Back in December, some BYU fan wrote that Mormon Utah fans should not hate on BYU so much. The outrage was significant.

Kragthorpe editorialized for the Tribune back then: "My initial reaction was that the notion made some sense, until I imagined myself being told to cheer for a rival school."

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1902030-155/kragthorpe-lds-fans-can-make-own

But here we are five months later and what is the latest Tribune column ... "every BYU fans needs to stop cheering for their school and support Utah because, uh, because ... PAC-12 PAC-12 PAC-12!!"


As much as Gordon Monson would like every football season to always go as October did for BYU and Utah, that's not a reasonable expectation.

Monson asks, "What's most appealing."
Apparently, three straight 5th place Pac-12 south finishes are more exciting for some than others.

Monsons says, "It's no coincidence that there are sons of former BYU football players who are signing with Utah."
Well, yeah. Socking, really, that some of the dads that played with Kyle Whittingham like Kyle Whittingham.

Monson says, "The fact is, the Utes play in the Pac-12. That makes almost everything better."
Especially the three straight 5th place divisional finishes. You'd think they'd be bad, but in the Pac-12, they're the best. Can't get any better than that.

What else is wrong with BYU? "Last season, while the Cougars were playing, with a couple of exceptions, a bunch of teams nobody around here cares about, Utah was facing the likes of USC, UCLA, Stanford, Arizona State and Oregon — with national implications riding on nearly every snap."
Yes, who cares about little teams like Texas, Michigan State, Missouri and Mississippi State when Utah is playing (team BYU has scheduled), (team BYU has scheduled), (team BYU has scheduled), (team BYU has scheduled), and Oregon.

"Whether the Utes won or lost — and they won more than they lost — what they did on the field mattered. It was worth caring about their performances and their outcomes."
They won more than they lost for the first time in three years and even in their greatest "we've arrived" season what do they offer to Utah fans? What is so valuable? A Vegas bowl win, of course. BYU fans sure can't hope for anything like that.


Guess I better trade in my diploma now and start filling up the sacrament tray with Jell-O shots. I can't wait for my lifetime of 5th-place divisional finishes and knowing that everything I do is better than BYU, not because of who Utah is, but because the Pac-12 makes almost everything better.