time the media has been able to ask Burman questions since the shake-up began several weeks ago.
Burman spoke about the recent Utah State departure, which he described as stressful. “Extremely stressful, probably as stressful a time as I’ve experienced as an athletics director,” Burman said. “I was surprised because I didn’t think that would be the situation to occur. I guess I’m still a little disappointed, a little angry, but we move on.”
Burman said that he was looking out for what was best for Wyoming, including other conferences if he needed to. “It was extremely important for Wyoming to have a landing spot, whether that be in this league or a different league. We are a unique entity, but we bring great value to the Mountain West Conference or any other conference out there. But you have to look a little deeper to find the value,” he explained.
In response to questions about specific conversations regarding the Mountain West’s stability and future, Burman said, “Stability was priority one... I am pleased that I like this structure better than the one we had with Boise, where they got an annual bump every year.” He also noted that television revenue may decline but that Wyoming plans to use settlement/bounty money from departing teams to smooth the financial impact.
Burman also spoke about the potential addition of new members to the Mountain West. “We actually need 2.5 members, which means we need two more full members or take all four Olympic sports,” he clarified. It appears that adding a high-level FCS team isn’t out of the equation at this time. Burman said, “There are a few high-level FCS programs on the board, but other than that, that’s all I’ll say about it.”
Burman also addressed fans’ concerns about the realignment process, saying, “As a fan of the University of Wyoming, I’m sure they were upset, angry, concerned... but we did everything within our power to end up in a good place, and I feel like we did.”
Burman wants to maintain the rivalry with Colorado State, despite logistical challenges with scheduling and the fact that CSU will be a part of the PAC-12 conference.
“It seems logical to continue to play this game... That bronze boot, that tradition has value, and we shouldn’t throw that away due to egos.”
Overall, Burman remains optimistic about the future. “I’m still excited about Wyoming football... We have a very good core, and we’re recruiting very well. Jay Sawvel is doing some extremely good things with this program. I think we’re going to be fine in football,” he said, adding that basketball and other Olympic sports are also seeing promising futures.
“There’s a lot of opportunity at the University of Wyoming,” Burman said.
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