Right now, I do not miss the Rivalry Game between Utah and BYU. I have argued for its continuance since it was first announced that there would be a sabbatical. I believed in my argument and then the college football season started.
What changed? I am not completely sure. There are, however, at least two reasons this year I am glad the game didn't happen: Harvey Langi, and Max Hall. Harvey's post-LDS mission transfer to BYU from Utah and Max Hall's personal life struggles would have made this season's edition of rivalry week unbearable. The media, of course, would be licking their chops at the prospect of Utah and BYU fans going at it over these two non-football related topics. Taking calls from ill-tempered Utah and BYU fans, and the faux-objective analysis of the events is what the local media specializes at. For Harvey and Max's sake, I'm glad that this never came to be. That's not to say that things were not said, and insults were not thrown. No rivalry game meant that there was no clear context for these items to dominate the airwaves for more than a couple of days. Move on.
My enjoyment of college football is different this year. The stress of the rivalry game is palpable. I have no impact into what happens on the field, yet my stomach is in knots the day of the game. I cannot avoid it. This year, that stress is gone. There is no impending doom of a rivalry game; 3-4 hours of tension that at any moment feels like it could boil over. No fear of having a year of bragging rights ripped from your grasp. The rivalry game is a zero-sum game. A loss is terrible and lasts the whole year (or more if the team you cheer for drops consecutive matchups). Even a rivalry game win can feel like a loss as you are forced to deal with fans of the losing side. This year, I am enjoying College Football as much as ever, with no doom on the horizon.
As I grew to maturity, I discovered that I can appreciate BYU's success. There is no reason to hate them. With no Holy War on the schedule, I can appreciate that success even more. I have enjoyed talking about the success of some of their players. I have enjoyed watching parts of their games and found it easy to find joy in the team's success. This has been easier with no rivalry game circled on the calendar.
I understand why Utah would want to stop playing the game. If home and home matchups with the likes of Michigan become the norm, then adding BYU to the schedule will make the 12-game lineup too strenuous. I do not, however, subscribe to the notion that BYU is somehow an inferior opponent and therefore Utah gains nothing from beating them. There is much to gain from defeating BYU. In fact, the success of the McBride era was largely built on defeating BYU. 34-31, anyone? You couldn't go anywhere in Utah-land without hearing about it throughout the 90s. While Utah and BYU are on equal footing now, unlike then, there is still much to gain from beating a recognizable foe like BYU. However, they are such a tough team that if Utah is looking to schedule matchups with Big Ten, Big XII, or any of the other power conferences, then adding BYU to the mix might make that scheduled a little too daunting. Also, anyone that says that Utah should only do a 2 home games for 1 road game with BYU is a misguided fool.
On the other hand, maybe the rivalry game is more important than a game against another power 5. Perception is a big deal in college football and if the rivalry game is given prominence as an end of year game, maybe it becomes more important than any game against another power 5.
From BYU's perspective, I understand why they want to keep the rivalry game. The 2014 schedule does not pack a punch. Being able to count on a game with Utah every year keeps BYU's schedule more interesting. Fans in Provo do not want to see Middle Tennessee State or Savannah State.
There are so many reasons why the rivalry game should stick around. I will not enumerate them here. I just cannot shake that good feeling of not having to worry about a 2014 match up between Utah and BYU. I am still just as excited about college football as I have ever been.
So, should Utah and BYU ever play each other again? Yes. They have to because the game's are already scheduled. However, I wonder if it would be beneficial to revisit the discussion after the currently scheduled games are wrapped up. I never thought I would be arguing in favor of ending the rivalry game, and I reserve the right to change my mind in the future. It is easy to make this argument now because we know that the game will come back. Things might change when its future is in jeopardy.
