The Big Game

Today's the day, the day of the BYU-Utah game. I don't really know why I get so into it, but I do. A lot. I stayed up late watching a rebroadcast of the 2007 game on BYU-TV. I tuned in just in time for the 4th and 18. I was a little nervous and excited even though I knew how it would turn out. Then I didn't sleep very well when I would dream of failed 4th down conversions at the end of the game.

Having grown up living it, here are my completely unbiased observations of the rivalry.

*Many Ute fans (not all) are extremely obnoxious. Especially when they call BYU the "Team Down South." It reminds me of Harry Potter when everyone calls Voldemort "He Who Must Not Be Named." They must be afraid of us. Here is a good explanation of the obnoxious Ute fans by a high school classmate of mine.

*I've been reading too much on the web, and Utah fans are way too overconfident. BYU is playing a senior quarterback, the all time leading rusher, and an All-American tight end, and you think that you're going to roll right over them? I'll admit that there is a small chance that Utah could win, but there's no way it will be a blowout.

*BYU fans can be obnoxious too. I've seen plenty of it. It especially annoys me when fans boo their own coaches and call for the head of Max Hall, who also happens to be the winningest quarterback in BYU history.

*It is much more dangerous for someone to wear blue to Rice-Eccles Stadium than for someone to wear red to LaVell Edwards Stadium. My brother thought BYU fans were overdramatic until he attended last year's game in person. BYU fans can be obnoxious, but they are not abusive.
*Ute fans are annoyed by BYU fans because they are "self righteous." Does anyone else see the irony of calling someone self righteous? You're basically saying, "We're so much better than them because we are not self righteous."

*I don't like that it's called the "Holy War." Both universities were founded by Mormons, and both univiersities have Mormons in their fan base. It's not just BYU fans that make it about religion, there are people who cheer against BYU (aka for Utah) just because they hate the Church.

*I want BYU to win today for Max Hall's sake. I'm sick of the stupid jokes about guys in red jerseys being his favorite receivers. It seems that they have all forgotten that Max Hall and company beat Utah the year before. I think that Max Hall has been a great quarterback for BYU and I'm sick of all of the garbage that he gets because he "can't win big games." He's won big games and lost some too. Almost everybody does. At least he doesn't lose to mediocre teams.

*I know that Bronco Mendenhall still doesn't have a BCS game under his belt, but I'd still take him over Kyle Whittingham any day. BYU is at a huge disadvantage when it comes to recruiting because of the Honor Code. I'm not complaining because I think the honor code is great, but I think it's quite significant how well BYU does given the fact that they can only recruit a certain kind of player. Bronco is the perfect fit for the job.

Those are my observations for the day. Now I'm going to go pace around until 3:00. Go Max and go Cougars!!!