The “rivalry” is not the same – at least not for me

[Ute Bc]

For about 3 decades I used to love this game.  I’ve been down to Provo about 6 times to watch the game and I haven’t missed one in RES.  The game used to stir up passion and excitement and I couldn’t wait for rivalry week and when we won the week after.

Now, however, I really don’t care about this game.  I booked a trip to go see a pro football game this weekend and I will half heartedly watch the game at some bar in Green Bay.  Now I am more excited for our conference play.  I want to go to the PAC 12 Championship game, the Rose Bowl or the playoffs way more than beat those clowns down south.  They have become so irrelevant and it’s a shame we are forced to play them for their amusement.  Utah football is so much more exciting now that we are in the PAC 12.

I just can’t get into this game anymore.

GO UTES! 

[RiseasUtes]

I enjoy it, mostly to taste the salty BYu fan tears.  I prefer the USC and UCLA games, but I do like the BYu game.

[Tony (admin)]

I totally feel you on this.  Do I want to beat those bastards? Of course. I grew up in the Lavell years when they used to run up the score and over celebrate with their starters playing 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter when the game was out of reach.  So I have a lot of baggage… 

That said, like last year, as soon as we are done playing them I pay no attention and have no idea what they are doing.  The Pac-12 season is where it is at and as far as I’m concerned my new favorite team to hate is USC.

byu is like that crazy room in Poltergeist. Open the door, see the crazy s**t, and slam it shut and hope it goes away.

[humpbackchub]

I’d argue that the byu-Utah Rivalry is still alive and well. It probably always will be. The thing is that, at least in my opinion, its gotten to the point to where its strictly a cultural one. There’s no doubt that this rivalry has been unique in that cultural differences have always been such a huge part of it, but it used to also have huge implications for the football season itself; now it has none. 

Then again, I could also see how it would seem completely dead to those fans who aren’t continually exposed to the cultural side of it… I envy those fans. 

[UtMtBiker]

I couldn’t disagree more. Sorry, you’ve lost the passion but for me its stronger than ever!  I HATE that school as a symbol of so much that is wrong in our community.  The hypocrisy, self riteous attitude, and general hollier than thou attitude of the predominate religious group in this State.  Just to see their presious “missionary tool” look like garbage and spiral into an irrelevant abyss brings me great joy.  That’s about as nice as I can say it keeping it clean.  

I hope I live long enough to see the group of 5 and independants become the whooping boys of the P5, taking a pay day to stay afloat, just like the FCS is now.  It might not be far off the way things are going.  

[Chidojuan]

After having read the CB for the first time this year, I’m very excited to see some nasty people get their hopes dashed, but I really think they are fans because of Mormon Culture and not because of their affiliation with the LDS church, which are definitely not the same thing. I’m an active member and I really don’t see that “Holier than Thou” attitude among LDS folk anymore than any other affiliation. Sure it’s a trap we can fall into, just as much as anyone else who believes they have the best option, but that attitude can be secular as well as religious. As an unofficial representative of the LDS church, I apologize for anything we’ve done to offend you and hope we can move forward as Ute fans.

[Puget Ute]

It is an in-group vs. out-group dynamic. If you are in the club, you might not see the same problems as somebody who is outside the club.
And in Utah it isn’t the same as other religions, since only one religion makes up 80% of the legislature. Unfortunately many of those elected officials seem to be the most radical as well.

[Chidojuan]

True, but don’t all groups suffer from that same dynamic?  Especially when they are in the majority?  I mean, I’ve been in the minority politically when studying at the U, and felt what I imagine to be something similar to @UtMtBiker in that I was viewed as an undesirable.  I can’t really know for sure if it was the same, but I definitely felt looked down on.  As far as the legislature, I can’t really stand any of them, but I think they fall into that Mormon Culture niche as well unfortunately.  It really gives the LDS church a negative image, and I feel that is very unfortunate as well, since most of us are decent enough, similar to the majority of both fan bases.

[PlainsUte]

Sorry, its not just the culture.  It is ingrained in the official behaviors of the church organization, “worthiness interviews”, “Temple Recommends”, “tithing settlement meetings”, etc.

[Chidojuan]

I guess I’m not sure why that would be an issue.  The organization can have those behaviors if it so chooses, and people are free to disagree with them and leave.  If you’re referring to extending the behaviors of the organization to politics, then that seems like an inability to separate religious and secular behaviors, which seems to me to be the very heart of Mormon Culture.

[EagleMountainUte]

Do you ever feel like you are the opposite spectrum of BYU fan?  Most are pretty reasonable fans to be honest. Even Utah has plenty of dickbags that I can’t stand. In fact I hate immature, way too drunk, obnoxious Ute fan more than the byu fans you describe. 

[ladyinred]

This x1000. There is nothing worse than seeing douchebags in person or online who are also fans of your team.
I witnessed such a person in the concessions line in front of me at the ND game. Being a total ass to other people who were just trying to buy popcorn. I wish people like that would go find another team.

[EagleMountainUte]

I am not trying to accuse you of being that way I have just found out in my life(34). You can waste a lot on hate. Truly indifference is the greatest insult one can have for another fan base. Byu is fading into indifference. 

[AlohaUte]

I still love the game. It is still my favorite of the season. I know I am in the minority here, but I want BYU to make it into the Pac-12 or the Big-12 to keep both the U and BYU relevant long term. College Football is fun and it is about rivalries and there are few rivalries in the county as good as this one.

[UteFanatic]

I love it. The salty tears from the Cougs are just too delicious.

[Ute Bc]

Is it true that the game is not even sold out?  I don’t think it’s just me.  

[Wilson’s Mustache]

I think that says more about BYU fan’s outlook on the game more than anything.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Never. Play. Those. Bastards. Again. In. Any. Sport. Ever.

Look, I’m all for watching BYU-P wallow in misery. It’s truly grand. But I’m all in for the Utes – what happens to other schools is incidental. And right now, the BYU-P game is one of those “everything to lose, nothing to gain” games. No benefit to Utah whatsoever. All we get from it is some local culture smack, which does nothing to advance the Utes’ standing. So again…

Never. Play. Those. Bastards. Again. In. Any. Sport. Ever.

[KiYi-Ute]

^^^^^ This ^^^^^

[Utahute72]

BYU football is dying. It may be a slow death, and Kalani may be able to stick his finger in the dyke for a while, but interest is waning. Even cougarboard is a bland imitation of when the rivalry was heated. Without an evil twin to hate and with Utah moving on and upward the cougar faithful are withering. The one escape would have been to find a new rival in a new conference, but the Cougars are too proud to find a lower level conference and no reputable P5 conference wants them.

[Gary Sapp]

Never put your fingers in dykes. They get really p**sy and smack you.

Save it for dikes.

[Tony (admin)]

Ewww.

[Utahute72]

Yikes!! Dykes!!!

[CincyUte]

The Deseret First Duel presented by Deseret First Credit Union (serving the LDS community since 1955) has been an honored tradtion in my family for several generations now.

[UtMtBiker]

That’s Hilarious! Can’t wait to go see the cross country teams battle it out for that ever so important DFD point. Fingers crossed.

[Tony (admin)]

I actually wrote a complaint letter to Chris Hill about that ad… LOL

[Distantute]

Maybe it is because I live out of state now, but BYU doesn’t interest me any more than playing Utah State would interest me, and I grew up in the 80s-90s. I used to care, but just don’t that much anymore. Playing USC, UCLA, Stanford, etcetera, is a 100x more exciting to me than BYU. Completely irrelevant.

[shakeitsugaree]

Your profile pic is icky

[shakeitsugaree]

You described exactly how i feel – don’t care enough to get angry with them anymore.

[PlainsUte]

Enjoy your trip to Lambeau Field.  Its like a shrine to NFL Football.