SALT LAKE CITY — The BYU-Utah is the most anticipated college football game in the state of Utah. In many respects it has become more than just a game; it's become a part of our culture in Utah.

People, many who aren't even football fans, show their loyalty at work and school by the colors they wear. The creativity of office pranks and neighborhood pranks between fans could only be made possible by the passion conjured up by this 95-year old rivalry.

Not all the events of rivalry weekend have been fun and games, though. Some of the events this week have shown us the ugly side of the rivalry, which has many fans questioning whether the game should be played at all.

On Tuesday, BYU announced that senior linebacker Spencer Hadley was suspended five games for a violation of the school's honor code. On Thursday, reports detailed that the Utah compliance office received an email from a person claiming to be a Utah fan on Monday. The email included a photo of Hadley in a Las Vegas club. The Utah compliance then forwarded that email to BYU compliance.

Hadley was suspended the next day.

On Wednesday, a video posted by Utah running back Lucky Radley on Instagram showed Utah football players supposedly performing a mock baptism, which angered many BYU fans who believed the players were mocking their religion. The video was originally posted in August, but resurfaced — surprise, surprise — during rivalry week.

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Fans on both sides have been waiting for this to come since the wild ending witnessed in Rice-Eccles roughly one year ago — the BYU vs. Utah rivalry.

Many angry fans turned to Twitter and other forms of social media to voice their frustration. BYU fans and Utah fans have spent the past three days taking shots at each other.

If you are a passionate fan of BYU or Utah, there is a good chance you're already emotionally drained, and it's only Friday. You may have even thought or said that you wish this rivalry game would never be played again.

We all need to be reminded what this rivalry is all about and what has created all this passion in the first place: The game itself.

The Rivalry sideshow you've had to endure this week will be worth every second at kickoff Saturday at 8:15 p.m. — there is 20 years of evidence to prove it. Fifteen of the last 20 games between BYU and Utah have been decided by seven points or less.

The rivalry changed 20 years ago when Utah kicker Chris Yergensen made an improbable 55-yard field goal, giving the Utes a 34-31 win — their first win in Provo in 22 years.

Ever since then, the rivalry game has provided drama that even Hollywood couldn't duplicate.

There have been so many unforgettable finishes. Yergensen's field goal, Kaneshiro's doink, LaVell's last miracle, the first overtime game in 2005, Beck to Harline, fourth and 18, Hall to George in overtime, Burton's block and then the crazy finish last year when Utah fans prematurely rushed the field.

The game always seems to produce an unlikely hero that steps up and makes a big play, becoming a part of rivalry lore.

"I'm opposed to the game stopping for any reason," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall earlier this week. "I think it's one of the reasons college football is such a cool thing."

Mendenhall is right. It is a cool thing that has given this state some of its greatest sports moments.

The truth is there isn't a more compelling annual sporting event in the state of Utah than the BYU-Utah game. It is now acknowledged by college football fans and experts around the country as one of the best rivalries in the sport.

It brings out the best and, as we saw this week, the worst in us, and it's why there is so much passion and debate. It matters so much to us.

Perhaps it's best that the rivalry will take a two year break. It might be good for both sides to cool off for a couple years, but chances are when September 2016 rolls around, we will be pulled right back into this classic and be reminded of how much we missed it.

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