Cougsown1 wrote:
The Deseret News reports BYU and Utah will continue the rivalry in 2011 and 2012. The game next year will be played on Sept. 17, 2011at LaVell Edwards Stadium and Sept. 15, 2012 at Rice Eccles Stadium.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700071799/Utah-BYU-football-Utes-Cougars-agree-to-home-and-home-series.html
I'm glad the rivalry will be continued and am looking forward to the independancy of the team. I hope all the fans though will maintain sportsmanship though, as it has been a problem the last couple of years.
I actually wasn't disappointed that this rivalry might take a year off as a transition into the first time we both won't be in a conference together. This because of the issues of hatred. I really don't have any belief though that conference implications or not that this rivalry will ever settle down. I first came to Salt Lake to live in 1983 and went to work in Salt Lake. I was just astounded by the hatred expressed by my co-workers against BYU then. I was a convert to the LDS church of only 7 years at the time having grown up in Ohio and I was totally unprepared for the level of hatred. I had grown up with the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry and while that is strong, most of the fans don't live intermingled like this. All I can say is that it hasn't gotten any better. If BYU fans weren't taught to turn the other cheek (some do and others don't--that's not my point), then this would be a full blown battle around here. I'm astonished as to how many of fans on both sides state that they carry firearms into the venues during this game and one day it could erupt to that level of someone saying they are protecting their family. As stupid as students and fans get, I wouldn't be surprised.
So people can preach sportsmanship all they want, but I don't see it happening. There are far too many anti-LDS fans at Utah for this to ever reach a healthy rivalry. I've never been in a physical scuffle as an adult, but the closest I ever got was at a BYU/Utah game. It's just extremely hard to be around their ano (look it up in spanish dictionary) like actions and not get emotionally carried away, especially when they attack even the elderly and children, which I have personally witnessed.
