Cultivating a rivalry with Colorado
by JazzyUte on Jun 3, 2011 1:38 AM MDT
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When Utah last played Colorado in football, the United States was on the eve of potential nuclear holocaust with the Soviet Union.
A mere month before Pres. Kennedy stared down the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Utes would go on to upset the Buffaloes in Boulder to start the 1962 season. Utah finished that year an uneventful 4-5-1 and the two programs would not meet again.
Fast forward 49 years and we're expected to accept Colorado as our natural rival.
On paper, I guess it makes sense. Utah and Colorado are border states. There has been a consistent and established rivalry between our two states, in varying degrees, over that 49 years.
The major one, which has been present probably since western expansion, has to do with skiing. Utah claims to have The Greatest Snow on Earth - but I'm guessing Colorado will protest such a decree.
Both economies are in constant competition with one another because the ski industry plays such a major role. It's really what defines Utah and Colorado generally more than anything else and really has opened up both states as more than just flyover country on the way to California.
That rivalry will always be there. But it's a rivalry that is subjective. There aren't really any results, or head-to-head competition, to go by when claiming a winner. When Ute fans say they're better at football than BYU, they only need to point to last year's result as relative proof of that claim. Not so with snow.
We can't definitively answer who has the best snow. So there isn't much contention there.
When it comes to sports, though, you're dealing with an entirely different animal.
Back in the ABA days, the Utah Stars and Denver Rockets/Nuggets vied for the Orbiter Trophy - a gaudy mass of wood with an airplane topping a basketball that was created in 1973.
Of course, that was a league that hardly took itself seriously. The rivalry between both franchises was more for show than anything to do with competition. In all reality, the Stars had stronger and more heated rivalries with the Kentucky Colonels and Indiana Pacers.
The Orbiter Trophy was artificial and back then, I'm assuming most Stars fans didn't really invest all that much into the so-called rivalry.
That's not to say artificial is bad. Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids of the MLS essentially created the Rocky Mountain Cup from scratch. That began in 2005 when RSL joined the league and though neither club had any connection or history with the other, it didn't deter from the rivalry.
Today, it's pretty darn successful and considered one of the best rivalries in Major League Soccer.
But will that work for college football? I'm not so sure. We're not talking about a clean slate for either program. Both Utah and Colorado have a laundry list of games, moments and history with other teams - specifically other rivals.
For the Buffaloes, much of their history is tied to their rivalry with Nebraska. They can point to certain moments over the years that defined their season. Like in 2001, when Colorado upset the Cornhuskers 62-36 to claim a spot in the Big 12 Championship. It also, at the time, appeared to end Nebraska's title hopes (though, for some ridiculous reason, they were selected for the BCS championship game - they lost).
Likewise, Ute fans can point to moments in their history that made a season. We have The Rice Bowl, 34-31, The Snow Bowl and Burton's Block. That's not artificial. That's a creation of a generation's worth of hate - a generation's worth of rivalry.
Blocking a field goal to win a game is significant, obviously, but doing it against your rival elevates that contest to legendary status. Utah beating Minnesota on a blocked field goal that was then returned for the winning score as time expired is a moment all but lost by time. Had that happened against BYU, though, and it's a story passed down from generation to generation.
A great deal of the time, rivalries are not a creation out of necessity. They're a creation of so much more. Close games. Contested moments - knowing your brother or sister is cheering for the other side.
Here in Utah, it's not hard to see why the Utah-BYU rivalry worked so well, even when one team or the other was struggling.
It's going to be hard for something similar to happen with Colorado. Sure, our states are neighbors, but they're not our neighbors.
I went to school with BYU fans. I lived by BYU fans. I grew up with BYU fans. I couldn't even begin to place the last Colorado Buffaloes fan I came across.
So we can't just expect that this November, when Colorado and Utah meet for the first time in 49 years, that there will be any type of rivalry.
Which means this rivalry is going to have to be created the old fashion way - on the football field.
I look at the potential Utah-Colorado rivalry similarly to the creation of the Utah Jazz-Denver Nuggets rivalry.
When the Utah Jazz began play in 1979, only a few years had lapsed since the dissolving of the ABA. Yet there was no initial rivalry between the Jazz and Nuggets in the early 80s.
That started to change in 1984 when Utah won the Midwest Division and met Denver in the first round of that year's NBA playoffs. The two played a very even series to an all-or-nothing fifth game in Salt Lake City. The Jazz won that fifth game and advanced to the second round of the playoffs that year.
A year later, the two would meet again, in the second round, and this time Denver won.
You had the potential for a great rivalry at that point. Both franchises were now becoming very competitive (Utah was just at the start of the Stockton & Malone era and Denver was playing in the Western Conference Finals), they played in the same division, there was a history and, more importantly, the two were neighbors.
But 1985 would be the last time the two met in the playoffs for almost a decade and after that series, both franchises diverged from one another - with Utah becoming one of the most successful teams out west and Denver one of the worst.
In the 90s, the Jazz found better rivalries with the Lakers, Houston, Portland and Seattle - not the Nuggets.
But things changed in 2003. Denver, after years of basketball struggle, drafted Carmelo Anthony and found themselves competing in the always difficult Western Conference.
Utah, though, was fading. John Stockton had retired and Karl Malone was off to La La Land in quest of that ever elusive NBA title (he never got it).
But the Jazz were still coached by the legendary Jerry Sloan and, as we've come to expect under his leadership, with him on the sidelines, Utah would almost always be competitive. Though the team lacked any type of real talent, they were still in contention for the last playoff spot heading into the final week of the NBA regular season.
They were locked in a battle for eighth with the up and coming Denver Nuggets.
The Jazz would eventually fail to qualify for the playoffs and the Nuggets returned to the postseason for the first time since the 1994 season.
There is where the seeds were planted for this rivalry. It didn't hurt that the states were close to one another and that Utah and Denver played in the same division. But for the first time, really ever, the Nuggets actually won out against the Jazz. The franchises traded places. Now it was Utah on the outside looking in and it would remain that way for a few seasons.
Then came Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Just like that, the Jazz were now battling Denver for the division title.
Never before really had Utah and Denver swapped positions at the top of the division every other year. Denver won it in 2006, Utah won it in 2007 and 2008. Denver again won it in 2009 and the two would finish tied for it in 2010.
Contention! These two franchises were finally, for the first time in their histories, contending with one another for the top spot and the all important fourth seed in the Western Conference.
During that span, I came to hate Denver. The Nuggets were the enemy more than any franchise not named the L.A. Lakers. They were the team standing between Utah and a division crown.
Then the two met in last year's playoffs. It was the first time since 1994 and it was a completely different feeling than when those two teams met in the semis 16 years prior.
In '94, the Nuggets were just this pesky gnat of a team that was more of an irritation than a threat. In 2010, though, beating them in the playoffs was exhilarating. Who cares if the Jazz were swept by the Lakers in the next round (okay, I cared, but still...), beating Denver, those awful Thuggets, was bliss.
That's where a rivalry was born. I think Jazz fans now consider Denver a realistic and viable rival. That wasn't the case ten years ago, but it is now because the two teams were on equal ground.
When you don't have a natural rival, that's where hatred is born. It's watching your team lose a must-win two or three seasons in a row to the same opponent and realizing they're the biggest obstacle between you and your goals.
For this rivalry to work, Colorado can't stay at the bottom of the Pac-12 South. If, in five or six years, the Buffaloes are still cellar dwellers, there won't be a rivalry - no matter how hard the conference pushes it.
Fortunately, for the rivalry's sake, Colorado has been far more good than bad the last 30 years. There is precedence to expect a turnaround.
If that happens, and Utah and Colorado are battling it out for the Pac-12 South, or even bowl contention, then there is no reason not to expect a rivalry to grow out of it.
It's just going to take more than one or two seasons.
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The first time one plays spoiler to the other in the last week of the season
you’ll start to feel it; and it will happen, probably sooner than later.
by The Ancient Mariner on Jun 3, 2011 7:30 AM MDT reply actions
Rivals? Well, not exactly...
Nebraska’s rival was Oklahoma. For years the winner of this game went on to the Orange Bowl and quite often a shot at the National Championship. Nebraska never got over losing OU as its rival when the Big XII formed. You can’t manufacture hate or passion just by showing up on a prime tv slot. Nebraska never, ever considered Colorado its rival.
Sure, McCartney upset NU in 1986 and over the next years CU went 3-2-1, beforeslipping back into mediocrity. After that Nebraska cruised on to notch 3 more National titles and many poundings of the Buffs, with no resistance from Colorado after McCartney left!
To a tradition rich program like Nebraska success is not measured in occaisional bursts of success (CU briefly under McCartney and years later Barnett) or failure (Callahan’s years at NU were a disastor). Nebraska fans are amused that the Buffs want to be considedered "rivals" with such a skimpy resume. Since McCartney’s little run Nebraska has picked right back up dominating the Buffs 14-4 . All-time
Nebraska is up 49-18-2 (.725) and has won the last three in a row. CU is limping on to the Pac-12, while Nebraska is in the Big 10 title hunt already.
But there have been many great and exciting games mixed in with the Buff blow outs. Who can forget Alex Henery’s 57-yard boot to take the lead, punctuated by Ndamukong Suh intercepting Coach Hawkins’ kid, bowling him over and then spiking the ball out of the north endzone all the way to Omaha?
Here’s hoping the Buffs have better luck against Utah and the Pac-12. May CU finally find a rival!
WTF?
Whoa, if NU didn’t care about CU… then why are you so concerned about making a point that CU wasn’t a rival for NU? Honestly, why bother if it didn’t matter (the_ketch you’re a loser)? BTW – Those years that NU won a national championship (95 and 97)… look at the point differential in those years 95 – 2000 between CU and NU. NU won those games by an average of 3 points (a combined 15 points in those five years). That’s well below the average 22.5 point margin that CU won the next two games in 2001 and 2002.
IMO – I’m looking forward to the Utah CU rivalry (UT wears the wrong colors IMO… ;). No doubt – CU did have a down period during the Hawkins era, but CU isn’t coming into the PAC 12 from a weak conference… CU played some of the strongest non-conference schedules in FBS the last few years and coming into the Pac 12 from a top tier conference, the Big XII. Don’t expect CU to be a push over, or do… and be surprised.
Go Buffs… Go Utes… see ya in the Pac 12!
by 96Buff on Jun 5, 2011 8:27 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's not hard to explain, honestly
I’m neither a Buff nor a Husker, but I’ve spent enough time around both — NU fans think the idea of CU as a rival is beneath them. To their way of thinking, both Nebraska and Oklahoma are college football royalty, while Colorado is a jumped-up wannabe with a short burst of prosperity and delusions of grandeur. (Not a direct quote, but a summary.) It matters to them because they believe anyone who takes CU seriously as a rival to NU is diminishing their team, and they take that very seriously (and touchily).
by The Ancient Mariner on Jun 6, 2011 11:24 AM MDT up reply actions
Husker fans
got their entertainment from denying the rivalry with Colorado. But it was a rivalry. Nebraska fans, players and coaches treated the game uniquely, whether they want to admit it or not. Yes Nebraska had the upper hand in the Win-Loss column, but the games were almost always close and (with the exception of the Dan Hawkins era) there was usually hardware on the line.
If you’re over 5 years old, then you have to respect Colorado. There are fewer than 20 programs in the country that can claim all of the accomplishments (Wins, National Title, Heisman Trophy) that Colorado can. Utah is not one of them, and only USC and Washington in the Pac 12 can.
Given enough time, and at least one “controversial” play/result/player/event you two will develop a nice animosity toward each other.
But your premise of concocting a rivalry out of nothing is valid. And, while you guys may develop a pretty healthy dislike for the rest of the teams in the 12-Pac, whether or not any of them ever morphs into a true “rivalry” remains to be seen. For all you know, you will never (and may likely never) have the same depth of feeling toward Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Uclol, or Cal that you do for BYU.
One thing I would like to quibble with, though, is the need for both you and Colorado to be competetive in order to create a rivalry. That really isn’t needed. It never matters how good or bad stanfurd or Uclol are, we hate them just the same.
I'm thinking of having a little party down in Newport.
I think your last point works because, again, you're natural rivals with those schools...
There is a connection (all located in California). You’re absolutely right, you don’t need to be good for those games to mean something major during the season. It’s the same for the Utes and Cougars. In 2002, both teams entered with losing records for the first time in forever and it didn’t deter from the rivalry one bit.
But that’s with your natural rival. With Colorado, when you’re trying to create something out of nothing, success is the fastest way toward creating a dislike. If Utah wins ten straight with relative ease over the Buffs and they never rise above 4th in the Pac-12 South, I doubt we’ll have a rivalry with them.
That’s why I brought up the Denver Nuggets-Utah Jazz dynamic. Throughout most of the late 80s and all of the 90s, the Nuggets were never on the level of Utah. Then, in 2003, that changed and now there is a rivalry. If, though, Denver had stayed their 90s-selves, I see it unlikely the Jazz could have ever built a rivalry with them.
There is a definitive answer
Utah has the best snow.
I keep accidentally eating my pets. Maybe I should get something less appetizing, like a cat instead of a Twinkie.
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
by CrimsonUte on Jun 3, 2011 9:53 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs
I'm excited to see the Utah/CU dynamic unfold
I’ve seen Ute fans bicker amongst each other about whether a Ute/Buff rivalry is non-existent, dormant, inevitable, or manufactured. I think it will come. It may not become epic like what we have with BYU, but I think it will come. That said, I think bitter feelings are just as likely with the AZ schools.
There’s also the contingency of Ute fans who, stupidly, think the BYU rivalry has gone away simply because they put their fingers in their ears, closed their eyes and said “La, la, la, I don’t acknowledge you.” Sorry, dudes. It doesn’t work that way.
BYU is still a good-sized and competitive D1 school a stones throw from the U. Very near geographically, but it gets fugly when you compare the two schools culturally. The U is itself an enigma: as a state institution, it tries to distance itself from the LDS establishment, and yet, it was founded largely by Mormon citizens, and to this day is supported, sometimes staffed, and largely attended by a significant LDS contingent. That will always keep Utah and BYU attached at the hip; they draw from the same waters. Anyway…
As long as the local media keeps massaging BYU, and, let’s face it, as long as their fanbase remains large locally, there will always be comparisons. As much as some Ute fans want BYU to go away as a rival, it will never happen. Especially as long as we keep playing each other annually—and I just don’t see that going away. It shouldn’t go away.
I think we will develop a conference rivalry with the Buffs, and maintain a traditional rival with BYU—whether we play them, or not. We have too much history, we’re too close, as as you said, Jazzy, the fanbases mix too thoroughly to ignore each other.
this was an AWESOME read
I had forgot about the minnesota game.
I think if this game is scheduled as the last game of the season, every single year, it will build fairly quickly. Year after year, you face the same guys on “senior day”. Something will be on teh line, conference titles, bowl eligibility, a specific bowl game, etc. Someone will throw a cheap shot. Someone will say something stupid. And a rivalry will be born.
The Colorado-RSL rivalry REALLY started when that tool on Colorado ripped his jersey off and started taunting fans at Rice-Eccles. Checketts had to restrained from attacking that guy. (As a side note: that was the game when Kyle Beckerman, then of Colorado just RIPPED RSL fans far worse than Maxine did to the Utes. Its funny that now Beckerman is a fan favorite here).
Affectionately known on Over the Monster as "Pete"
Follow me on twitter: @BigBenSportsGuy
by BigBenSportsGuy on Jun 3, 2011 11:13 AM MDT reply actions
I do agree that it being the last game of the season adds extra value to it...
Nothing could kickstart this rivalry faster if Utah entered the final game of the regular season a game away from locking up a spot in the Pac-12 South and then turned around and…gulp…lost to Colorado at home.
Sometimes to start a rivalry, somebody needs to pick a fight.
I’m sure as we get to know our new rivals across the mountains better, we will find some things that we just don’t like about them, and they will find things they don’t like about us, and with the power of BLOG, a rivalry can be heated up. That being said, I would still prefer to save all of my hate for the team down south. After all, it just doesn’t seem right to send hate across the mountains when you could send it to Provo.
Its going to take a few years...
Part of the issue is that Utah and Colorado are SO HAPPY to be in the Pac 12 and our of our respective crap situations. CU tired of being expected to blow Texas and us stuck in a backwater. Its going to take the newness to wear off.
the utah/colorado series stands at 30 wins, colorado and 24 wins, utah. 3 ties.
we won the last meeting on september 22 // 37-21
Anderson Silva would never fight "Bones". He is too scared to fight the real P4P champion. Nick Diaz, the man who will prove to the MMA world that he is the best WW in the world. Still public enemy #1 and enjoying every minute of it.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jun 3, 2011 4:25 PM MDT reply actions
If anything, at least you have a regional rivalry now
One of the things that hurt the Arizona schools in the past and made them seem like the red-haired step-children to a lot of fans of other schools in the conferences is that they weren’t part of the Pac-8 with its two (well) established regional rivalries of the Northwest and the California schools. As a result, even if ASU or UA were good, they were never treated the same way as other schools.
With Utah’s and Colorado’s inclusion, the Mountain-Desert region is established in the conference. One of the important things about rivalries is that the schools have to have a mutual dislike between them. None of the original Pac-8 will dislike you in the way they dislike their local rival and their regional rivals. That’s just the nature of the beast.
I look forward to a mountain / desert region rivalry.
I am already starting to not like the AZ schools. Stupid Arizona wild house cats and Arizona State dusty wind swirls.
"From the end spring new beginnings." - Pliny the Elder
Nothing better than starting the trash talking now
So you haven’t played we Utes since 1962. Why? Afraid that we would have Buffalo Burgers for dinner? I love buffalo burgers with A-1 Steak Sauce. Ralphie would taste even better after a blowout win. Yum!
The goal of every Ute fan should be to caffeinate Cosmo's punch and watch him self combust.
Yummy buffalo burgers...
Clip their buffalo wings? (Ducks the dope slap.)
Well, ya know, the Ute tribe ate buffaloes all the time. We are HIGHER ON THE FOOD CHAIN, BUDDY! How many buffaloes do ya think ate a Ute, eh? Yeah, that’s right, keep walkin’!
Utah - Colorado
I am glad to welcome a new rival and lose whatever we had with BYU. To me our competition the Y was definitely not a healthy rivalry. Healthy rivalries are based on mutual respect even though trash talking can be involved.
In my opinion good examples of a rivalry are between: UCLA – USC, Stanford – Cal, Michigan – OSU to name a few. These schools despite the BS between fans genuinely respect each other. Our games with BYU took the proportions of “good vs evil”. I Still remember when one of their fans attacked our song leader, when he ran LES with the UofU flag.
As for Colorado, I respect that institution. They have good academics, a good student body life and is well rounded diverse institution. I would like for Utah to dominate CU athletically, but that is the extent of the competition.
agreed. a 31-21 win at rice -eccles stadium in november will do just fine.
Anderson Silva would never fight "Bones". He is too scared to fight the real P4P champion. Nick Diaz, the man who will prove to the MMA world that he is the best WW in the world. Still public enemy #1 and enjoying every minute of it.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jun 4, 2011 11:18 PM MDT up reply actions
Here's hoping this takes the "Y/U" relationship back to "Friendly Rivalry Status"
I’m a “purple” fan, one of those who defy the laws of physics and nature and cheer for both the U and the Y. I agree that the…thing… between the two schools was blown WAY out of proportion, and that it became more of a feud than a rivalry. Maybe the hatred can be directed elsewhere now, and the Holy War can become the Holy Bragging Rights Match again.
I'll get hated for saying it, but...
“When Ute fans say they’re better at football than BYU, they only need to point to last year’s result as relative proof of that claim.” Relative being the key word here; I think even that is kinda moot. It’s a matter of when in time you look. Lately, Utah has the upper hand. Yet BYU only need look at ‘72-’92, a full 20 years when Utah only beat them twice. The Utes can counter with, "Ah, but what about ‘42-’62 when BYU only beat the Utes twice? Yes, I think Utah is better. MWC championships, I think, shows a clearer picture: BYU 3, Utah 4. Utah is better, but in the last 40 years BYU isn’t far behind. Sometimes BYU dominates Utah, sometimes Utah crushes BYU, but (in recent years) most of the time, the competition is fierce. Both teams have had bad years and amazing years. ne year does not a history make.
As for comments dealing with the actual article (sheepish look sorry!) I agree completely. I’d say Arizona, Washington or UCLA will prove on the battlefield to be Utah’s rivals. But I’m betting Colorado will see themselves as our rivals, and we will see somebody else as our rivals. Most likely, they will consider yet another team as their rivals. That’s why the Holy War was such a good rivalry. We both acknowledged the other is our main rival. Maybe I shouldn’t have put that in past tense… Time will tell. Or I could ask. How many of you think that Utah/BYU rivalry won’t die because of the move to PAC-12?
Pac-12 IS neatly paired... Except us.
2 in Washington, 2 in Oregon, 2 in north Cali, 2 in south Cali, 2 in AZ… Then us and Colorado. It makes sense why they would try to place us with them. We’re closer to them than the others, and vice versa. http://www.allmoneynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Pac12_Map.jpg
I just don’t think it will work. Colorado is not a bad team most years… but in the Pac-12 pond, they are definitely small fish.
Disagree re: CU
They’re in a down cycle, but they’re not small fish. That would be WSU.
by The Ancient Mariner on Jun 6, 2011 11:29 AM MDT up reply actions
Naw, WSU is the bacteria floating on the surface.
I still say the Buffs are small fish. Oregon and USC would be the sharks.
The Buffs have a much bigger population/media base than UO/OSU/WSU
though they obviously don’t have the Knight/Nike advantage that the Ducks have; given the right institutional and athletic leadership, they would no more be small fish than UW, UA, or ASU. Again, they’re in a down cycle right now (as those three schools have also had their struggles in recent years), but in terms of inherent advantages/disadvantages, they’re somewhere in the middle of the Pac.
by The Ancient Mariner on Jun 6, 2011 2:20 PM MDT up reply actions
Yeah, I know...
Technically, all but a small, elite handful have cyclical patterns like that. And yes, they would be MID-pac in a good year. But that’s my point. I think that their cycle is on a smaller scale than Utah’s. They’re not bad ALL the time, but right now, they are small fish. Just my opinion.
Oregon and USC would be the sharks.
Right now. The Ducks were arguably the worst team in college football in the ’80s (debatable who was worse, them or OSU), and the ’80s and ’90s were dark times for the Trojans.
Like anything else, the conference is cyclical. Heck, WSU won the conference — twice — during the early part of the century and had top 10 finishes three years in a row. And 80% of the conference’s teams went to a Rose Bowl between 1993 and 2003 (UA went 10-1 one year but lost to UW and Cal was robbed of an appearance by Texas in ’04).
Agreed. It's all cyclical
I keep accidentally eating my pets. Maybe I should get something less appetizing, like a cat instead of a Twinkie.
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
Like TCU & BYU I think we'll have a few rivalries to look forward to.
Something with CU would be nice but they feel a bit like WYO at this point… USC however feels more like BYU. I think because we start the P-12 with USC, it’s a huge game, and it’s at SC. If we come out and win it not only will it set the tone for the season will more than guarantee that it will be ON next year at RES (and so on and so on…). SC is cocky, they have owned their conference, they’re the pre-madonna, they have the history and they are the ones to beat.
As long as we play BYU ( the old nemesis) we’ll have CU (Braty little sister) and USC (The team to beat) to look forward to. Not to shabbie! It’s a great time to be a Ute!
I am a Utah Man sir... I will be till I die.
I think USC and UCLA will not be our rivals...
even though important games will sometimes be on the line in the south division. Those will be important games to me, but I will never consider them as a rival.
I think the new P12 teams that have rival potential are from the mountain desert region. The teams that would join the Utes going east if there were ever a PAC 16.
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
The California Schools and Pacific Northwest schools already have there regional rivalries. It’s time to build ours.
"From the end spring new beginnings." - Pliny the Elder
The best way to build rivalries...
..is to go out there and win. That’s how the rivalry with TCU formed, was we were always competing for the MWC champion.
Utah need not worry about a rivalry with CU, or the AZ schools, or any other school in the conference that we are soon to control.
All we need to worry about is going out there and winning. The rivalries will follow.
"...the conference that we are soon to control."
Wow. I wish I shared that confidence. I’m saying that we will lose to two of the following: Stanford, USC and Oregon, and that we’ll beat Arizona and Washington, but they’ll be tougher than expected. I think that within 3 years, Utah will prove to be of the ruling class in Pac-12, but only as one of the perennial top 3 in the conference, not necessarily the top dog. Then again, the Utes proved me wrong in tough match-ups before, perhaps they will do so again with an explosive grand entrance season. Here’s hoping!
I will bet a million dollars that we don't lose to Stanford and Oregon.
This bet stands for both 2011 and 2012.
"From the end spring new beginnings." - Pliny the Elder
What if we lose to Stanford one year and Oregon another?
However slim the probabilities, that could theoretically happen if Utah won the south both years, Stanford and Oregon each won the north one of those years, and Utah lost in both conference championship games. What odds are you giving? If it’s a million to one, I’ve got a buck I’d wager.
I keep accidentally eating my pets. Maybe I should get something less appetizing, like a cat instead of a Twinkie.
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
we do not play stanford and oregon next year. i saved that person 1 million dollars.
Anderson Silva would never fight "Bones". He is too scared to fight the real P4P champion. Nick Diaz, the man who will prove to the MMA world that he is the best WW in the world. Still public enemy #1 and enjoying every minute of it.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jun 7, 2011 4:32 PM MDT up reply actions
we could meet in the pac-12 cg though.
Anderson Silva would never fight "Bones". He is too scared to fight the real P4P champion. Nick Diaz, the man who will prove to the MMA world that he is the best WW in the world. Still public enemy #1 and enjoying every minute of it.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jun 7, 2011 4:33 PM MDT up reply actions
I have to chime in here too
I think Utah can do well in the conference. Emphasis on can. “Control?” That’s a mighty strong word, in my opinion, one I don’t think applies (or will apply) to any team in the Pac-12 over an extended period of time.
I keep accidentally eating my pets. Maybe I should get something less appetizing, like a cat instead of a Twinkie.
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
by CrimsonUte on Jun 6, 2011 4:52 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Already Started
I work pretty closely with EPA Region-8 HQ which is located in Denver and obviously has a lot of CU Alum working there. We have already started smack talking via emails and during conference calls.
I think the rivalry will come along fine. It is won’t be anything like The Holy War, because the air of superiority isn’t there the way it is with Y fans, but a could healthy rivalry will emerge.
Also, there is no question we have better snow. You also don’t have to drive two hours from the major city to get to it.
Hmm...
“It is won’t be anything like The Holy War, because the air of superiority isn’t there the way it is with Y fans.”
You sure about that? I think you’ll be surprised. I’m pretty sure CU fans don’t see us as being on their same level. They see us as the mid-major, local yokel, little bros who should be so lucky to play “big time” football on the same field with them.
I’m not saying every, single individual Buff fan is a d-bag. On the contrary. But overall, I’m surprised so many Ute fans give Buff and other PAC 12 fan bases such a pass. I think you’re in for a real awakening about exactly how we’re seen by the rowdier and more opinionated set from he other schools. It’s not big deal, but it ain’t all “roses” either.
by fountainofute on Jun 6, 2011 10:12 AM MDT up reply actions
Swagger
There might be some fan swagger and a sense we are the country mouse cousin, but I doubt any of them think we going to suffer in the afterlife because of our alma-matre.
I think Colorado will suffer in the afterlife.
They do things like start a crack baby league. Then treat the crack babies like slaves with no pay.
Eff you and the buffalo you rode in on.
by daedalus17 on Jun 10, 2011 11:38 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
ESPN
I’m sure you already know but just in case, you earned yourself a spot in the lunch links in the Pac-12 blog. Nice article Jazzy
I grew up 2 blocks from the UofU and have always been a diehard fan. I ended up going to CU to college though. With that being said I’m feeling a little bittersweet about this whole deal. I’m a Ute fan first and foremost and am hoping to see them win the PAC south this year, and I am also excited that the Buffs will be making appearances in SLC in the future, even if it means getting it handed to them by the UTES! Feel free to lambast me for not rooting for the school I attended lol.
As for the CU-NE rivalry… its very one sided, and I don’t think it can be called a real ‘rivalry" Nebraska is colorado’s nemesis and rival.. but it was common knowledge when I was at CU that as far as Nebraska was concerned we were just another school they had to play in conference. As was already mentioned… Oklahoma is the true rival of Nebraska.
by tacoman on Jun 6, 2011 12:43 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
I'm not sure why the author had to resort to Nuggets-Jazz
when CU and Utah have played 57 times already. In the 2nd to last game (1961), Utah upset Colorado to basically ruin a National Championship season. Sure, few of us are old enough to remember, but the history is there.
Truth is, Utah should feel extremely lucky to be in the Pac 12, and extremely lucky to be paired with Colorado. Utah has no history except since 2003, and Colorado, for people who can’t remember more than 5 years (when they hired Hawkins), has a great history, including being an elite program in the ‘90s. If you’re young and stupid, that may not mean much to you, but if you know you’re history, you know that great programs go through funks all the time (Texas in the ’90s, USC in the ’80s and ’90s, Alabama ’90s, etc). Colorado will snap out of it and start pounding people again.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
See, we’re rivals already!
I keep accidentally eating my pets. Maybe I should get something less appetizing, like a cat instead of a Twinkie.
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
Preach it brother
I cant wait till the Ute’s get their humble pie in a big boy conference.
Glory, Glory Colorado, and Long live Jon Embree!
"It's like an owl without a graduation cap; Heartbreaking!!" -Tracy Jordan
I'd rather have a glossy present..
Than a storied history. Case in point, Utah basketball sure has a ton of history, but their present is in shambles. I prefer the football situation by far.
Colorado should consider themself lucky...
To serve as the Utah Whipping boy.
Eff you and the buffalo you rode in on.
by daedalus17 on Jun 10, 2011 11:31 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
I see what you did there
Well played sir.
"It's like an owl without a graduation cap; Heartbreaking!!" -Tracy Jordan
we are bringing in donna rice as honorary cheerleader the first time we play you.
hope she still looks kinda good?
Anderson Silva would never fight "Bones". He is too scared to fight the real P4P champion. Nick Diaz, the man who will prove to the MMA world that he is the best WW in the world. Still public enemy #1 and enjoying every minute of it.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jun 7, 2011 4:37 PM MDT up reply actions
Fluffers
Colorado has never been Nebraska’s rival. Colorado State is Colorado’s rival. The best part about the move to the Pac-12 is that Colorado now has to try and apply all of their old lame, delusional logic to a new conference of equals. No more “we have mountians” and “we’re a great academic school”. Guess what…no one cares. Play football. Oh yeah, that’s right…you suck. Utah, don’t let Colorado designate you as a rival without really good cause. If they beat you once in 20 year…IT’S A RIVALRY!!! You can’t lay it to rest. They’ll never shut-up about it. I’m sure they’ll trump something up. They love to make-up rivalries. Have fun! Don’t let anyone slash your camper tires or throw piss on you as you try and enjoy a game in Boulder. Colorado…what a joke.
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