Brigham Young University Athletic Director Tom Holmoe spoke about the prospects of the school joining the BIG 12 at their annual football media day Thursday.

As the BYU football team enters another year of being an independent program, the rumors about the school joining the Big 12 conference continue to swirl. Until now, BYU officials have largely been quiet about the issue and Tom Holmoe, BYU’s Athletic director, says that’s been a conscious choice.

“It’s in our best interest not to be pushing the envelope and to be out there every single day, but they’re well aware of what we’ve done," Holmoe says. "Like you said, the stats and the records speak for themselves.”

Rumors about BYU joining what is known as a power five conference aren’t new and neither is the speculation about why it hasn’t happened yet. Some of that speculation hinges on BYU’s unique position as a religious institution and its stance on playing games on Sunday.

“It’s something that we hold very sacred and we have never played on Sunday and we’re not going to play on a Sunday,” he says.

While BYU isn’t likely to join a power five conference any time soon, BYU’s new head football coach, Kalani Sitake, says it’s not that big of a deal because they’re already playing some of the best teams in the country.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be coaching at a lot of power five schedules and conferences and this is a power five schedule, in fact it’s harder than a lot of schedules I’ve been a part of,” Sitake says.

This year BYU football will play teams from every power five conference but one, including games against power house programs like Michigan State and Mississippi St.