USC is the marquee program in the west. Phenomenal recruiting grounds, wealthy private school, heart of LA...decades and decades of history.

Utah is a po dunk school from a low population state with no history, exponentially fewer resources, hard to recruit SLC, etc.

Yet, once Utah came anywhere close to equitable resources, Utah became near-dominant in the south division.

The toe-to-toe battles for South supremacy the last decade have seen some of the most exciting games and endings in all of CFB. With ratings seldom paralleled in the west.

It was a short-term rivalry with no long term implications for USC but one that helped catapult the Utah brand, recruiting and rankings into one of the top performers in the west. Markedly more than the BCS bowls ever did.

Been a great run.

BYU fans will mock the whole idea. But who are we kidding? No other lower tier P5 has been beating their blue blood division-rival the way Utah has. Caleb 0-3 vs. Utah?

Could you imagine if Alabama or Ohio State lost 3 straight to Miss. State or to Purdue respectively?