The Pukes

I've said before, a Ute loss is almost as sweet to me as a BYU win. But I'm still waiting for that Ute loss and am starting to get concerned that they could be doing what they did in 2004 and 2008 when they had a senior QB and things lined up just right for them.



Now I don't want to hear any nonsense about "not caring" how the Utes are doing. Most Y fans who would say that are lying or at least living in denial. And the few that really don't care are even worse because they apparently don't comprehend the negative effect it has on BYU. It's about more than just "scoreboard" bragging rights which the Pukes have had since 2010. It's about them becoming more and more the premier football program in the state and pulling away from us in terms of prestige, recruiting talent, money, etc. Them being the first team to bust the BCS, as well doing it twice, is bad enough. But the thought of them getting to the playoffs is truly sickening. This really is a case where we have to keep up with the Joneses.



Looking at their remaining schedule, which games do they have the best chance of losing?



Arizona State

@ USC

Oregon State

@ Washington

@ Arizona

UCLA

Colorado

I really don't care about what they do. It doesn't effect BYU as much as the doom and gloomers say.



Utah wins out until the playoffs. Talent wise they could lose to USC, but they won't because the Trojans are a cluster right now.



Washington may be able to outcoach them.



If UCLA were healthy, they have the talent...but the pretty boys from Westwood won't fair well in November in Utah.



Maybe Stanford or Cal gets them in the Pac 12 title game.



If I were to guess though, they lose to Michigan when they play them in the semis or finals.



Utah won't be nearly as good next year. They lose so many seniors. Utah will have a good to great team every 4 to 5 years as they build up a good senior class.



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I will have to rinse the taste of bile out of my mouth saying this, as much as I hate them I really dont see them losing to any of the teams they have left on their schedule. I just cant figure it out about every 4-5 years things line up for the Uturds keep waiting for it to happen for us and the wheels always fall off. Maybe they made a pact with the devil? I dont know.

Screamineagle wrote:
I will have to rinse the taste of bile out of my mouth saying this, as much as I hate them I really dont see them losing to any of the teams they have left on their schedule. I just cant figure it out about every 4-5 years things line up for the Uturds keep waiting for it to happen for us and the wheels always fall off. Maybe they made a pact with the devil? I dont know.

Well that's just it. They make the run when the situation presents itself and they have a senior-laden team, including a senior QB. We had that chance twice in 2006 with Beck (still Bronco's best overall team to date) and 2009 with Hall. I won't even mention Nelson. But we couldn't do it. It's why I talk so much about breaking through that 10 or 11 win ceiling.



Don't get me wrong. Nobody hates Whittingham more than me. If he died tomorrow (knock on wood) I'd be pissing on his grave by next week. But he does grab opportunity with both hands and keeps his team focused. At least he did in 2008 and is doing it so far this year. I don't think they will win in the playoffs (though I didn't think they'd beat Alabama either) but just getting there would be significant.



Meanwhile we always find a way to wet the bed no matter how good things are going. Its like Whittingham has this ability to mentally prepare his teams that Bronco doesnt. Keeping them focused, rising above and not buckling under the pressure, not reading their own headlines, and so on.



And before somebody says it, this goes beyond "Ute envy." It's about whether or not Bronco has the ability to ever coach a team to an undefeated season.

If the Utes win, good for them, they will have earned it. They're not cheating or anything. They're just putting Better teams on the filed than we are right now and doing a lot of really good things on the filed right now. I still can't stand them and what they represent, but they're winning and doing so impressively for the most part. Our fortunes are not tied to their successes or failures, but hearing ute nation you'd think they were. After their blowout of Oregon on the road, the only thing I heard from the ute fans I came across was how happy they were BYU lost to Michigan. I didn't hear a single one of the 10 or so people I talked to show any excitement for their own team. That's pretty lame, but typical Utism. Bottom line, I would much rather struggle for relevance with the way our program is run now than gain prominence being a Ute.

BYULV wrote:
If the Utes win, good for them, they will have earned it. They're not cheating or anything. They're just putting Better teams on the filed than we are right now and doing a lot of really good things on the filed right now. I still can't stand them and what they represent, but they're winning and doing so impressively for the most part. Our fortunes are not tied to their successes or failures, but hearing ute nation you'd think they were. After their blowout of Oregon on the road, the only thing I heard from the ute fans I came across was how happy they were BYU lost to Michigan. I didn't hear a single one of the 10 or so people I talked to show any excitement for their own team. That's pretty lame, but typical Utism. Bottom line, I would much rather struggle for relevance with the way our program is run now than gain prominence being a Ute.

You make a good point (and it's one I've made myself many times) about how many Ute fans get more pleasure out of a BYU loss than a Ute win. Of course none of them will admit it but how they act makes it obvious. That's what comes from being a BYU hater more than a Ute fan I suppose.

I've been a member of this site for a couple years and I check in almost daily, but I almost never comment. I love BYU and I'm a proud alum...just had to get that off my chest before I comment and sound like someone who just dropped by.

This year I'm amazed at how nicely things are lining up for the U....I mean to get Michigan so early in the year when Harbaugh's system was just getting learned was so lucky. It makes them look like giant-slayers even though the Michigan they played is way different than the current incarnation. BYU sank far in the rankings after that, but we see from Michigan's win yesterday that they are now one of the premier teams in college football and they only will be ranked so low because of their slow (learning) start.

The U just beat an Oregon team that after yesterday's loss now looks so much worse than when the U beat them.

I do think that one of the strengths of the U is their coaching. As a person I really dislike Whitt and as a person/priesthood holder/mentor I love Bronco. But my enthusiasm for Bronco as a coach wore off about two years ago. I hate the "never get too high/never get too low" mindset for game preparations. I also groaned when we re-hired Anae. Yes, yesterday's game seemed well coached, but by and large I find his play calling to be average at best. It seems to be so basic, simplistic and lacking in terms of ability to intricately adapt. I dearly miss the amazing coaches of the Lavelle era and any more I think getting out-coached is BYU's biggest problem. We see this year after year. The U almost never loses to someone they shouldn't, BYU seems to do this about once a year. The U seemed way more engaged in winning their games with BYU and brought a burning passion to not lose those games (I hate Bronco's "just another game mindset").



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How many sockpuppets do you have KingCoug? You can't rail on BYU and the coaches after an exciting win under averse circumstances, so let's now start a "the sky is falling now because Utah is winning" thread? Dude, just pick your ball up and go home already. LMAO

I abhor the :utard: , but I don't care enough about them to make a thread about them.

Utes will get theirs. Travis Wilson is a substandard Sr. QB. He looked horrible in the second half when I watched--yes I watched Bc I don't believe in the ranking or the hype and wanted to assess. But they would beat BYU this year.

the key to their success is the Oline and Dline. Booker is very good and a total workhorse, but Wilson will cost them an undefeated season. Their D is pretty good.

Anyway, odd year in college football. No one real break away team or two. TCU survived a real scare by a decent but not great KSU. Michigan may get my vote as one of the best if not the best teams. Harbaugh is deserving of his hype, even though most of us hate it. THREE shut outs--in a row vs decent teams is almost more statistically unlikely than two Hail Mary come from behind vistories In a row.

But Pukey Pukes have a good shot and area asking some real noise in a PAC 12 conference that was way overhyped.

The only thing worse than ute envy is penis envy. Come on already! The fact that the Utes have a good gig going this year does not mean our season is any less exciting, satisfying and interesting, at least to me. It is not a zero sum game. The Pac12 is way overrated this year and the Utes are riding it well, because they are well coached, have seniors in key positions and have avoided the injury bug. So give them their due. Their wins do not mean their coaches are now classy. It does not mean the student body is smarter. It does mean their football team is doing well and in the setup we have it means they get extra attention as a result of the arrangement the power 5 have concocted. Let them have it. For me, I don't even follow them much at all. I'm too busy enjoying miracle finishes, wondering how we overcome significant injuries and doing it all with the fourth toughest schedule so far this year.

I get what you are saying. I think that saying people envy the U would not be accurate from my perspective. My feelings are not feelings of envy, they are feelings of concern. When our biggest recruiting rival has the record to hold up that they have I would have to believe it has to impact recruitment....especially instate. We will still get our share, but I'm sure we lose out on some prospective players. Which is a huge problem due to our lack of depth. If a recruit commits after seeing BYU beat Nebraska or BSU you can bet we will lose out on some if the U is in the playoffs and gathering all that exposure. I still think that BYU not being in a P5 conference hurts us (not that this is all up to us) AND that having the U in the PAC 12 really hurts us (more then BYU not being in a conference). There are so many terrific LDS athletes in California and Arizona and if I lived there and had a son AND no previous alleged to either school I would really prefer to see my son or daughter in the U in the PAC 12 so I could easily see them at their USC, ASU, Ariz, and UCLA games. I'm convinced that if BYU had gotten the PAC 12 invite we would be a premier team quickly due to our ability to sell parents on BYU and their ability to regular watch their child.



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I think about 1/2 of you are losing your minds like an AP voter. Every 4-5 years utah does something amazing? When was the last time? I remember 2010 when they started 7-0 and said they were disrespected to only be ranked 7/8 or something. Problem was anyone looking at their schedule in August saw that if they beat Pitt they wouldn't lose until week 8. They then went 2-2 and those two wins were extremely fortunate.



They have done something amazing 1 time with kwitt and it required a lot of good fortune on the way.



We lose a game we shouldn't every year and they don't? Pick season outside of 2008 and you'll find a game that they forgot to show up for.

They beat Michigan in game 1 and squeaked by Cal in the last minute at home despite 6 turnovers. Their Dline is awesome but Whitts indifference towards the offense will catch up to them. Az state and USC have both underperformed and could get it together. Washington could beat them. UCLA could beat them. Their offense is way to big of a liability.



They hit the ranking lottery with beating Oregon before they were totally exposed. Then a whole lot of teams lost on the right weekend. They're good and probably in the 10-15 range if Booker and Wilson stay healthy. The mighty Pac is so jacked up right now that a 2 lose team in the south might make it out though.



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I used to hate the Utes. Now I strive to root for them albeit with my blue goggles on. What happened? Over the last few years, I have developed a massive distaste for the hate between the 2 teams and the fans. I got so sick of hearing the sewage spill out on both sides. So, a couple years ago I made a decision to stop hating and start rooting for the Utes as a casual supportive fan.



BYU is my favorite team and my passion when rooting. And when the Utes play, I exercise mental/emotional discipline to see them in a positive light. I don't care how ridiculous this seems. Consequently, it's slowly creating a healthier balance of fandom for me. I have always love college sports, and now I enjoy it even more.



Ute and Cougar friends of mine scratch their heads at my decision, but it works for me.

sandiegoblue wrote:
I used to hate the Utes. Now I strive to root for them albeit with my blue goggles on. What happened? Over the last few years, I have developed a massive distaste for the hate between the 2 teams and the fans. I got so sick of hearing the sewage spill out on both sides. So, a couple years ago I made a decision to stop hating and start rooting for the Utes as a casual supportive fan.



BYU is my favorite team and my passion when rooting. And when the Utes play, I exercise mental/emotional discipline to see them in a positive light. I don't care how ridiculous this seems. Consequently, it's slowly creating a healthier balance of fandom for me. I have always love college sports, and now I enjoy it even more.



Ute and Cougar friends of mine scratch their heads at my decision, but it works for me.

I happened to be in Utah for the ECU game, and was up at temple square wearing my BYU gear. A man walked by in his full Ute gear and said, "Go cougs." It actually dumbfounded me a bit. I didn't know how to respond. I think I muttered "Good morning," even though it was afternoon. He was probably thinking "Poor zoob, doesn't even know what time of day it is." :blush:



But seriously, we have a lot of former BYU players that have family members as Utes. There are good LDS kids playing there. I even have family members that have graduated from the U recently. So, in my own personal life, I am trying not to hate them so much. Well, it's a start anyway. ;)



Perhaps the break from the rivalry game can be a good thing if fans approach eachother with some perspective and courtesy.

I used to like rooting for the Utes to win ans liked to wish them well until Urban Meyer ruined it by taking a friendly rivalry and turning it into a bitter feud. This was so unneccesary and now the Ute fans are so arrogant and think they are kings of the world even when sitting at the bottom of the Pac 12 as such I can no longer root for them to win only to lose in the hopes that maybe if they lose enough the Ute fans will find sxome humility. Until then I hope the Utes lose.

I'm more surprised that BYU continues to do well despite most of the players being LDS and a lot of top talent wouldnt even consider a dry campus and religious school. I think the Utes are good this year and Booker is very impressive. I also think Witt is a smart coach and keeps his team focused. Bronco just isnt a tough, inspiring coach.



I also think the Utes will lose a couple this year and have had some luck thrown their way and have remained healthy. We have seen injuries and had some luck thrown our way too. Just gotta take them winning as something independent of us winning.

Now if Utah can just lose tomorrow that will make it a perfect weekend...



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KingCoug wrote:
Now if Utah can just lose tomorrow that will make it a perfect weekend...



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Honestly, won't matter a bit to me.

BroncoBot wrote:

Now if Utah can just lose tomorrow that will make it a perfect weekend...



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Honestly, won't matter a bit to me.

It should.



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