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May 26, 2017
11:46:11am
CougaRR4L Walk-on
Clearly BamaCoug does not live in Utah. Totally understand his mindset.
I never understood the Utah game priority because I grew up out of state. But I live here now and priorities totally change.. Even attending BYU does not give real insight into the pains of not winning this rivalry for those who live in state.

My guess by BamaCoug's name and reading this thread http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=17856625 is that the author is a product of the South and lives there or lived there. If so his opinion is unsurprising as his location also has football influences and the South cares most about the SEC. His friends and Co-workers likely would notice more about a BYU win against LSU than Utah so it would have greater impact on his life. Not saying it's a wrong opinion, just that locations provide influences on the games that matter most.

90% of my co-workers are Utah fans and much more than half of my ward and stake are as well. I drive by about 300 U's on homes, cars, shirts, businesses every day. The vicinity of a sometime vitriol fan base tends to have some effect on me.

Let me pain the picture.

Personally, I don't see the point of owning a boat. They are tons of fun but there are lots of other things I would rather spend my money on that I would use more and require less maintenance. However, my feelings on the matter would change drastically if I lived on a lake or within a 5 minute drive of a dock. Not a perfect comparison but you get my point.

After so many years of loss to Utah a win is like finding water in a desert, in that, I NEED IT TO SURVIVE! (Maybe a bit over dramatic) LSU is like finding an all you can eat steak in the desert. In virtually every other circumstance of life it is more satisfying except when I am dying of thirst. Part of it is the way I feel at the end of the season. If we beat LSU but lose to Utah then my life is honestly more impacted because I have to deal with constant unwarranted ribbing for at least another year. Because of that, if we beat Utah, this season will have success even if we are barely bowl eligible.

Here are a few of, no doubt many scenarios that would change my mind and my vote on a guaranteed win:

-We beat an LSU team guaranteed to end ranked within the top 15- I vote LSU over Utah (Lets be honest, in the SEC you have to drop to 7-5 or below to not be ranked.) If we beat an LSU team with a bottom ranking or no ranking than it is similar to the 2009 Oklahoma win. Very cool, but no one really cares but us and the team we beat. Still a valuable memory but not one which provides lasting national impact.

-We beat LSU and win a guaranteed total of at least 10 games. I vote LSU over Utah. In this scenario, even with a down year from LSU we get ranked and noticed at the national level regardless of whether we lose to Utah or not and a win over an SEC traditional power helps us. If we lost to Utah this would still be rough for me because it would give their fans even more fodder. "We beat you even in your good year!" But the risk would be worth it.

-We blow out LSU by a guaranteed point spread of 24 or more. Preferably in a way that shows dominance and not just falling on 4 fumbled balls within the 10. Doing so would be the talk of the season for all of college football and would instantly vault us into the top 10. No LSU fan or SEC could ever wipe it from their memory. It would be an unforgettable BYU classic. It would be so worth it no matter the consequences for the rest of the season.

-Utah has a guaranteed losing season--This is still a close one for me because similar, to my last comment, it just gives Ute fans more to throw around if they win. "We beat BYU even when we are terrible!" I get shivers of disgust just thinking about it, however the win against an SEC power would push it over the edge for me.

Final thought. With the Kalani and Co. making BYU a family, being awesome, and recruiting strength at the right positions they are positioning BYU well for the future. People already know BYU can upset some traditional powers at a rate of about one a year (Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan St., UCLA, Nebraska) so beating LSU doesn't necessarily shift a ton of momentum to BYU. However we have lost 6 in a row to Utah. We have won 4 of the last 15 against Utah. Guys, those are nearly Utah St/BYU numbers (2-13 of the last 15.) Let's stop kidding ourselves. Acting like the little brother is not necessary when we are already on the brink of becoming it. We need salvation.

This record against Utah really should be a top consideration for all BYU fans no matter where you live. I'm guessing 90% of recruits will come from Western states and over 50% come from Utah. Over last 15 games against P-5 opponents we are 7-8 so there is already evidence that we can compete at that level. Kids getting recruited know that BYU can beat P-5 teams but they don't even remember BYU beating Utah. Plain and simple the hump Kalani needs to jump is Utah. It will show a massive tectonic shift in momentum on top of a program shift that is already happening. Kids care about winning and going to the NFL but they need to see BYU win against the other most prominent team for LDS recruits.
CougaRR4L
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CougaRR4L
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Related Threads Children:
CougaRR4L post was well-argued, well-written, and I appreciate his contribution (BamaCoug, May 26, 2017 at 9:08pm)
Completely agree. I first thought so when he called himself "Bama Coug" (mcrsj, May 26, 2017 at 2:36pm)

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