Although I agree that Cougar fans should be better representatives of the Church and its standards, even at football games, I do not agree that no good comes from playing the Utes. Reasons were brought up in the letter that I do not agree with at all, or have simple explanations for.
The letter said the game has no national championship implications. However, both teams have not been national-championship-caliber teams the last few years. Once both teams are playing at a higher level, it will have greater implications.
The letter also addressed the referees. They were given such a hard time partly because of their performance the week before. The crew refereeing our game was the same crew that refereed the Arizona State-Wisconsin game. That game will most likely be the most controversial game this season. The refs had a poor performance during the ASU-Wisconsin game and had a poor performance during the BYU-Utah game.
The rivalry between BYU and Utah is one of the oldest in the country. It would be a shame to cancel the rivalry. In a college football world that is becoming more about money, rivalries are beginning to vanish. With conference realignments that are still occurring, old rivalries will not be played anymore. Now that Texas A&M is in the SEC, Texas A&M and Texas will rarely play each other. We need to try to preserve our rivalry.
We need to keep the rivalry with Utah alive for the fans and players. A rivalry game has an environment like none other for fans. It is a special game each season. The same holds true for players and brings out the best in them. From my experience of playing football, no game means more than your rivalry game. The rest of your season could be a failure, but if you beat your rival, the season is a success.
The Utah game is the most anticipated game of the season for BYU fans. This year, people were lining up the night before to get good seats. We need to preserve this rivalry for fans and players. Some good does come from playing the Utes.
David Daniel
Apex, N.C.
