If BYU is good, the rivalry intensity will not drop. We cannot have it both ways. Thats how its been my entire short life and I can't imagine it changes anytime soon. Lets step back and look at things from a high level.

The last 10 years have been relatively calm as far as the rivalry goes. Within the last 5 years we have been involved in CB discussions about how long BYU football would even exist for. With growing disparity, paying players emerging as a reality, massive investments required in coaches and facilities most of us believed it was only a matter of time before BYU went FCS, ended the program, joined a G5 or broke of entirely from the current system along with other G5 indpendents, service academies, religious schools, etc.. I mean, some people still actually think one of those may still be coming although thats an incredibly small minority now. If most of us were thinking those were legitimate options, just imagine what Utah fans were thinking? They have been watching BYU die a slow death for over a decade and it was finally within grasp.

Fast forward just a few years, BYU has done the exact opposite projected by the armchair ADs. They jumped into NIL headfirst, joined a P4, gave every coach a massive pay boost, dumped millions into facilities, game day production, marketing, video and social media content, new coaches and support staff for the flagship programs.

Honor code enforcement has come back down to earth and the university now seems to understand its 2024 and making a black athlete shave their dreadlocks isn't necessary or a good look. Whatever method Lavell used to enforce the honor code seems to be 100% back in effect under Kalani and BYU athletics are set up for current and long term success in a way no one would have believed just a few years ago.

Does anyone really think all that can happen and the rivalry temperature is just going to cool down? Heavens no. Utah is pissed. From their admin to the coaches and all the way down to the youngest fan. BYU football and basketball are cool again and are currently the class of the state of Utah. That 10 year streak is gone and even worse, the Utah dominance has little hope of returning. Thats not to say Utah will not always be competitive, but they do not have any tangible advantages over BYU anymore nor do they have any hope to gain one anytime soon. Billionaires are dumping cash into Provo and BYU is winning games. BYU didnt just poke a hornets nest by going all in on athletics, they freaking smashed it with a baseball bat. These next few years may be some of the nastiest BYU Utah games seen in decades.