Who cares more (now)?

[LA Ute]

Every time BYU fan brings up UNLV, I consider it my obligation to remind them of USU......from last season.

Zing.

[Portland Ute]

Which would explain how Whittingham's teams have lost to every single MWC team.

I take back what I said in the Utah recruiting thread. You are insufferable.

[falafel]

Every time BYU fan brings up UNLV, I consider it my obligation to remind them of USU......from last season.

Don't be a dick wally.

[wally]

Don't be a dick wally.

Too soon? When can I use this piece of ammunition? Do we have some sort of geneva convention for rivalry trash talk.

Man, I am gonna miss this when I am forced to focus on conference games this season.

[Katy Lied]

Actually, I find a loss to Utah State more bearable than a loss to UNLV. In basketball, it is the reverse.

[taekwondave]

Unquestionably, BYU. The Utes are where we want to be. If we can't beat the Utes consistently, I'm not sure we belong in a BCS conference.

Belong in a BCS conference? Hold on. Hold on. You have to EARN that now?

BTW: BYU cares more right now. Why? We lost the last one. If we win this year then next year Utah will care more.

[U-Ute]

C'mon now, not every team. That means they would have had to lose to UNLV. Oh wait...

I would prefer to have lost to UNLV and beaten Alabama in the Sugar Bowl than to have never lost to UNLV.

[Babs]

Unquestionably, BYU. The Utes are where we want to be. If we can't beat the Utes consistently, I'm not sure we belong in a BCS conference.

So then what does it say about the Utes if they can't beat BYU?

There's unquestionably more pressure on Utah. Nobody really cares if BYU fails to knock off Utah because it won't really affect the BCS stuff that much; but if Utah can't hold its own in the Pac-10, or even worse - if they can't even hold their own among the left-behinds, everyone will take note. There will be lots of headlines and none of them will be pretty.

[Surfah]

So then what does it say about the Utes if they can't beat BYU?

There's unquestionably more pressure on Utah. Nobody really cares if BYU fails to knock off Utah because it won't really affect the BCS stuff that much; but if Utah can't hold its own in the Pac-10, or even worse - if they can't even hold their own among the left-behinds, everyone will take note. There will be lots of headlines and none of them will be pretty.

Exactly. The two most important teams in college football this year are BYU and Utah. For BYU how is independence going to work? And how is Utah going to do in the BCS? Like that article out of Tuscon says, how well Utah does will validate lots of arguments for Boise State and the others left behind.

[TripletDaddy]

I think the most important teams every season are the ones competing for the national championship.

One season in the BCS won't validate or contradict anything. If the Utes don't do well, then they are similar to many BCS teams. If they do well, then they are similar to many BCS teams.

I do agree that the media will tougher on Utah if they lose to BYU than vice versa. I doubt the media will be focused on that game very much, though. Auburn plays Clemson, Oklahoma will be at Florida State, Ohio State is playing at Miami, Tennessee is playing Florida, Washington is rematching against Nebraska, Michigan State is playing Notre Dame, Texas UCLA rematch, etc etc. Yikes, with that lineup, I doubt many will watch outside of BYU and Utah fans. Sorry, just being honest!

[Surfah]

I think the most important teams every season are the ones competing for the national championship.

One season in the BCS won't validate or contradict anything. If the Utes don't do well, then they are similar to many BCS teams. If they do well, then they are similar to many BCS teams.

I do agree that the media will tougher on Utah if they lose to BYU than vice versa. I doubt the media will be focused on that game very much, though. Auburn plays Clemson, Oklahoma will be at Florida State, Ohio State is playing at Miami, Tennessee is playing Florida, Washington is rematching against Nebraska, Michigan State is playing Notre Dame, Texas UCLA rematch, etc etc. Yikes, with that lineup, I doubt many will watch outside of BYU and Utah fans. Sorry, just being honest!

That's true too. If I had to rephrase, two important storylines west of the continental divide include BYU's introduction to independence and Utah's introduction to the Pac-10.

[Coach McGuirk]

I would prefer to have lost to UNLV and beaten Alabama in the Sugar Bowl than to have never lost to UNLV.

wait, is it time to pull out the National Championship yet?

[TripletDaddy]

wait, is it time to pull out the National Championship yet?

lol!!!! that is an awesome avatar. perfect mesh of past, present and future.

[TripletDaddy]

That's true too. If I had to rephrase, two important storylines west of the continental divide include BYU's introduction to independence and Utah's introduction to the Pac-10.

Agreed. To your point, I can see why many national eyes will be on the Utes and BYU this season (in addition to BYU's traditional global audience and new national TV audience via the ESPN family of networks) but the Utes are now in the PAC 12. What they do next season won't help or hinder that. Perhaps some schools look to BYU's TV deal and BYUTV as a model for their own future plans. That sounds realistic.

[Babs]

lol!!!! that is an awesome avatar. perfect mesh of past, present and future.

It certainly captures the nature of the arrangement.