BYU fans should know that as well, considering some of the bizarre moments over the years in games against Utah and Utah State.

That reality should give Cougar supporters pause as they get ready to see No. 19-ranked BYU host the Aggies at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Thursday night — and if that doesn’t then, a little flashback might.

The year was 2014 and the Cougars were riding high as they got ready to host Utah State.

Led by quarterback Taysom Hill and running back Jamaal Williams, BYU had romped to big wins at UConn and No. 25 Texas, then continued the run with solid home victories over Houston and Virginia. The Cougars had moved up to No. 18 in the Associated Press Polls and were drawing some national buzz.

The Aggies, on the other hand, had been just OK to start the year. They had a nice home win over Wake Forest and had beaten Idaho State, but also had losses at Tennessee and at Arkansas State.

That combination of factors had BYU coming in as a three-touchdown favorite, expected to dominate.

But this was a rivalry game and that wasn’t what happened.

Utah State refused to be intimidated, scoring touchdowns on its first three drives to build a surprising 21-14 lead. Then Hill suffered a fractured left leg late in the second quarter and BYU’s offense never recovered.

The Aggies pulled away to get the 35-20 win, it’s first win in Provo since 1978.

While the 2022 matchup appears to be slightly more in favor of the Cougars (Utah State only has one win and has really struggled in the three losses), history certainly shows that things don’t always go as expected.

That’s certainly a poignant reason for BYU head coach Kalani Sitake and his team to be taking this matchup very seriously.

“It’s a rivalry game and we’re looking forward to having Utah State here in the stadium on Thursday night,” Sitake said during Monday’s teleconference. “Everyone is dangerous when you are in this position. They’re the same team and are coached by the same guys who won the Mountain West last year. They have great effort and you can see it on film. I have a ton of respect for Utah State, for their fans and their football program and their coaches and those players. There scheme works really well for them and they are always dangerous. I’ve played in these types of games before, so I know they are going to bring their best. We need to make sure our best shows up.”

The in-state matchup has a fun added element in the traveling trophy, the Old Wagon Wheel, that goes to the victors. According to BYU, in 1948 the Blue Key fraternities at both institutions came together and created the Old Wagon Wheel trophy to deliver to the winning team each season.

BYU has been able to keep the trophy for most of the last 50 years, going 33-10 against Utah State during that time.

But the winner of the 2022 matchup likely will get to hold onto it for a while without being forced to defend that ownership, since this is the last meeting between the two teams that is currently scheduled.

With BYU joining the Big 12 conference, there are only so many non-conference game opportunities and Sitake knows that. He said he still appreciates when the in-state games take place.

“I love the in-state games,” Sitake said. “We went up there to to Logan last year and that was a cool environment. You see how much the fans love it and love this game. I’m not the guy that does the scheduling. That’s on our administration. But personally I played in this game and I remember being a fan cheering for BYU in these rivalry games. I played in it and now I get to coach in it, and so it’s been a lot of fun.”

Players like Cougar sophomore defensive lineman Tyler Batty agree that in-state games have an extra level of passion and excitement, which make them unique to compete in.

“I think here in Utah we have a lot of good teams between all the universities,” Batty said. “It’s always fun to play in-state rivals. I think that’s something we may miss for a couple of years. I’m a little bit conflicted. You’re bummed because you may not play those teams for a couple of years, but at the same time we’re going into a new era. We will get to play a lot of new teams in the Big 12 and that’s really exciting.”

Whether the two teams are able to work out their schedules to meet again in the future has no bearing on what will happen on Thursday — but both teams definitely want to win.

“I think Utah State will be as good as they were last year,” said Cougar sophomore defensive back Jakob Robinson, who started his career at Utah State before transferring to BYU. “I think they may change things up but their coach will get it together. But we never want to lose the Wheel.”

No. 19 BYU vs. Utah State

TIME:6 p.m. MT

TV:ESPN

WHERE: LaVell Edwards Stadium

THE WORD: This will be the 91st meeting between BYU and Utah State which started in 1922 with the Cougars leading the series, 50-37-3 (28-18-1 in Provo). BYU won the last meeting, a 34-20 victory in Logan in 2021 … the two teams have played for the Old Wagon Wheel trophy since 1948 … the Aggies are 6-64 all time against teams ranked in the Associated Press Poll, including losing at No. 1 Alabama earlier this year. The highest ranked team USU has ever defeated was when BYU was ranked No. 18 in 2014.