Man, I LOVE it when Thriller and Duck go off the rails. It's almost that they're offended that Ute fans don't have the same "sky is falling" mentality their Zoob fan base has after a couple of losses.
When they accuse Utah of "hiding" from BYU, I wonder if they consider a few very simple facts:
-It's almost impossible to "hide" from a team that you've beaten 4 consecutive times, 7 of the last 10, and 14 of the last 20. When a 20 year old man refuses to beat up a 10 year old, is he "hiding" from him, or simply doing the decent thing?
-There's literally no skin in the game for Utah in regards to a yearly matchup. Any school that is in a P5 and plays a 1 for 1 with an instate rival, usually has that instate rival also residing in a P5 conference. Clemson/So Carolina, Florida/FSU, Georgia/Georgia Tech are obviously just a few examples. The biggest example I can think of to the contrary is Colorado/Colorado State but those schools are able to use Invesco Stadium as a neutral site which probably makes the scheduling more appealing for Colorado. Bottom line: P5 schools usually don't bend over backwards for nonP5 rivals in regards to 1 for 1 scheduling. BYU feels they're above that, Utah doesn't. It's just reason #867 that until BYU finds themselves at the p5 table, they get further in the rearview mirror.
And lastly...
-Utah doesn't need the game for recruiting. When it comes to in state recruits, Utah has a very dominant recent history in the series. When it comes to the LDS kids, there will always be some who's faith guide them to BYU no matter what. That doesn't change regardless of the two teams playing. For the recruits that Utah chases from Cali, Texas, and Florida, do you honestly think a Utah-BYU matchup moves the needle with them? Even when Michigan is a .500 team, they're still one of the biggest brands in college football. IMO, Utah would be better off never resuming the series with BYU until there's a big, fat, BIG12 logo next to their name. Otherwise, what's the point?
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