I play pickup ball three times a week. I'm the only BYU fan, mostly Aggie fans, but two Ute fans in the group. Genuinely pretty decent guys, although they both take extra joy in guarding me.

I never bring up the rivalry, but don't back down from the trash talk if they bring it up. I always keep it jovial. At the beginning of the season, the topic came up, so I asked one of the Ute fans how he felt about joining the Big XII.

Him: I feel like it's a step down, but better than nothing.

Me: *smiling and nodding*

Him: You don't think that it's a step down?

Me: I don't know. I guess we'll see. *praying earnestly for a Ute dumpster fire season*

Fast forward to the season. A few mentions after the first couple of games. Then radio silence after Utah drops their first game. Nothing after the BYU game, but guess what happened on Monday.

Him: How about those Cougars?