As a UofU grad, I wouldn't have any problem with rooting for the Utes (outside of the rivalry) if I knew that BYU would always win head-to-head recruiting battles with the UofU.

BYU obviously can't recruit just anyone because of the Honor Code and an academically tough undergrad environment (a record number of applicants were rejected when letters were sent out a few weeks ago). BYU's recruiting pool is relatively small compared to that of pretty much any government school (and those of many private schools like Stanford and USC). Years ago, the UofU rarely stole recruits from BYU's small pool, but the steals more recently have become too frequent to be ignored. I estimate that we lose more recruits to the UofU than to any other school. Thus I root against the Utes in EVERY game they play. The worse they perform, the less likely BYU is to lose head-to-head recruiting battles.