If you were to ask USC fans if Utah was a rival the vast majority of them would say no. But what is a rival? Can schools have more than one? Utah, for example, is not USC's rival in the same way that Notre Dame or UCLA are. But having observed USC fan behavior over the last 4 years in person, the Utah game had become more than just any other game to them. And losing to Utah cut deep, deeper than losing your typical game. Does that make Utah a rival? Maybe not. But at some point we are arguing about definitions and not the intensity of the actual relationship.

As far as Oregon and Washington go, its a mixed bag. I have a fair amount of interactions with Washington fans. They are very complimentary of Utah, its coaches, its program and its fans. More than a few have told me that they believe Utah should be in the B1G and want them there sooner rather than later. My interaction with Oregon fans is more limited but it is similar, although not quite as prominent. I think outside of the Arizona schools, the PAC fanbases generally had very favorable opinions of Utah. But both of those schools have a fair amount of BYU fans in their mix. Also, as a Utah fan I remember very clearly the AZ school fans (not to mention former coaches) telling us that Utah would NEVER compete or win the PAC 12. I am okay not liking them and them not liking us.