There are fans, like me, that K-12 grew up watching independent BYU. My first childhood memory of the rivalry was staying up with my dad watching the 2010 game. The next decade was miserable.

For the next 9 years I listened to Utah fans (I went to school in SLC) talk about how they were better than BYU in so many ways due to their P5 inclusion, PAC12 conference titles, recruiting, NFL picks, and ultimately backing it up by winning 9 straight on the field. It was demoralizing. I remember being so disheartened as a child. The hardest season I personally experienced was 2017 when I was in HS. My dad frequently reminded me that this was cyclical, and BYU would one day perform at the levels they did in their glory years (hard to see at the time if I must admit).

This generation of fans of course lived but didn't experience the lows like the Crowton scandals or Mendenhall growing pains. We also didn't experience great highs like Beck to Harline. We experienced peaking Utah and BYU lost in the wilderness (although some flashes occurred like Nebraska/Boise Hail Marys, 2018 Wisconsin, 2019 Tennessee/USC, etc). Our only comfort was YouTube highlights of phenomenal teams of days past.

However, 2020 was the first time in my lifetime I witnessed BYU football as you all experienced it in the 1980s, 1990s, and some of the 2000s. Sure it was a cupcake schedule, but winning never felt so good. Just like 2017 was a terrible year, 2021 was an amazing year to be a BYU student. To finally beat Utah and then smack the PAC12 in the mouth by beating ASU, WSU, and USC. It was an incredible year.

So while I am extremely nervous about this game (battered fan syndrome), I have great confidence in this squad. Unlike winning against WAC competition in their golden age, this is winning against P4 competition. Something I didn't expect based on last year's results. The team is obviously hungry and ready to prove a point.

There is a cohort of us that want this game so badly because we've never experienced a win at RES. The 2010s generation of upcoming fans have yet to experience a win at RES and I hope this to be the first we experience (of many 😉 ).

21-17 BYU

(Hope I didn't jinx us)