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BYU and Arizona State compete during a game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
The Utah Utes are BYU’s biggest football rival, and probably will be until the end of time. The Cougars’ controversial 22-21 win in Salt Lake City and Utah athletic director Mark Harlan’s “stolen from us” rant on Nov. 9 only added fuel to the bonfire.
Utah State is also on the list, although with no future games scheduled, that rivalry could be dying on the vine. Boise State emerged as a bona fide rival when BYU went independent in 2011 and scheduled a 12-game series with the Broncos that couldn’t be completed when the Cougars headed off to the Big 12.
It’s early, but Baylor could surface as BYU’s next big rival; both sides seem to want that, although forced, contrived rivalries never seem to get as heated as those sprouted naturally.
So who’s next? Which western school, or Big 12 brother, could step in and fill the void as BYU’s secondary rival?
Could it be Arizona State?
The elements are seemingly in place for a BYU-ASU rekindling of a rivalry that was beginning to burn a bit when the Cougars and Sun Devils were together in the Western Athletic Conference from 1965 to 1977, a rivalry the Devils dominated until they bolted for the Pac-10 in 1978.
Saturday’s Big 12 showdown in Tempe, a truly momentous matchup (1:30 p.m. MST, ESPN) for both nationally ranked programs, could be the spark that alights the combustion. A berth in the Big 12 conference championship game Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas, is likely at stake, although it could get complicated with tiebreakers and whatnot.
“The one thing I would say is if you have tickets and you are an ASU fan, make sure they go to ASU fans, right?”
ASU coach Kenny Dillingham
Arizona State (8-2, 5-2) enters as a 3.5-point…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/long-lost-rivalry-renewed-momentous-040000509.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-11-20 04:00:00
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