| | '''Brigham Young University''' (or BYU) is a [[university]] owned and operated by the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] located in [[Provo, Utah]]. | | '''Brigham Young University''' (or BYU) is a [[university]] owned and operated by the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] located in [[Provo, Utah]]. |
| − | Its athletic programs (nickname Cougars) participate as members of the [[Big 12 Conference]]. BYU won the national championship in 1984, the last program to win which was not a member of the "Power Five" conferences.<ref>The "Power Five" conferences are the PAC-12, the Big 12, the Big 10, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Southeastern Conference; Notre Dame -- though an independent -- is also classified in this group due to their status as a major college program.</ref> Although many of their players are older (due to LDS members spending two years on mission; the NCAA does not penalize an athlete in terms of eligibility for doing so), it has not provided any advantage in its athletic success. | + | Its athletic programs (nickname Cougars) participate as members of the [[Big 12 Conference]] which it joined in 2022 after being an independent program in football and a member of several minor conferences in other sports. BYU won the national championship in 1984, the last program to win which was not a member of the "Power Five" conferences.<ref>The "Power Five" conferences are the PAC-12, the Big 12, the Big 10, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Southeastern Conference; Notre Dame -- though an independent -- is also classified in this group due to their status as a major college program.</ref> Although many of their players are older (due to LDS members spending two years on mission; the NCAA does not penalize an athlete in terms of eligibility for doing so), it has not provided any advantage in its athletic success. |