Is the BYU-Utah rivalry at its height of 'nastiness'?

[Sizzle]

Has the BYU-Utah rivalry ever been at a point with a higher level of 'nastiness'? As far as games won, it has been as equal as it could be over the last 10 years. Utah's coach comes from a BYU family, and turned down BYU's offer. Utah's president is a BYU guy, and BYU's president was a prominent member of the Crimson Club. Utah hasn't been this good in Football, at least not consistently, as long as I can remember, if not ever. BYU is coming off of its 3rd consecutive 2-loss season, ending the regular season with a bitter loss to Utah on a season that started very promising. It is rumored that another of BYU's coaches may go up to the U.

Coach stealing, competitive series, including 3 of the last 4 games not decided until the final play, separation of church and state... I wonder if there has ever been a time when the rivalry has been more bitter, and, for lack of better word, more "nasty"?

[il Padrino Ute]

Has the BYU-Utah rivalry ever been at a point with a higher level of 'nastiness'? As far as games won, it has been as equal as it could be over the last 10 years. Utah's coach comes from a BYU family, and turned down BYU's offer. Utah's president is a BYU guy, and BYU's president was a prominent member of the Crimson Club. Utah hasn't been this good in Football, at least not consistently, as long as I can remember, if not ever. BYU is coming off of its 3rd consecutive 2-loss season, ending the regular season with a bitter loss to Utah on a season that started very promising. It is rumored that another of BYU's coaches may go up to the U.

Coach stealing, competitive series, including 3 of the last 4 games not decided until the final play, separation of church and state... I wonder if there has ever been a time when the rivalry has been more bitter, and, for lack of better word, more "nasty"?

As football is concerned, parity may be the right word and parity could be what fosters the nastiness.

[Clark Addison]

There are certainly a lot of factors ratcheting it up. It's a funny rivalry. At the macro level, it is very intense. Because of the religious aspect, to many people it is much more than a sports contest. On the other hand, because of that same religious aspect, you have fans of each school thrust together and friends with each other. I had Utah fans and BYU fans at my house watching the game on the 22nd, as I'm sure many others did. How many Michigan fans do you think invited Ohio State fans to their parties? How many other rivalries have a board like this one, which serves fans of both teams? Sometimes it seems like the bitterest rivalry around, and sometimes like the friendliest. Maybe it is kind of like brothers. You will say bad things to your brother that you might not say to anyone else, but you are also family.

[New Mexican Disaster]

There are certainly a lot of factors ratcheting it up. It's a funny rivalry. At the macro level, it is very intense. Because of the religious aspect, to many people it is much more than a sports contest. On the other hand, because of that same religious aspect, you have fans of each school thrust together and friends with each other. I had Utah fans and BYU fans at my house watching the game on the 22nd, as I'm sure many others did. How many Michigan fans do you think invited Ohio State fans to their parties? How many other rivalries have a board like this one, which serves fans of both teams? Sometimes it seems like the bitterest rivalry around, and sometimes like the friendliest. Maybe it is kind of like brothers. You will say bad things to your brother that you might not say to anyone else, but you are also family.

Well put. Although I think that is more common outside of the Wasatch front. I will say I got a good peek at the Bama-Auburn rivalry and there was a lot of friendliness, even at the games and in the student section. There was considerably fewer physical fights between fans. So to my mind it is a more volatile rivalry.

[LA Ute]

Has the BYU-Utah rivalry ever been at a point with a higher level of 'nastiness'? ... I wonder if there has ever been a time when the rivalry has been more bitter, and, for lack of better word, more "nasty"?

I'm 54, and in my lifetime there has never been as much parity in the rivalry as there has been since 1993 or so. Prior to that period it was always lop-sided for one side or the other. The religious angle to the rivalry makes it nasty to begin with, but I think the fact that it's been so even for 15 years, for the first time ever in the history of the rivlary, is what makes it so intense. All the factors you mention just add to that intensity.