that was the Pac-12 staying together was a top priority for Utah...for a whole host of practical reasons. The strategy was...since the Big 12 invitation was always there...Utah should pursue and exhaust all other options that would be preferable before submitting.

That's it. Utah played that to brilliance. Patiently waited and listened to all options from Amazon, Apple, ESPN, whomever...then ultimately joined the Big 12 when it didn't work out.

Any normal person would recognize that as sound strategy.

BYU fans have negative perceptions of Utah and the Pac-12 that are mostly contrived, artificial.

They actually thought the Big 12 would pass up on Utah. It's a strange phenomenon.