Particularly in the stretches where it’s been competitive, BYU vs Utah has established itself as one of the very best football rivalries in the west.

That said, I hardly think this rivalry is part of BYU’s identity. BYU’s rise to prominence from the 70s through the earliest part of the 90s was accompanied by total dominance of the Utes. I was just 2 hours outside Utah, and Air Force felt like our main rival—they were often ranked, sometimes very highly, and were always a threat. Utah was rarely even good. We won a National Title and a Heisman while Utah was essentially an afterthought.

As has been pointed out, both schools have benefitted significantly with in-state and/or in-demographic recruiting when holding a stark advantage over the other. We’ve lost would-be program-changing players or personnel to Utah and vice versa. It’s a zero-sum game where winning and losing has major consequences.

I think BYU remaining a P5 program
while Utah is left on the outside looking in is the least likely outcome. But if we’re looking out for our best interest, the goal should be to dominate Utah not bring them along somehow for our mutual benefit. BYU’s sojourn in independence while the Utes enjoyed P5 status should have driven home that lesson.