I have to follow USU a little so that I can talk sports with my brother, who is an Aggie, albeit a reasonable one. This means I get to read their board so you don't have to. I present the following information from their most highly placed insider: 

1) Pope desperately wants out of BYU. (This is apparently common knowledge in Ogden.)

2) Pope wanted the Washington job. Washington wanted Sprinkle, and when Pope found out he tried to undercut Sprinkle by offering to take less money, but Washington held firm and hired Sprinkle.

3) Both Pope and Mark Madsen are being considered for the USU opening, and have been contacted by USU.

4) Pope is considering USU because He will make slightly more money, and will be able to recruit better players.

Alright. I'm now going to leave the "reality based" fans at USU and return to "unrealistic expectations" BYU bubble.

Here is a sample:


https://www.usufans.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=71450