I grew up out of state, the son of UofU alum (a charge for which he can be forgiven; he's been a BYU professor for several years). Since Utah's football program was always in the dumps, I mostly paid attention to Utah's basketball program (the Majerus years).

I don't know why I knew so little about BYU. My best friend had a Ty Detmer Heisman poster in his room. I was a ball-boy at the Thomas & Mack for two or three of the WAC tournaments in Vegas, but I didn't really know much about the conference or the rivalries. All I cared about was pro sports and my own team.

I didn't really know what BYU was until my brother decided to go to college there. Funny story about that: In Texas, all students who graduate in the top 1% or something (I can't really remember) of their class have easy admittance and access to scholarship funds for in-state schools. At a banquet for the top 20 students who graduated class that year, they were all introduced and announced which college they were going to. Of the top 20, you'd expect UT, Rice, or maybe even a few Ivy league schools. But nope; 15 of them were going to BYU.

My brother's first year at school was 2004. My family traveled up to visit him the same time that Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart's USC came to LES. I was fascinated by BYU, particularly Todd Watkins. I didn't realize at the time that it was abnormal to harbor positive sentiments towards both BYU and Utah, as I never experienced the vitriol of the rivalry living out of state.

Anyways, my family ended up moving to Utah in 2006 when I was a junior in high school. I sat in the box of Rice-Eccles that year as John Beck found Harline wide open in the endzone. I finally began to understand the true nature of the rivalry, as that loss was one of the most painful I'd experienced. But when it came time to apply for college sometime the next year, I realized that my education was too valuable to simply follow my fandom. BYU was the only school I applied to.

It was impossible to not become a fan sitting in the student section and watching Collie and Pitta catch touchdown after touchdown from Max Hall. The games were electric and the team was so fun to watch. The change in allegiance wasn't an immediate transition, but over the past decade, it's been a thorough one. I first rooted for BYU in the rivalry game my freshman year and went nuts watching Collie get open on 4th and 18. I was more torn in 2008 though since Utah was on a great run with Brian Johnson. That was the last time I rooted for Utah in the rivalry game.

Honestly, there haven't been too many high points since then (Jimmer aside of course but I was on my mission). But that is how I know my fandom has been assured. If I could fall in love with everything about a team, a program, a school, during a largely underwhelming period in their history, then I know I can love them for the rest of my life.

I didn't start actively rooting against Utah until after my mission. I didn't get much negative treatment from BYU fans while I was on the other side (probably because I lived out of state for most of the time). But man, I have already gotten so much crap from Utah fans every chance they get. And the players do it too. So they've made it easy to sever the ties and never root for them again.