Is The Utah / BYU Rivalry Dead or Dying?

Clearly Utah decided to take two years off - made a statement of sorts by choosing to schedule Michigan instead and then claiming the need to dummy down on the rest of their OOC schedule. Will that kill the rivalry. Has it already killed the rivalry? Or did it intensify it in a sense - at least in terms of BYU fans being really pissed at their rival? Will the 3 remaining Utah games just be three other games - or rivalry contests heated even beyond their predecessors - or somewhere in between?



Post a comment to explain your position.

I think the Rivalry is still alive and well. If BYU wins 3 straight - the rivalry will continue with intensified heat. Right now - U fans have a superiority view of it developing. That needs to be nipped in the bud by BYU competing better than they have in the last 10 years - including one 4-loss stretch and the current 2-loss stretch which includes the in-your-face LES drubbing. The rivalry really needs 3 straight BYU wins. Two straight BYU wins for sure. A BYU loss at the Rice Paddy this season would be a disaster but not fatal. Two consecutive losses - making another 4-loss stretch - BYU becomes USU to U.

"Clearlyutah decided to take off two years?"



Bib, I'm not sure that is accurate or clear. Your roots might be serving as blinders. You afford too much credit to your alma mater.

Unless you have quotes from the liars-- oh wait those aren't very reliable either.

They were dumping us like an old hag. Until some in their alumni and or donors protested.

I also don't think you can definitively conclude that it is a 2 year hiatus.

If their fears come true and they miss a bowl because of a 7th loss to byu, it will be over.

Further, as much as I hope for 3 wins, to think that the rivalry is being deeply harmed bc of several losses, is not historically accurate. Otherwise Lavels domination during utahs down years would have ended it.

dmcougar wrote:
"Clearlyutah decided to take off two years?"



Bib, I'm not sure that is accurate or clear. Your roots might be serving as blinders. You afford too much credit to your alma mater.

Unless you have quotes from the liars-- oh wait those aren't very reliable either.

They were dumping us like an old hag. Until some in their alumni and or donors protested.

I also don't think you can definitively conclude that it is a 2 year hiatus.

If their fears come true and they miss a bowl because of a 7th loss to byu, it will be over.

Further, as much as I hope for 3 wins, to think that the rivalry is being deeply harmed bc of several losses, is not historically accurate. Otherwise Lavels domination during utahs down years would have ended it.

Yes - except



We play them in 2012, 2013, two year hiatus, and 2016. I agree - who knows what comes after that. Three losses gives them a good excuse if they are looking for 1.



Yes - except BYU and U were in the same conference when Lavell dominated and when Urban dominated, and when U dominated pre-lavell.



U has scheduled themselves into mediocrity and irrelevance. As long as BYU does not make the same mistake - the rivalry will not go away. U fans will want to put us back in our place.



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The rivalry isn't even close to dying whether they play each other or not. The schools are so close together I don’t know that it will ever die. Anyone in Salt Lake that sits by a Ute coworker knows it's not even close to dying. I'm forwarded smack every other day from Ute fan boards, mostly of them talking about not talking about us. We're still the number one thing on their minds even though playing us really is meaningless for their season.



The rivalry would take years of not playing and a clear difference in quality to where it was in the early 90's where Ute fans just didn't care about football. Between the anti-Mormons and the anti-BYU Mormons it’s not going away for a long, long time.



I’ll still watch the Utah games just to see them lose (which hopefully is every week).