In terms of “main” rival, I would agree that USC is not at that level with us. However, their current coach thinks we have a nice little thing going and many of their fans agree. There are a few threads, 2 or 3, over on wearesc.com where their regard for our team and program are evident. As long as our two programs are competing for the South every year, as we have since joining the PAC12, we are going to be on each other’s radar.
What can we say fuels the byu rivalry at this point, proximity? Only if you see their fans in church (which I don’t). Nothing fuels it. Even when we miss on guys we’re both recruiting. If we want a guy we’ll get him. Right Mika Tafua, Brit Covey, Sione Lund, Francis Bernard, etc.?
I see our rivals as the other teams in the South, until one or more emerges, over time, to become a heated rivalry. I think we also have a nice little thing going with Stanford and Oregon from the North. Aside from that, we’ve left our former rivals behind. They simply matter no more.
I think we we should try to start something with Miami, you know, that whole “The U” thing. That would make for a nice national profile type of game. I bet they’d go for it too. It’d be way more fun than a bunch of pasty wannabes, that’s for sure.