Few years.

Not even two years ago they played in the Rose Bowl (and lost, thankfully). But still. Their program seemed like it had arrived.

Fast forward a few months and USC and UCLA announce they're leaving the P12 for the B1G. Washington and Oregon follow suit. The "left-behinds" in the P12 scramble to find a new home. The B12 reaches out to take the four corner schools. They all scoff at it and try to hold on but realize they have no choice. Utah does the most kicking and screaming led by AD Harlan who refuses to see reality "give me a break", and continuously makes a fool of himself and the university.

Led by Pigbus and Utah GM, Ute social media has a colossal meltdown about joining the "truckstop / flyover" conference. They then alienate the entire B12 fanbase faster than Whittingham can compliment a woman wearing leather pants. Nevertheless, they begrudgingly join with their noses plugged, but promise to be running the conference for a few seasons before being off to the inevitable B1G invite. They are then SHOCKED at how much every school hates them and think it's because BYU fans have poisoned the well.

Cam Rising holds Ute NIL hostage all of last season. They play the pig farmer at QB and finish middle of the PAC (pun intended), lose three of their last four (including a blowout to AZ), and lose their bowl game to Northwestern (A Utah tradition unlike any other). Cam doesn't play at all and dries up the Ute NIL.

They come into their first year of B12 play embracing the role of conference villain. Cam is back! They talk all sorts of trash. They start off 4-0 and go into Stillwater and knock off a ranked Ok St. team. Karma then rears its ugly head and they lose their next seven games, finish near the bottom of the league, don't qualify for a bowl, and lose to BYU on their home field for the first time since 2006. Their AD literally walks onto the field DURING the game to yell at the refs and then embarrasses himself and the school (yet again) by complaining about how the game was stolen and how he doesn't want to be in the conference anymore. He is fined by the B12.

During this same period, many massive BYU donors who had been dormant, rise like a phoenix from the ashes, led by Ryan Smith. BYU starts landing incredible basketball recruits, poaches Burgess and Keita from Utah, lands Demin and Catchings, and this week lands the #1 high school recruit in Dybansta, while Utah fans are crying foul and asking about how "tithing money can pay for recruits".

Utah's entire QB room hits the exit, including Wilson to BYU.

Meanwhile, Utah fans scream and cry foul as they can see that their 10+ year advantage from being in the P12 has vanished like a fart in the wind, and with NIL, they realize they are now at a disadvantage. They are like the warden on Shawshank Redemption, staring into the hole in the wall and wondering how BYU escaped from its Indy-cell to best them in short order. It's almost too glorious to believe.