I just want to give Tony you all on here a ton of props

[Jim McMahon]

This is a great site. Super respectful and refreshingly honest about your own team. I’m obviously on CB too (and no, my name there isn’t Jim McMahon). I love CB, but because there is so much traffic, we do get a lot of idiots and dumb posts. There are several Ute posters on CB who are regulars and are well-respected, but even then we still have a few idiots who think there should be zero Ute posters on CB. I love the dialogue. As I’ve said before, my brother-in-law played O-line for Utah in the late 90’s and he converted my sister into a Utah fan haha. We love ribbing each other, but it’s great and respectful.

Anyway, you all do a great job of policing your own. One of the common complaints I hear on CB about Ute fans is that you don’t police obnoxious fans. I have seen the complete opposite on this site.

I know that you were all devastated about the PAC going away, and rightly so. It was an incredible conference and a great fit for you all. And I know that the B12 doesn’t have the marquee names, and that the B12 as it is, will likely change in the next few years. But while we’re together in the same conference again, I love it! I personally love the rivalry and really hope that both our fanbases can tone down the vitriol. Because it truly is one of the best football rivalries out there.

11/9 could be quite the matchup if we can do our part the rest of the way. I’m getting sick to my stomach just thinking about it. I came into this season just knowing that we would suck. Now that we look somewhat competent, I’m obviously excited, but I am already nervous for our matchup on 11/9. When I thought we sucked, I just expected a massive L.

Anyway, good luck the rest of the way.

[ProudUte]

Thanks, JM. Keep posting.

[EastCoastUte]

Super excited for the Utah vs BYU game this Nov! If both Utah teams run the BIG12, that honestly would be amazing. such a good look for our programs nationally.

[AlohaUte]

Glad you’re here. Love the rivalry and Go Utes!

[Tony (admin)]

Thanks for the post. Differing opinions are what should make for lots of great “conversation” on boards like this. It’s not hard to be somewhat respectful and carry on a conversation, and still talk some decent smack, without ruining it for everyone. 🙂

[Ted Lasso]

I want to echo JM’s sentiment about how great of a community UteHub is. I enjoy coming here because there are genuinely good people, and it hasn’t turned into the cesspool that Cougarboard and UteFans have become. I’m just here to talk sports with others, and this site is perfect for that. You’ve also made it fun with the polls, score predictions, and pick ’em contests. I really appreciate all the work you put into the site—it’s clear it takes a lot of time and effort, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

And my apologies for causing drama on the site today. KK U and I have kissed and made up and are singing kumbaya.

[UteBacker]

JM and Ted Lasso are good people. The UteHub family needs to convert them to the good side.

That said, I really liked having TDS and Utah in different conferences and rarely playing each other. Sporting events between the two aren’t fun for me. They’re more of a “get it over with” thing. But, hey, we all have our opinions.

[Jim McMahon]

Yep, to each their own.

Curious why sporting events between the two of us aren’t fun for you? Were they ever? Did they get ruined by BYU fans? Just curious.

Because heaven knows we’ve taken our share of L’s in the last 20 years, but 2006 is one of my greatest sporting memories ever. I was also at the game in SLC in 2000 when BYU and Doman came back late.

But if I put myself in a Ute fan’s shoes, I would probably be less excited about the rivalry too, because you all were in a legit conference for a decade while we wandered in the Indy wilderness. There wasn’t a ton of upside for you all to play us, especially when you had our number.

So just curious if you ever enjoyed the rivalry in years past.

[UteBacker]

Oh, it’s mostly PTSD on my part. I grew up in Cottonwood Heights in the 80’s where my high school (and friends) were probably 80% TDS fans and 99% Mormon. Needless to say, we weren’t competitive during those year so I took a LOT of mental abuse being one of the few non-Mormon and Utah fans. The BYU fans that I knew were arrogant and obnoxious so I get a kick out of it when we get called that now.

Fast forward to now and there’s just no upside to beating TDS for me anymore (other than bragging rights). Once you’ve had a taste of beating USC, Oregon, Washington & Arizona St, it just takes all the flavor out of beating you guys. So, I’d rather we just each go do our own thing and avoid each other. It makes for much more of an enjoyable environment.

[Jim McMahon]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. So it sound like you grew up when BYU owned the rivalry.

I don’t live in Utah anymore, but in talking to my brothers and friends who do, they said the last 15 years were brutal for their kids (in Alpine/Highland) when Utah was dominating. They said their kids didn’t even want to where BYU gear to school because they got made fun of. The momentum pendulum has definitely been on Utah’s side for the last 20 years.

But I get your larger point about beating bigger brands.

[Tony (admin)]

@UteBacker it sounds like you and I have quite a lot in common, PTSD wise.

[Brettski]

I’ll give you my take. As an adult I have respect for a lot of things at BYU and my wife’s family are all BYU grads and they are great people (outside of their unwillingness to ever bring up Utah football and I have to be kind enough to entertain their BYU discussions).

As an adult – I can be happy for the players and coaches when BYU does well – but when it comes to the game against Utah all of my childhood trauma from dealing with di**head BYU fans comes out. I watch the game alone and when it’s over I’m physically done. I fully admit that when the Y loses I get a little joy knowing some of those same pricks had to watch their team lose lol. I would be happy if they never played each other again tbh.

Growing up in Utah during the 80s/90s took a toll on you.

[UteBacker]

You must have been the other Utah fan at my high school 😉

[voxnihili]

I’m not the person that you asked but if you are interested in my perspective on the topic:

As a Utahn that grew up in the 80s-90s, there was a lot of arrogance directed at me for being a Utes fan when most of my classmates were cheering for BYU. Whatever, but when the rivalry started to shift to equality (and later Utah dominance), those same people were very angry, regardless of how I tried to approach the situation.

But more specifically for me, I went to a basketball game years ago and watched Utah and BYU fans yelling at each other in the upper bowl over a meaningless non-conference game. At that point, I turned to my friend and said, “you know, this isn’t fun any more.” It was true. There is a certain part of both fanbases that are so wound up about the rivalry that they get unreasonable. So I checked out of it all. I enjoy my team and some good banter but am too old to deal with people whose self-worth is defined by their college team.

[lgt4141]

I am super excited about the rivalry with BYU meaning something. I have great memories of the rivalry in the WAC and MWC years. It will be fun to have it back. When we were in the Pac 12 it always felt like a game Utah had to play and it was a no win for them. If they won, they were supposed to, if they didn’t it sucked.

I do find it ironic that the first year BYU beat Utah in the Pac 12 era was the first year Utah won the Pac 12 championship.

For me, one of the benefits of being in the Big 12 is that the rivalry now has meaning and can have an impact in the conference standings. I am a Utah fan who will cheer for BYU and Utah State when they aren’t playing Utah, but when they play Utah I want Utah to blow them out! Nov 9 will be a fun game!

[Minnesota Ute]

I for one don’t miss the Pac12. I’m glad we broke through and grateful they gave us that chance. However:
1. TV Deal SUCKED
2. Leadership SUCKED
3. Tip Off/Kick Off times SUCKED
4. Marquee names consistently underperformed
5. I personally never felt a strong kinship to almost any teams in Pac like I did the WAC/MWC
6. California can take a flying leap, and F Oregon almost as much
7. Media never gave anyone outside the marquee names any credit for winning against those same marquee programs

I’m sure I forgot some but these are the ones I could conjure off the top of my head. So I welcome the B12 even if it means being in the same conf with BYU (which I’m sorry, because you seem like a nice person but…) I did not miss being in the same conversation with them. Personally, while I was “into the rivalry” when I was young, in more recent years, I ceased to find it entertaining or constructive. I hope your fan base, institution, and teams/coaches can make me a believer again.

[UteBacker]

For sure, Minnesota. One thing I won’t miss is being tied to California.

[Kek U]

Bowl games sucked

PAC was the weakest conference and you had to be perfect to make the playoff

[Central Coast Ute]

So did the B12.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I think a lot of us older Utah fans think back to the 70’s and 80’s blowouts. Especially at home. The BYU players would taunt the student section. The BYU fans would show up to RES and act like they owned us and it was their home field.

I remember one year about 30-50 BYU students marched past the tailgating lot chanting Utah sucks. Luckily for them the parking lot was pretty empty. Now there would definitely be a fight.

Like Ute backer when I was in high school I was one of the few non Mormon Ute fans and I got harassed nonstop by BYU kids. Now that same school my grandson attends is probably 80% + Ute fans. Winning can quickly change a fan base.

[12PAC]

This is fun, expressing our shared trauma. It’s our version of the zoobs constantly talking about how mean and terrible we are.

Also answering a question not directed at me. My family moved here from CO (Buffs fans) in the late 80’s and being a teenager and having no allegiance, I immediately adopted Utah bball and BYU football, because at the time each had the better respective program. So I picked the winners. Did not take long until most of our neighbors put our non-mormon family into the ‘other’ category, that’s painful as a kid, but I quickly found the few ‘other’ kids who befriended me, and they were Ute fans, and I found my place.

Many BYU fans are so blind to this experience so many of us had because they sincerely see themselves as better, even best, and can’t process that many of us were not treated well.

So, when I had the chance to not care about BYU anymore, I really enjoyed it. I had no idea who they were playing, when they were playing, and went several years without watching their games. I guess I’m irritated I have to care again, because inevitably, many in that fanbase are ‘othering’ us again, and making us the bad guys. That’s what they do.

[Jim McMahon]

12PAC, I’m sorry this was your experience. I am LDS and grew up in Orem. I know in my high school in the late 90’s, early 2000’s, that there were not many non-LDS kids. I look back on that now that I live outside of Utah and think how hard it must have been for those kids.

I remember a non-LDS family moving into our neighborhood when I was a kid and we all still played with them, although in my little naïve mind, I thought it was strange that they didn’t go to church. That was just my world view at the time.

Again, sorry that this was your experience. I can assure you that most BYU fans don’t think that we are better. I’m sure there are some idiots who do. But I certainly agree that many LDS families can be insular. That’s why I will never move back to Utah. I love that my kids are great friends with such a diverse group of people, religious or otherwise. I love that my kids have to live their religion, and don’t simply do it because everyone does. I’ll admit that I was pretty insular as a kid too, but it wasn’t because I thought I was better. It’s just because I was a kid and wasn’t self aware.

But again, I really think most BYU and Utah fans are good people. It’s the idiots who ruin it for the rest of us. And because this rivalry does have a religious aspect to it, that sometimes gets pulled in on both sides and turns ugly.

[Ute in Chatt]

I moved to utah in 7th grade and became a ute fan in high school and didn’t have too much stupidity from BYU fans then. When I moved out east, that is when I started to get a lot more grief. I’m LDS and having 20 BYU fans to one ute fan can be awesome with how many times we have won, but then they disect and pick apart each of our seasons even when they thier team was trying to put out a dumpster fire of a season. They don’t know how to be happy for anyone else, it seems to me. Again, this is my biased opinion based on my experience. Overall, I’m glad we have kicked thier butt 9 out of the last 10 years and hope we do it at least that much again.

[Rick Walker]

Reminds of the time I visited my cousins (who are cougar fans) who lived in Pennsylvania when I was in fifth grade and when I went to my cousins class with him all the kids in there asked me if I was actually LDS because they didn’t think anyone who was a Utah fan could be a member lol. Wasn’t malicious or anything just a bunch of ignorant 10 year olds

[12PAC]

Cool of you to say, and I appreciate your perspective. We’re both being anecdotal, but appreciated nonetheless.

Of course, cougarboard is almost daily discussing our collective terribleness, aggressively selling it to our new conference mates, and check it after the game in November for a long list of new homefield offenses and examples of how our fanbase is morally inferior.

[Jim McMahon]

Go to UFN and see the crap Ute fans talk about BYU and our religion and how we’re all hypocrites.

CB has a lot of idiots because it has a lot of traffic. This site is highly curated and different. CB is more similar to Utefans with more idiots on both sites IMO.

[EagleMountainUte]

I am looking forward to a Big10 invite as well. I do hope Utah never plays TSPP in any sport ever again if that ever occurs.

[OmahaOmaha]

This board really has eclipsed UFN in every way. Sadly, UFN has become the definition of a sh**show. Cougarboard has to be a better board than Cougarstadium though, right? Can’t imagine it is worse.

Keep up the good work Tony!

[Author]

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