Rivalry Week.

It's my favorite week of the year. BYU vs Utah. The game isn't until next week, but the games have begun.

You see, my LDS singles ward is having a "Turkey Bowl" game tomorrow afternoon. The Game will be split between the Utes and the Cougars.

The smack talk has been floating around the e-mail list all week. Here's some samples (names have been removed to protect the innocent).

SW: It's time to put away petty concerns because it's time for the annual rivalry.....BYU? or UTAH?
It's time to put your body where your mouth is and come out for our Turkey Bowl 2005!!
In preparation for the November 19th showdown we will have our own....U-G-L-Y you don't have an alibi. Your ugly, yaaa your ugly!
Don't be sad don't be blue Frankenstein was ugly too.
Come on out with your cheering section because we all know those little rhymes warm your heart to hear.

SW again: You know Cougar fans, the Prophet and a majority of the Apostles are Utes. Another Prophet founded the U of U in 1860.
Get 'er done.
See ya Saturday.

BA (me) after giving a weather report: noon temps will be 49, with a 10 mph wind blowingstriaght off the Great Salt Lake. So, come prepared. Layer, Layer, Layer, but make sure you can still move. Remember, the more fashionable you are, the lessTurkey-Bowl ready you are.Oh, and if you're a good football player, wear red. Everyone else can wear blue.....

JE (notice the first word is a typo...): Where your true colors (of course they're blue andwhite) and be ready to show off your cheerleading skills!!I found these quotes from an article on one of Utah University's websites it was written in 2003 by a BYU student. I thought it was veryappropriate for the BIG ward GAME on Saturday. It was titled "The Utes Are Good? I guess There is a First Time forEverything""Ugly. That's really the only way to describe the way BYU has ownedUtah in the last 30 years of The Holy War.That's because since 1973, the Cougars are 22-8 against the Utes.That's football's equivalent of a backhand slap.As you consider that sublime statistic, the vicious case of Little ManSyndrome that plagues Ute players and fans is understandable. They'rebasically Milhouse to BYU's Bart.Having slipped into that position, Utah's seasons are now made orbroken by BYU (although mostly the latter in recent history). Fans andplayers are unable to enjoy any other successes or accept any otherfailures.In Ute country, BYU is the season. Without Utah, BYU would be out agood rivalry game. Without BYU, Utah would be out a reason to live.See the behavior of the Ute community if you need proof. They beginrunning their mouths about the game before the season starts, and theycome to the game armed with snowballs, beer cans or any otherprojectile they can find to hurl at anything wearing blue. If theycan't find anything, they roam the venue looking for random fights....Because it[BYU] dominated Utah and the conference for so long, now thatBYU is having a bad streak, the Utes and the rest of the conferencehave developed a "Kick the bully while he's down" mentality...It's OK,though. Granted, this has been a difficult season, but we know thatthis too shall pass because BYU football has something Utah doesn't:tradition....."If you would like to see the whole article do a search on google forthe title "The Utes Are Good? I guess There is a First Time forEverything"

RJ (to be fair, he also has a glaring typo...): hope everyone comes on Saturday....because we know all the realathletes in the ward are Ute fans. I would like to thank Mr. [JE] for his warped history on this historic rivalry....unfortunately,Mr. [E] has a brief memory. Utah has dominated this rivalry for allbut a brief 20 years (from 1973 to 1993), of course these are the onlyyears Mr [E] brings up. I would like to give you the real numbers(because there is too much false information out there).The rivalry started in 1922 and BYU didn't win a game until 1942 (beingshut out 10 of the first 20 encounters). Of the first 40 meetings, BYUonly managed to win 4 of them.Utah continued to dominate until 1972 when BYU got a young coach inLavell Edwards. He turned the tide and over the next 20 years therivalry was in BYU's favor. Then Utah started to resurge in 1993 andhas won 8 of the last 12 meetings. This indicates that not only hasUtah dominated the overall series, but the recent history as well.Not including the drubbings BYU Academy took prior to 1922, Utah owns a50-31-4 record against Cougars. That's not too bad BYU fans....Imean, your team wins 36% of the time. Somehow Mr. [E] thinks thisnumber represents a large majority. I guess I'd have to take astatistics course at the University down south to figure that one out.Unfortunately for BYU fans, the 20 years they were actually competitivein this rivalry are over. Lavell Edwards is gone and so is themystique. Gary Crowton failed and your first choice for a new coachpicked the Utes....tough times.I can't wiat until basketball season, did you know that BYU holds therecord for the school with the most NCAA Tournament apperances withoutgetting past the third round?I guess there's always mens volleyball.