This pretty much sums it up about BYU

That mentality has been there for years and will most likely stay.

Just look at their bowl game. They were playing a mediocre Arizona team (who had defeated only one team with a winning record), were coming off a humbling loss to their rivals and had a chance to end the season on a high note.

What’d they do? They got abused by a Wildcats team that most likely would have finished fourth or fifth in the Mountain West (remember, they had lost earlier in the year to New Mexico).

The Cougars have a history of not playing up to the competition and that has to be a concern every time they enter games like that.

In contrast, Utah is the exact opposite. While they may at times play down to their opponents (something I had thought — prior to last season — BYU didn’t do much of), they also play up to that competition, as well.

Which I think was most evident the two weeks UCLA played BYU and then Utah in 2007.

Granted, the Cougars had to travel to Pasadena, but the games couldn’t have gone differently for both teams.

Firstly, it was established later in the year the Bruins were horrible. So there really isn’t an excuse for the Cougars losing — and almost losing again in the Vegas Bowl.

Secondly, Utah had lost so much from week one to week three and were left for dead, only to come out and dominate UCLA.

BYU should have won both games by a decent enough margin and they didn’t. Granted, they repaid the Bruins back a year later, but that loss in Pasadena pretty much sums up the football program under Bronco.

With that said, yes I want the Cougars to lose. I don’t think, ultimately, their victory will result in anything, unless they go undefeated. And for the sake of Utah football, them going undefeated hurts the Utes, not helps them.

You see, if they were to beat Oklahoma and go 8-4 or 9-3 in the regular season, most would shrug that victory off as a fluke and nothing more. That’s just how it is.

So if the options are:

BYU beats Oklahoma and goes undefeated

OR

BYU loses to Oklahoma and wins 10 or so games, I’ll certainly go with the latter.

But I’m also an blatant BYU hater. I don’t cheer for them, unless it directly helps the Utes. Their beating Oklahoma might indirectly benefit them, but that isn’t justification for me to cheer for them.

I’d rather cheer Wyoming on against Texas or TCU on against their BCS opponents.

And I know what you’re saying, Wyoming doesn’t stand a chance against Texas. Well, if you look at the past, their chance isn’t that much worse than BYU’s against Oklahoma. I mean, they are playing that game in Laramie.

In a perfect world, BYU would win all their games and get crushed every single year by the Utes.

But I know that isn’t going to happen.

I can’t root for them. I just can’t. The thought makes me sick and I won’t do it.

In the end, though, no matter if you and I cheer or not, it’s not going to have an impact. BYU will either win or lose and what we feel won’t change that.

So I don’t see the need to cheer for them. You know what I mean?