Re: BYU.

[Utah]

There is a simple reality that now that we aren’t in a conference with BYU and we keep beating them, the rivalry will fade.

But when? It will happen when something big/terrible/emotional happens with a team in the PAC-12…other than a California team. We will have to win something/take something/prevent someone from winning something…basically have some emotional game that ends terribly.

We haven’t been good enough for that yet, and our most obvious partner would be Colorado, as every other team has an emotional connection to their partner.

So, is this the year? Is Colorado good enough that our final game is for something big? And yes, a Colorado team playing for a bowl game and/or us playing for the south title…both are big.

This may be the year. If we have a charged game vs Colorado with something at stake…it could get nasty. And getting nasty may be what Utah needs.

[Anonymous]

I think Colorado loses at the Coliseum and @Stanford. They also have to come to Salt Lake so it might not be so huge.  Utah probably loses a game, UCLA has me worried.

EDIT:
This Colorado teams is reminding me of 2014 Utes can’t sustain the whole season.

[Tony (admin)]

Beehive, the Utes play IN Colorado this year.  As for the Utah/zoo “rivalry” it has faded big time for me.  Winning that game doesn’t mean as much as it used to, and neither does losing (though it may never happen again). I find myself much more fired up for EVERY Pac-12 game.  The ones I really get fired up about are the Arizona teams (because they’ve been beating us badly for a long time), USC, and Oregon.

[Anonymous]

GOOGLE LIED TO ME!! Or rather I had a reading comprehension fail.  Yeah my bad at Colorado it is.

[rbmw263]

that is going to be a brutally tough game to end the season. On a positive note, ive always wanted to see us play in Boulder, and now that the Buffs are good it would be a good reason to go.

[UTE98]

I live in Colorado and am more than happy to arrange a spot, and bring necessary items to aid in tailgating. Last year, I brought my CampChef two burner stove, pancake mix, sausage, muffins, juices, etc. in hopes somebody would take me up on a morning tailgate, that game was way too early. 12:30 p.m. which didn’t allow for too much normal tailgating.

Anyway, I’m willing to bring my cornhole, and gear again this year for anybody who wants to join.

[Warrior Ute]

I think it will take more than one meaningful game to create a rivalry.  The geographic barriers between Utah and Colorado are significant and decrease interactions between fans.  There is very little distance between many of the real rivalry schools. (USC-UCLA, Stanford-Cal, Oregon-OSU, ASU-Arizona)  I think that opposite sides of the state have an influence on the Washington WSU game.  I am not sure that Utah and Colorado have enough interaction as fan bases to build it into much unless we have several important games.  It will take time.

I hope that we can begin to break from BYU, but as a Mormon, I know that my cheering for Utah will always have detractors just based on going to Church with so many BYU alumni.  I think that BYU will also need to create some kind of rivalry.  The constant interaction between BYU and Utah fans will continue to simmer unless the heat is moved elsewhere for both teams.

I would like to see us to continue to take breaks from the BYU game every couple of years and have BYU – Utah State continue to play every year.  These teams actually are more closely aligned in team strength and they have had a good back and forth over the last couple of years.  A couple of year breaks while this continues to simmer will help pull the heat away from that side as well.  Then I hope we will be able to break away from the rivalry.

[CincyUte]

Keep in mind that–many decades ago–Utah/Colorado was a serious rivalry. They were never our chief rival (it was Utah State), but it was a heated and reciprocal rivalry nonetheless. The reason it became a rivalry was because Utah and Colorado were the two teams that dominated the conference. From 1910 to 1947, either Utah or Colorado won at least a share of the conference championship 26 out of 38 seasons:

1910 Colorado and Colorado College
1911 Colorado
1912 Colorado Mines
1913 Colorado
1914 Colorado Mines
1915 Colorado State
1916 Colorado State
1917 Denver
1918 Colorado Mines
1919 Utah and Colorado College
1920 Colorado State
1921 Colorado
1922 Utah
1923 Colorado
1924 Colorado
1925 Colorado State
1926 Utah
1927 Colorado State
1928 Utah
1929 Utah
1930 Utah
1931 Utah
1932 Utah
1933 Utah
1934 Colorado
1935 Colorado
1936 Utah State
1937 Colorado

1938 Utah
1939 Colorado
1940 Utah
1941 Utah
1942 Utah and Colorado
1943 Colorado
1944 Colorado
1945 Denver
1946 Denver and Utah State
1947 Utah

Obviously Utah and Colorado will never dominate the Pac-12 South division like we used to dominate the RMAC and Skyline Conferences. But here’s an idea: we make a trophy patterned after the championship trophies awarded back in the day. Then, the school that wins the annual Utah-Colorado game gets to keep the trophy and the title “Skyline Champion” for the year. Trophy games are a part of college football. And it would be fun to establish one that recognizes Utah and Colorado’s historic rivalry.

[Thlete]

Agreed about making a trophy. Winning some hardware adds some extra incentive and will spur on the rivalry naturally. You get to rub the trophy in their face. It’s helped the RSL/Colorado rivalry to have a cup go to the winner there. Love the idea of the old time trophy to refer to those old conference times, too!

[Wilson’s Mustache]

I think the Colorado-Utah game will develop into a rivalry. Both fan bases already have discussions of this nature which helps. We play at the end of the year every year which is usually an important and emotional time when a lot of other traditional rivalries are played. What mainly needs to happen is for both schools to be good at the same time and to be competing for a PAC-12 championship. Colorado could play spoiler this year to Utahs Pac12 title hopes.

There are many rivalries that feature teams in different states, some even multiple states away (USC/Notre Dame). Hell, Colorados old rival is Nebraska.

That being said I don’t see it being like the BYU rivalry, ever. The BYU rivalry won’t go away until we stop playing them. It doesn’t matter how badly we beat them or for how long. Rivalries endure things like that unfortunately.

[Utah]

I’m ok if it never turns as nasty as the BYU rivalry. At the end of the day, it’s just a game, and the holy war is too nasty.

I do agree that it will take multiple years to get there.

BUT, this year, might actually be the first time this game means something for both teams. That would be the first step in the rivalry evolving back to Colorado.

[UGLI baby]

I think we will have a legit rivalry with Colorado. It hasn’t happened yet because they have been so bad for so long that it would be hard for their fanbase to be really emotionally invested, which is obviously needed in a rivalry.

Fast forward 10 years and I bet we have a good rivalry going with CU.

As for the zoobs, I would absolutely love it if we never played them again and just put them in the rear view entirely. We gain nothing by beating them, and every game is extremely nerve racking because if they beat us we would never hear the end of it. If byu wins once out of every 5 games, THEY will be the happy ones. How messed up is that?!

[noneyadb]

The only other school that has a chance at a level of tds/Utah is USC. The day that happens, watch out college football, Utah’s playing for championships.

Personally I think the tds game is bad for Utah. The Utes need to move on from it and use that OOC game strictly for recruiting hotbed areas.

[GadValleyUte]

I agree it’s gonna take us beating someone in November to prevent a shot at a championship and we win instead to create true rivalries. It will come with time. It’s inevitable.
As for BYU – It really sank in a few weeks ago how far that game has fallen for me. As the win I didn’t feel joy, I did enjoy knowing I wouldn’t have to hear about it, but I didn’t feel any pride, or even relief. Every P12 game on the otherhand is much more exciting and meaningful. Seriously ANY & EVERY P12 victory >>> TDS victory. Also any other P5 victory >>>> Than  any TDS victory.
The real reason I want the rivalry to end is that it prevents us from playing other P5 schools OOC. Until we stop scheduling them or the “rivalry” become so lopsided our AD sees it as a “B” game, or he decides that we’ll schedule 2 “P5” opponents and leave the money of a 7th home game on the table our OOC schedule will suck, and I hate that.

[CincyUte]

The BYU-Utah game has become the annual “let’s just try not to embarrass ourselves” game.

[Tacoma Ute]

Beating them doesn’t do a thing for me. If we lost it would be a colossal disappointment and embarrassment though. It’s a lose-lose IMHO.

[UtePac-Man]

I went to Boulder in 2014 with my best friend and we took our wives.  We all had a wonderful time.  The campus is absolutely beautiful and the CU fans were all very welcoming.  We are going back this year for a fun-filled weekend.  We’ll go to the Nuggets vs. OKC game on 11/25, Utes vs. Buffs on 11/26, and Broncos vs. Chiefs on 11/27.  Hoping it will be epic… Go UTES!

[UtesRock]

Great idea a trophy of some kind. University Presidents should be involved. Anything to strengthen the rivalry and diminish the rivalry with insignificant TDS.

[Utahute72]

Soo, Indians attacking Buffalo or a marijuana leaf effigy?

[Author]

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