Except—if you search the newspapers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and California—you learn that the reason the Cougars were not the preferred team from Utah is because BYU is not a research “university,” it concentrates on undergraduate degrees, it has a lousy reputation nationally and it doesn’t bring the Mountain time-zone TV market to the table any more than Utah does.
And does anyone remember the article in Sports Illustrated some years ago about BYU being the most hated school in America?
The Utes have proven themselves athletically, but also academically. Utah has a Nobel Prize winner, BYU doesn’t. Utah has the medical school that invented the artificial heart, BYU doesn’t. Utah has a real law school, BYU turns out a bunch of lawyers. Do I have to explain the difference?
It is not about Sunday. It’s about everyday.
Oh, and don’t forget that Mormons are spending millions of dollars to hate gay people, especially in California. That was a factor, and BYU really messed up on that.
The Big 12 has Baylor, which was forced on them, and they don’t want or need another religious school that can’t compete at their level. A Google search came up with one article that had an official from an Oklahoma school saying that if the Big 12 wanted back into the Mountain time zone, they might look at Air Force, BYU or New Mexico, but he doubted it.
Congratulations, Cougars! You are now as appealing to the Big 12 as New Mexico! Enjoy your stay in the MWC, and hope (pray) that they don’t kick you out, and you end up back in the WAC!
Jeff Stickley
Murray
Black Mamba - I never attended either BYU or the U of U so I'm not a fair judge of what goes on in their classrooms. My wife went to the U and said their were some classes she liked and others she did not.
I try not to take the whole BYU/Utah rivalry all that serious either. My only issue is Jeff's double standard in attacking people's immature, ignorant comments by making his own immature, ignorant comments.
I guess nobody's perfect.
Jeff’s letter has a lot of good points, but unfortunately, he clouds his comments with enough arrogant cheap shots that it makes it hard to tell if he’s more interesting building up the U of U or tearing down BYU.
It would be silly, if not flat out ignorant, to dismiss any school of higher learning in the state of Utah as lousy. It is true that the University of Utah has one of the top medical schools, law schools and business schools in the country, but does that somehow make programs offered at BYU, Utah State or Weber State illegitimate? I personally don’t think so.
Jeff dismisses BYU’s law school by saying, “BYU turns out a bunch of lawyers.” Well, according to top-law-schools.com BYU’s law school ranks 42nd in the country, just ahead of the University of Florida and the University of Maryland. Along with that BYU’s business school, according to U.S. News and World Reports, ranks 33rd in the country. True, BYU doesn’t have a medical school, but to dismiss or ridicule its other programs smacks of ignorance.
As a side note, I wonder if Jeff is proud of the fact the University of Utah has distinguished alumni such as LDS Church president Thomas S. Monson and first counselor Henry B. Eyring? Just curious.
I could understand why BYU’s religious affiliation would hinder their chances of getting into the PAC-10, which again is another reason why comparing BYU to the U of U is almost apples and oranges. Each school has a different focus and different rules and standards. Some might say one is better than the other, but that’s their opinion.
Jeff finishes his letter by saying, “Enjoy your stay in the MWC, and hope (pray) that they don’t kick you out, and you end up back in the WAC!”
Is this comment based on some inside information about the Mountain West Conference wanting to throw out one of its top three schools, or is it just Jeff’s parting cheap shot at a school he clearly despises? I’m guessing the latter.
Jeff, you said in one comment, "They all hate, but they can't debate."
But then you turn around and make childish comments like, "When what you're being tought is Jr. High level stuff, everyone gets an, "A". Oh, you're from, BYU. I'll type slower."
Also, "You folks who live on, Planet Kolob (Utah County)?"
And, "I understand an archiology professor down there just unearthed a, "McNephi's" double cheesburger wrapper in Belize, proving the, Book of Mormon's value as a history text."
In a nutshell, you claim the higher ground of debate, but when anyone points out something which doesn't fit exactly with the claims in your "letter to the editor", you attack them the same immature matter you accuse others of attacking you.
I LOVE the HATE from the, "But Your Uneducated" crowd! I'm a douch bag? Really? They all hate, but they can't debate! They don't counter my arguments, they just make up shit, and expect us to believe it. While I'm enjoying the sun shine and beaches, you, "cougars" will be in, Laramie in November. My wife, a BYU graduate, who grew up in, "The Bay Area" is looking forward to our trips there every year to see the Utes play at Stanford, or Cal. This is great for the whole STATE of UTAH. You folks who live on, Planet Kolob (Utah County)? Not so much. Call me everything in the book you can think of. I don't care. We are SO over you!
Wow....... all I can say is wow..... This dude obviously has no idea of anything about anything other than what has been diluded in the Ute culture about being the premiere school! HAHAHAHA! Jeff, I beg of you, for your own safety and health, become a computer nerd cuz you will get crushed if you stay this one-way sports fan. HAHAHA! Again.... wow.