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A big rally is under way this morning at the University of Utah ahead of the most important rivalry game between Utah and BYU in years.
Everybody at the rally is fired up for tomorrow's game. Emily Bryson says, look out, BYU.
"Cougars should be scared to come down to Salt Lake this weekend," she said. She predicts a score of "35 to 3 because they're just going to get like a field goal because that's all they're good enough to get."
But we did find some people with split allegiance at the U. One student said, "BYU's definitely a better team. They win by wide margins, not last-minute comebacks."
Meanwhile, campus police are gearing up for a busy weekend.
As intense as the rivalry normally is between Utah and BYU, some say it's enhanced even more this year because of all that's at stake.
On campus today it's business as usual, but that will take a dramatic turn come Saturday. Police Sgt. Arb Nordgren says it doesn't matter what's all at stake; in his years of covering the rivalry games, they're always intense.
So far this year, there have been few if any pregame problems.
"It kind of goes in cycles. We might have maybe one or two years, then it'll die off," Nordgren said.
There will be more officers on hand this weekend, but Nordgren says that's typical anytime BYU and Utah play.
The rivalry has an impressive history that goes back almost a century. The Utes and the Cougars have met 83 times since the first official meeting in 1922. Utah dominated the rivalry until 1965 when the Cougars began to hold the advantage. Since 1965, BYU has been 28-14 against the Utes.
For the second straight week, Utah is ranked No. 7 in both the USA Today Coaches' Poll and the BCS standings; that's their best BCS standing since the 2004 Utes climbed to No. 6.
The Utes are 11-0 for just the second time in school history and can tie the school record of 12-0 with a win.
If the Cougars take a win over the Utes, it would put a major dent into their perfect record. It would also mean that the Cougars could claim a piece of the Mountain West Conference title.
Tonight at 6:30 on KSL TV 5, we will have an entire 30 minutes dedicated to this rivalry.
Kickoff is tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game is sold out, but you can hear it on KSL Newsradio 102.7FM/1160 AM, or it will be televised on The Mtn.
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