I’ve changed my mind about joining our rival in the Big 12

[Tony (admin)]

I look forward to playing Colorado…

[Ted Lasso]

Right now the BYU game is scheduled to be played on September 7th, do you think the game gets pushed back to November next year?

Also, I think Utah is gonna go on another mini streak against BYU, like 3 or 4 years. They currently have the best recruiting ranking of all the new Big 12, so I think it takes a while for BYU to build up a program that could be somewhat competitive against Utah year in and year out.

Last question: Do you think Utah’s recruiting will take a step back at all in the Big 12 or continue on the same trajectory it has been? I find it interesting that all of Utah’s 4-star recruits come from Big 12 territory and none from the state of California.

[Central Coast Ute]

The schedules are going to have to be completely redone. I think it gets pushed back.

And yes I do worry that Utahs recruiting will take a step back. The P2 is real, there is no P4. And when the playoff is only available to P2 schools, it will get even worse.

[ProudUte]

I am not so sure that our recruiting will take a big hit.
First – Texas is a hotbed of high school football players. We already do well in recruiting Texas. Being in the Big 12 should improve that.
Second – The P2 as you call it can only give out so many scholarships. These teams already get most of the five star guys. I am not so sure we will take a big hit.
Will we lose some recruiting strength in SoCal? Maybe we will. However, many non-PAC12 schools have had great success in SoCal for years. We will continue to recruit hard in California and probably pick up our Florida recruiting even more.

[Matt]

I agree. I don’t see our recruiting taking a huge hit. If anything more exposure in Texas as well as an occasional game in Florida (UCF) will keep our recruiting where it has been the last 2-3 years. There are by far more top recruits in the state of Texas than there are in California so it isn’t a bad tradeoff losing games in SoCal and gaining some in TX.

[cj13]

Also the Pac 12 had been pretty terrible in general the last 6 years + and everyone knew it. Our recruiting didn’t take a hit then so I don’t think it should now. If it drops it is because of Whitt’s retirement.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

I believe the ybU game should remain in September, and the Colorado game in November.

Per Rivals, Radcliff is a 4-star RB from CA, so not all our 4-star guys are from Big 12 country.

Utah’s strongest recruiting appeal isn’t the “Pac-12”. It’s the “coaching staff” of Whittingham, Ludwig, Scalley, and our ability to get guys into the NFL. The “Pac-12” provided us the television exposure, but it was coaches who’d given the players the avenue to get to the next level. So I don’t see our recruiting taking much of a hit.

[Ted Lasso]

You’re right, I meant 2023 4-star recruits.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Per Rivals, our 2023 class saw eight 4-star kids, plus four additional ones from the transfer portal.

Of the aforementioned 8 signees, 3 were from UT (Pac-12 country), 2 were from CA (Pac-12 county), and 1 each from AZ (Pac-12 country), TX (Big 12 country), and KS (Big 12 country). That’s 75% from Pac-12 country, and 25% from Big 12 country. So there goes your “all from Big 12 country”, “none from CA” insistence.

And you’ll pretty much find more of the same with the 4 transfer portal kids too, with 2 from UT (Pac-12 country), and 1 each from CA (Pac-12 country), and TX (Big 12 country) — aka, 75% Pac-12 country, and 25% Big 12 country.

And FWIW, don’t try moving the goal posts by insisting the UT and AZ recruits were from “Big 12 country”, because those were “2023” recruits, and there were no “Big 12” teams in UT or AZ back in 2023.

[Ted Lasso]

Oh I get what you’re saying now. I was looking at 247 Sports, not Rivals, so the two kids from California were considered 3-stars on 247 Sports.

Why are you even debating me on it? It’s not even what I’m trying to post about. The point I was trying to make is that a lot of the kids Utah recruited were from *current* Big 12 states, so their recruiting should continue as it has. As a Utah fan, it is a very good thing that Utah has been able to recruit well in B12 states, because that’s where their current recruiting pipelines are. Again I say *current*, because the current Big 12 is what matters now.

Holy s**t I just lost brain cells reading your post. Try to slow down and think before you keep making an ass out of yourself. You must be fun at parties.

[Roy Rangum]

One upside I see to the Big12, is that many PAC schools struggled with uninterested and disengaged fans. In Big12 country, college sports (both football and basketball) is a much bigger part of life. As college sports will continue to evolve over the coming years, being affiliated with communities that really care about their college sports could end up being a really good thing.

[J Rocksville]

Imagine the outrage down south if they schedule us to play Colorado for rivalry week.

[2008 National Champ]

Just a guess but I believe they will match Colorado up with Oklahoma State. Decades of history between the two and the closest geographically that doesn’t already have a natural rival.

[NashvilleUte]

I’m looking forward to a return to our traditional end of season game against the southerners, but it would be worth it to see their reaction!

[utefansince79]

I can pretty much guarantee that within the next few years, the holy war will be back in November. Not what everyone may want but that is what will happen.

[2008 National Champ]

I’ve been one of the loudest that the series should have been cancelled once they split in 2011. Now that they are back in a conference again, I have no problem with it being the season ender. They will have to play every year anyway as part of the same division/pod so why would it matter what week it happens? The only way the normal hoopla surrounding the game gets any more intense is if the game has title implications.

[J Rocksville]

Didn’t Colorado used to have a rivalry with Nebraska at some point? Those two train wrecks ought to be evenly matched

[//r00t4Utes]

Nebraska left for the B1G years ago, same reason Colorado left, didn’t like how Texas was throwing its weight around to get what they wanted.

They are a team that really should have went back to XVII but obviously never will give up making more money in the B1G

[Milton Vanderslice]

I bet Colorado is matched up with OSU in November since OSU lost their in-state game.