OT: The Holy War and why it's different

Football
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I don’t drink, but pie is part of Pioneer Day for me.

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I worked with a plant near St George in SW Utah. Nearly all the plant shut down for Pioneer Day. The CEO was Hispanic and all about familia. He would talk about Halloween and other key Hispanic holidays. One about the importance of Pioneer Days to the Utah plant (one of four company plants) would’ve been cool.

I’ve heard that BYU is 95% Mormon and UU is roughly 50%. A friend from Alabama lives in Draper. His kids atttended a Catholic HS to have more diversity. They attend a church of Christ near SLC. The Utes QB went to the local public school.

How has the booming SLC area affected politics or anything else in the state? Rooting for the Cougs because UU seems more arrogant and I want multiple Playoff teams from the Big 12.

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23

Thanks for sharing the history on this rivalry.

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Gotta root for BYU in this.

I heard too many of Utah’s fans on social media saying how they were going to walk all over this conference, and how they really belonged in the B1G, not the Big 12.

Whatever.

First of all, Utah…your sports brand isn’t that big.

Second of all, Utah…while you are AAU, you still have the whole “cold fusion in a bottle” stigma hanging over your academics.

Third of all, Utah…as we have all seen…you’ll be fortunate to finish even in the top half of this league, so stop acting holier than thou on the athletic front.

Professionally, I met both Utah and BYU grads as Army officers in my first career, and they were all quite good, so no axe to grind there.

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25

I’d be shocked if Utah is still as high as 50%.

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Salt Lake City and park city are very blue politically. Everywhere else is conservative. They are conservative but don’t like the republican nominee. He will likely win the state, but a lot of people will vote third party.

Culturally it is interesting.

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27

i remember when their was talk about Utah joining the Big XII. Their fans were embarrassed. They called us the “Truck Stop Conference” and went on and on about academics and how they deserved to be invited to the Big Ten. It definitely made me respect BYU more as a fanbase.

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I’ve always liked BYU. My 2 cousins went to Utah and Utah State. I have actually seen several BYU fans around Kingwood this football season.

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29

This makes total sense

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A lot of BYU fans, me included, didn’t want them in the big 12. For the last 10 years the Pac 12 logo has been everywhere and bigger than the U logo. Billboards, car stickers, pennants, flags, tattoos, everything.

We felt that if you don’t want to be in the big 12, leave. We don’t need you.

That being said, now that they are in, it’s probably a top 3 rivalry in the conference in football.

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If not tops outright.

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Interesting to learn more about the history of the rivalry, on and off the field. Thanks for the info.
I haven’t seen a game at BYU, but have made a brief visit to the campus, and it’s very beautiful.
It will be fun to watch the game with a little more knowledge about the tradition of the rivalry, but I think the Utes are in for a long night.

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I am biased and I think it is the best.

I think for football

1a. is the Holy War
1b. is the farmageddon

I am sure a Baylor or TCU fan may disagree.

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I just bought tickets to RES. It will be interesting. You should make the trip out to Provo for a football or basketball game. They are fun.

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I’ve tuned into the Holy War multiple times because I know it’s a heated rivalry. So feel free to take that as confirmation that it is indeed the best rivalry in the league lol

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BYU might be the nicest fan base I have ever been around having played them a number of times pre Big 12.
Can’t say the same thing about Utah fans who seemingly thought they were taking the place of ut with their inflated perception of themselves. Guess they have been humbled.

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37

Great insight into the rivalry. I am a big fan of rivalry games and try to catch them all. I will be sure to watch the Holy War this year for sure. On a side note, as a San Antonio native I followed Ty Detmer since he played in San Antonio for his dad, up to BYU, the Heisman, and in the pros. Detmer and BYU were a perfect fit.

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