Next week is finally the resolution everyone’s been waiting for, with tensions high in anticipation of an epic clash that will determine so much that comes afterwards.
We’re talking about the BYU v. Utah football game, of course. With so much at stake — BYU has a shot at playing in the College Football Playoffs if their undefeated season continues — passions are especially high. That’s not out of the normal for this rivalry game, however, as anyone in the state for the last century can attest.
This storied rivalry is actually 128 years old, dating back to an inaugural match in 1896, 30 years after the Civl War (and 23 years after the oldest Yale-Princeton college football rivalry began). BYU’s football squad will be visiting Utah’s Rice-Eccles stadium next Saturday for the first time since 2018 (2019 and 2021 were in Provo, 2020 was a COVID-19 cancellation and in 2022-23, Florida took the spot in Utah’s football schedule).
A ‘new vibe’
No one in the sporting world would bat an eye if the two coaches leveraged this week mostly to flex their confident determination to win, maybe with a little trash talking along the way. But something very different is taking place. Coming the same week as a brutal presidential election, it’s almost surreal to witness the countercultural affectionate “vibe” from presidents, coaches and alumni leaders at the schools.