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A toast to a new era in the Holy War


Times they are a changin'.

In the wake of all the Holy War hoopla- which has stirred up many-a-debate-, we've come to see just
how much it means to folks around here, judging by the fire-storm of debate taking place.

Some have taken the stance that the game is no longer necessary, and that it's a ceremonious gesture
at best, going forward. Per usual, others have begged for it to stick around annually, with cries of tradition
and history at the heart of their arguments. There is no apparent general consensus on the matter it seems
from either side, but just about everyone has an opinion on it.

Personally, I'd like to see it played annually. However, I think this is a beneficial move for Utah moving
forward.

Opinions on the topic are rather revealing reflections as to what, you, as a fan, value most. Practical
formality for old time's sake versus radical change at the expense of a storied rivalry- temporarily, of
course.

There is a certain portion of both fan-bases that would like to keep playing each other simply to beat
the other. This fan's season starts and ends with the Holy War, with their measuring stick for success
being how they performed against their hated rival. The Holy War may be the only game they watch
all season long- with any true conviction, at least. It's not a bad thing. After all, they're fans too.

And with that said, we, as fans, can criticize the move, praise the move, but most importantly, it is
our duty to understand the move. There is a false perception floating around that by Utah not scheduling
TDS for a couple of seasons, it now means that Utah is "beyond" the TDS. Well, yes and no.

Utah is now beyond the Mountain West, yes. But so is the TDS. With Utah's new marriage to the
Pac-12, it brought a lot of new, previously unattainable, opportunities. Like, I don't know, scheduling
Michigan for example. It's not like Utah is saying: "Yeah, you know that thing we've been doing for the
past 100 years? That annual game we play? That was so last century and we're moving on from that in
a hurry."

What they're saying is: Look, when we were in the Mountain West, it was difficult to schedule quality
OOC opponents. Now, we have that luxury in our new-found conference and we're going to test the waters
of college football for a little.

Is that too much to ask?

Isn't there more to college football- and Ute football- than the Holy War? Certainly, it's an important
game- I won't undersell that- but one game should never outweigh the rest of the season. Ever. Nor
should one game ever be bigger than the schools themselves.

In the end, I think Utah made the right move in taking some time off. Sure, we'll be answering to TDS
vigilantes for some time about all of this, but that will only add to the buzz when play resumes. Come to
think of it, the intensity level of this year's game has been cranked up a few notches in the past several
days. Tension is at an all-time high. Next year's contest can only add to that high-water mark, as both
teams will be extra gung-ho to get the last word before the hiatus. The hype-machine for 2016 will be
on full-blast by the time it finally comes.

A juicy wrinkle has been added to the rivalry. It actually got better by this, contrary to the popular
belief that it will suffer from a pause in action.

It's sparked new story-lines, new sub-plots, a new benchmark, and a new era in the Holy War. This
couldn't have been better timed or better planned by the U. Nice work Mr. Hill.

It'll be interesting to see how the next five years go for both the Utes and Cougars. It could be quite
defining for either. Stacked head-to-head against one another, and I'll say the Utes will emerge in a
better overall position than the Cougars five years from now.

Here's to a bright and exciting future for Utah Football and it's incumbent rivalry game- even if it isn't
played annually anymore.

Cheers.

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