Top 3 Games I want Utah to Lose (From a BYU Perspective)

[Ted Lasso]

I’m assuming you guys know that I’m coming at this from a place of respect. I thought it would be fun to make a thread about which games I would like to see Utah lose most this year.

3. Florida – Utah hasn’t won a non-conference P5 game since 2017, and I think that streak ends this year against Florida. I just don’t see Florida coming into SLC with a new QB and upsetting Utah.

2. USC – I know you guys hate USC, especially since they are leaving for the B10. And Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams are not very likeable. And this is the last time y’all will play them before they bolt the conference. And the winner of this game puts the team in a much better position to win the conference. I think Utah wins a big game on the road, but this might be the second most difficult conference game on the schedule (I think Washington is first).

1. Baylor – This is the game I would want Utah to lose most simply because Baylor is in the B12 and BYU struggled to beat Baylor last year. Worst case scenario is that Utah blows Baylor out on the road, and then Baylor goes on to either win the Big 12 or be competitive in the conference. I don’t know what to think about this game, because I could see this game being more difficult than the Florida game simply because it’s on the road and it’s just a week after they play Florida.

Nightmare Scenario: Anything that involves Utah winning another Pac-12 Championship will absolutely suck as a BYU fan. I’m tired of watching Utah play in the Rose Bowl and other big bowls while BYU plays in the New Mexico Bowl. Even worse would be if Utah makes the playoff. But I don’t think any of this happens if Utah doesn’t win the conference.

My prediction would be that Utah goes 11-3. I think they start out 1-1 and then lose to either Oregon, USC, or Washington. They go to the Pac 12 championship and lose to either Washington or Oregon. And then I think they win the bowl game.

Also, if you guys find this post annoying, I can totally delete it. I’m just really excited for football to start again.

[thirtyfour-thirtyone]

I think the USC game this year will have the most intense atmosphere of any game in quite a while, combining the ouright loathing of some of the old TDS games with the heightened expectations of the 2010 TCU game.  The loser will be psychologically crushed, and I sure hope we do the crushing.  I also hope Swoop brings something to stab in the center of the field before and after the game, and our band plays something really annoying for the ENTIRE game.

 

It should be an exciting season, and the PAC is the strongest it has been since Utah joined.

 

[UteBacker]

You’re a reasonable Zoob, it’s cool.  I think a lot of us Utes are thinking that we may have a better team with a worse record this year.  Our schedule is brutal.  We’ll see.

On a related note, do you see your boys getting to six wins?  I took a close look at the schedule with my BYU-fan business partner and we had trouble finding six wins there.  Thoughts?

[Ted Lasso]

Oh I would be very happy if they got 6 wins. I think 4 wins sounds more reasonable this year. 2 non-conference wins agaisnt SUU and Sam Houston State and two conference wins, maybe three if they’re lucky. 

[ProudUte]

I think BYU’s offense is good enough to keep them in most Big 12 games.  The Big 12 appears to be a bit down this season.

[chinngiskhaan]

Great post. Interesting discussion.

The 3 games I would love to see TSPP lose this year: Sam Houston, SUU, Arkansas. Why? Because it would be hilarious to see TSPP fans and their realization that they aren’t prepared for life in the Big12.

I think TSPP’s floor is 3 wins, ceiling is 8 wins (with the most likely result being 6).

[ProudUte]

I welcome BYU fan opinions and thoughts unlike those on CB when respectful Utes post there.  I completely understand why you feel the way you do.

Go Utes!!!

 

[jsimmons327]

“Utah hasn’t won a non-conference P5 game since 2017″ is a pretty misleading stat

Florida last year is the only game non-conference P5 game we have played since 2017. I find it interesting that you didn’t count your team as a P5 team. And if your team wasn’t P5 we didn’t play a P5 team in 2017 either.

[alexsmith]

I think he’s referencing the bowl game against WVU

[Ted Lasso]

Well, if you count bowl games, Utah beat West Virginia in 2017. BYU was independent, which means they weren’t a P5 or G5 team. I didn’t consider BYU a P5 school until July 1st, 2023. 

And yes, the statistic is a little misleading, but they are 0-5 in non-conference games since 2017, if you count bowl games. I think it’s a fair statistic. I will give it to you though that it is petty, but you got to give us BYU fans something to argue about. You guys have dominated the rivalry the last 12 years lol. But I think it is a fair criticism that if Utah wants to take things to the next elite level, they need to start winning more of these non-conference games. 

[ProudUte]

Honest question for you Lasso.  I have many BYU friends and have a positive relationship with all of them.  I can honestly say, that there is not a BYU fan that I personally know that I have bad feelings toward.  The Cougar Board seems to be a different kind of fan.  They spew hate not only towards Utah, but also Boise, USU, SDSU, Wyoming, etc.  Why is there so much hatred over there?  In the past – I have posted nice comments about BYU and been told, “You are a Yewt and we don’t care what you think.  Go Away!!! I hate all Yewts …”  Are these guys outliers?  

 

[BD]

My experience has been the same. I have BYU friends and acquaintances, and not one I don’t like. But Cougarboard? Holy moley, what a cesspool of frustration, hatred, and pure animosity towards Utah, the Pac-12, etc.

I get that they don’t like us from a rivalry point of view, but the hatred goes to another level. It is DEEPLY personal for them. Unhealthy, I would say.

Given that there are what? 50,000+ registered users on Cougarboard? I wonder how many of my BYU friends or acquaintances are living a Jeckyl/Hyde approach, and are nice/respectful to me outwardly, but secretly hate me because I am a Utah fan. Makes me wonder sometimes. Good thing we can’t read each others’ thoughts. LOL.

[Ted Lasso]

I sure hope they are outliers, because I would agree they are way too extreme. I’ve been on other message boards on Reddit and 247 sports, and I honestly don’t think Cougarboard is much different. But that isn’t to excuse their irrational behavior toward Utah fans, because it’s ridiculous. 

My personal belief is that just like most of social media, the ones who post the most and make the most noise are the ones that have the most extreme, polarizing behavior in general. I would like to believe that most BYU and Utah fans are fairly moderate and rational, but are the silent majority. Like most of my friends attended the UofU, but they are nothing like what I see some of the Ute fans on Twitter. 

[Utah]

I think you’ll get your wish with Baylor. It will be very, very hard to play Florida then immediately go to the s**thole that is Baylor and win there. 

That’s as close to a scheduled loss as you can get. 

[Central Coast Ute]

Baylor will be a much harder game than Florida. I don’t think I know anyone that thinks otherwise. I’m pretty worried about that game.