DICKSON: While part of me is excited about BYU and Utah back in the same conference and likely playing every year, I also dread the nastiness that passes for social media between the two fan bases and sometimes even the players.

It’s not everybody. There are actually civil discourses online (I’ve seen them). But there is an element on both sides of the red and blue line where fans go too far.

Glover’s comments are silly to me, especially considering he has barely played this year. But it does illustrate how the two programs take different approaches to the game. Utah’s approach seems to be based on disdain and disrespect toward BYU and the Cougars are all saying the right things about how great the Utes are, even if the team on the Hill has lost four straight. Maybe internally, BYU players are dissing the Utes but I don’t think so.

Consider that there are only 17 or 18 players on the Cougars roster that have even been in uniform for a BYU-Utah game. With the Utes, it’s probably even less. I’ll be there are plenty of guys on both sides kind of bewildered, like, “What’s the big deal?” As Kalani Sitake would say, “They’re about to find out.”

LLOYD: Like so many things, it’s a pity that the few who get out of control damage the experience for so many others. Every fanbase has its knuckleheads and neither Utah nor BYU are immune to that.

But most people have a lot of fun with it, including the good-natured teasing or triumphant rubbing it in when their team wins. Then they laugh with their friends and family on the other side and go on with their lives.

This game is — and should be — a big deal. The most prominent college football teams should play each other with something on the line and see who steps up. But it’s about playing a football game, not who can be the snarkiest or rile up the other side.

Most of the athletes I’ve talked to believe the other team is good but really want to beat them, which is basically what Glover was saying. Could he have said it better? Certainly. But everybody on both sides should really want to win this one.

2. What is your most enduring memory of the BYU-Utah football rivalry?

DICKSON: How much a certain Utah SID used to hate us? How far away from Rice-Eccles Stadium they make us park? The worst post-game interview location in all of college football?

OK, so those are negatives. Let’s go positive. I was on the sideline for the “Answered Prayer” from John Beck to Johnny Harline in 2006 in Salt Lake City. I remember turning to my former colleague, Jason Franchuk, and saying, “Are you kidding me? THAT is what we get to write about? THAT play?” There have been plenty of crazy moments in the rivalry and that certainly was one.

LLOYD: The absolute loudest I have ever heard LaVell Edwards Stadium was in 2001. BYU was undefeated and ranked high, but Utah was hungry to spoil everything.

The Cougars rallied from being down in the fourth quarter to take the lead, only to have Utah convert a fourth-and-10 on a tackle-eligible pass and get in position to tie the game or even win in regulation. But when BYU cornerback Jernaro Gilford (now the Cougars cornerbacks coach) stepped in front of a Ute pass and intercepted it to seal the win, the fans went bonkers and were unbelievably deafening.

One of the things that is amazing is how competitive it has been. Since 1993, 2o of the 27 games have been decided by one possession (eight points or less). That makes just about every game fun and exciting — or agonizing, depending on your perspective.

3. Where do you think BYU has the biggest advantage in Saturday’s game at Utah?

LLOYD: I think the most clear-cut edge the Cougars have is their mentality. BYU has a confidence and maturity this year that I haven’t seen from the Utes so far.

The Cougars have battled through adversity and been doubted by outsiders every step of the way, yet have done nothing but win. It hasn’t been always pretty, but this BYU squad believes it will find answers.

That is an approach that pays dividends in a big rivalry game because mistakes will be made. There will be times where players need to dig deep and overcame a tough situation, which I think is something the Cougars are much better equipped to handle this year than Utah is.

DICKSON: I’m maybe taking a flyer, but I want to say BYU wide receivers against Utah defensive backs.

It seems like the Utes have always had a big advantage in the secondary. They play with such physicality on every play the officials don’t dare call them for holding or pass interference.

But I think Darius Lassiter, Chase Roberts and Keelan Marion are really, really good this year. Sure, it’s important for BYU to run the ball but I think Jake Retzlaff is going to hit some big plays to Lassiter, Robert and Marion that will break the Utes backs.

4. Is Egor Demin the best BYU freshman basketball player you’ve ever seen?

DICKSON: It’s only one game, but Demin was spectacular in Game 1. His basketball IQ is really unique.

He may have some games where he only scores four or five points but impacts the outcome with his defense, passing and decision making. Then there will be other games where he will score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds. That’s his superpower: He can impact the game in so many ways.

Another freshman that was great in is debut was Shawn Bradley. I shot video for BYU TV in Bradley’s first game against East Tennessee State back in 1990. The Cougars lost a close one (anybody remember a little dude named Mister Jennings?) but Bradley was awesome with 23 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Sitting courtside and looking up at the 7-foot-6 Bradley is a memory I won’t ever forget.

But Demin? He’s special. BYU has had some good players but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy with the skill set that Demin has shown.

LLOYD: The answer is Demin will be the best Cougar freshman ever, yes*.

I put the asterisk on that for two reasons. First, we never had a chance to see Krešimir Ćosić play as a freshman at BYU, since freshman weren’t allowed to play in varsity games in those days. Many other great Cougar players were similarly limited as freshmen.

Second, Demin isn’t a traditional freshman. He played in 21 games for Real Madrid 2 during 2023-24 Spain EBA season, averaging 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. The quality and skill of competition there, in my opinion, is far more advanced than what most American high school basketball players go up against.

Darnell pointed to one of the few BYU freshmen that Demin will be trying to match in Shawn Bradley, whose height made him a unique player. Although I didn’t see him play, Danny Ainge might be a better comparison. In Ainge’s freshman year in 1977-78, he averaged 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and two steals per game with no 3-point line. We’ll see if Demin can approach those numbers.

5. It appears BYU women’s soccer legend Jennifer Rockwood will take the youngest team she’s ever coached into the post-season. How did she do it?

LLOYD: The first step for Rockwood was capitalizing on the past success of the Cougars to bring in very talented players. Yes, many contributors were forced into more minutes due to injuries, but they came in with skills and athleticism.

And then, has she has done for so many years, Rockwood took them and molded them into a productive unit. It wasn’t a dominant team but she got them to buy into BYU’s brand of soccer and found success doing so.

I don’t know if the Cougars can be consistent enough to put together another run in the NCAA tournament, particularly since they will likely have a tougher path then they’ve had in years past, but it’s a testament to Rockwood and her staff that it’s possible.

DICKSON: The Cougars lost to TCU 2-1 in the Big 12 semifinals but at 9-6-5 with a very strong RPI (No. 24), it would appear BYU will have a good chance at getting into the NCAA Tournament.

Only two starters returned from last year’s squad that made the Final Four. Ellie Walbruch missed the whole season due to a knee injury and Tara Warner’s senior year was also cut short. Rockwood was left with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores that struggled to score and defend for most of the year.

But the Cougars got better and have played their best soccer at the end of the regular season. Rockwood really knows how to get her players to buy into her high-pressure defensive system and that paid dividends late in the year.

You could see the players putting more passes together on offense and controlling the ball. On defense, there was better spacing and aggressiveness. That’s all Rockwood and her staff.

Bonus: What did you think of the initial College Football Playoff rankings that came out on Tuesday?

DICKSON: It’s an interesting moment in college football history since instead of just four teams getting into the College Football Playoffs, 12 teams get in.

Of course, there are still probably just three or four teams that have a realistic chance of winning the title, but at least more teams will get the opportunity to play. And in a one-game setting, anything can happen, right?

As far as the CFP committee, they are still laughably biased toward the old guard. Moreover, their biases toward what was predicted to happen at the beginning of the season is very apparent. If BYU had been picked to finish first in the Big 12 (like Utah) instead of 13th, the Cougars would be much higher than ninth in the initial rankings.

And for the committee to say the “eye test” is what puts teams like Miami ahead of BYU, that’s just ridiculous. As much as college football is changing, some things stay the same.

LLOYD: Adding eight more spots to the College Football Playoff has expanded opportunities but I don’t think it made the committee any smarter, unfortunately.

I’ve never understood how anyone can rationally defend having absurd notions like “the eye test” or “game control” as determining factors in how teams should be ranked. I’ve been to enough magic shows to know that my eyes deceive me all the time, while it’s just stupid to think that the games should be broken into pieces instead of taken as a whole (i.e. the first five minutes of a game shouldn’t be more important than a five-minute stretch in the third quarter).

What I find to be the most disappointing, though, is that the committee clearly is too intimidated by the Big 10 and SEC, as well as tradition to a lesser extent. It’s pity that they can’t be more logical and results-based.