Rival is what they are basing this on? Isn’t it just aided by the fact that the two didn’t maintain any old WAC rivalries, didn’t develop any Pac 12 rivalries, weren’t good enough for decades for people to lose to and therefore hate them, and have no other FBS teams in the state?
All it means is they have no one else to hate so they focus all their hate on each other?
Like if Iowa and Iowa State were in the same conference, of course they’d both hate each other more than anyone else. It doesn’t mean people are going to tune in that weren’t already gonna watch their team.