Hey guys I need to get something off my chest so I appreciate you hearing me out for a minute. Sorry to hijack your celebration but I hope you will take the time to read this. I have not been on here for many years. So long I couldn't remember my password. I used to pop in now and then over from the old Ute Nation message board which is no longer around.

I am a lifelong Utah fan, my Dad graduated from Utah so he began taking me to games WAY back in the old Rice stadium around 1992. I loved the Ron McBride/LaVell years and everything they shared. This rivalry has been a ton of fun throughout the years. As a Utah fan it was obviously fun to win during that long ridiculous winning streak we will probably never see again from either side. Back in those days, I felt these two fan bases had more in common than they didn't. There were really great people on both sides and yes I know there still is but something has changed. Last night as I sat in the seats I have had for 20 years in RES I saw more vitriol from both sides than I ever remember in the past. Plenty of it was from my own fan base and it was embarrassing so this caused a ton of self-reflection. How do I feel about BYU fans?

First, let me say something. I was absolutely embarrassed by what the Utah AD Mark Harlan said after the game. Completely inappropriate. It doesn't matter how questionable the call is. Life isn't always fair. That call could go both ways. That being said we should blame our offense. If you score any points in the half it does not matter what the refs do either way. Sometimes you just have to take the L like a man. Plenty of times those calls have gone Utah's way in this rivalry. Next, I just want to say that at times I don't like the way I feel about BYU fans I will be brutally honest. There have been times I find myself buying into the hateful rhetoric. The way this rivalry has gone lately with fans attacking each other and conference realignment etc has me reflecting on why. I am a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have so many amazing friends and neighbors who are BYU fans and I love and respect them. We get along great in most areas of life so why do I find myself at times feeling the way I do and is it worth it? When I reflect and dig deep I respect you guys so much. At a religious, political, and ideological level, I agree with BYU fans more than my own fan base most of the time. While self-reflecting this morning I found I am at times hating people who are just like me. In fact most are more like me than my own fan base. My fan base has turned more liberal and left-thinking than I can ever remember. Sometimes I feel like an outsider among my own people. Will I be changing sides? Never. I am loyal to a fault and will stick with my team and try to make it better from the inside but I do not relate with many of our fans anymore. It absolutely pisses me off when they attack the church. It's stupid and inappropriate. I apologize on behalf of some of those fans who do not know where the line is.

Last, I want to talk about Utah football for just a moment. What hurts most as a Utah fan and moving conferences is the way this program has gone from being highly respected as one that does it right top to bottom to one that looks like a whiney entitled brat top to bottom. It makes me sick. Something happened in a very short time that has to be fixed. I think much of the fault lies on our own fans for being arrogant like USC without the national titles to back it up. So stupid. Some of it also came from the implosion of the PAC 12 which Utah had started to thrive in. Either way, this program needs to make some changes and they better do it fast. A proud program and fan base has looked silly over the past year.

In closing, I just want to say I appreciate you letting me get some things off my chest.I now this was a ramble but I had to say SOMETHING. Congratulations on a great season. It reminds me so much of Utah's 2008 season where everything just seemed to go right. To have a special year you have to have that type of season. These types of seasons are so fun so enjoy the ride. Until next time.

Jon