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SALT LAKE CITY — Larry Krystkowiak is spending $80,000 of his own money to buy out of the rivalry. Athletic director Chris Hill put the football rivalry on a two-year hiatus.
It's easy to point to the University of Utah and blame it for ending the rivalry.
Nick Emery punched Brandon Taylor in the face, a punch that Krystkowiak calls the straw that broke the camel's back that caused him to buy out of the rivalry.
Krystkowiak cites previous physical plays from BYU's basketball team as contributing to the toxicity of the matchup.
It's easy to point to BYU and blame its actions for ending the rivalry.
Fans from both teams have argued for and against the rivalry continuing. Utah fans often argue that Utah, now a member of the Pac-12, no longer needs BYU.
The same argument can be made for BYU. With a much-improved 2016 college football schedule on the horizon, replacing Utah with either a bigger-name opponent or a more surefire win might be beneficial.
Neither BYU nor Utah needs each other, and the truth is they never have.
The Utes and Cougars had to play each other for a long time, but they've never needed each other.
In 1918, BYU joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, in which Utah was already a member. By 1922, as members of the same conference, the teams were playing each other in football and basketball every year.
Both schools left the RMAC in 1938 and formed the Mountain States Conference. Both schools remained in the MSC, playing each other yearly until 1962, when both schools left to join the Western Athletic Conference.
Related:
Krystkowiak, Utah stand by decision to pause 'toxic' rivalry
Utah basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak said Monday he stands by his decision to pause the rivalry between BYU and Utah, saying the pattern of physical play and lack of safety necessitates the "cooling off period."Again, both schools remained in the WAC, having to play each other every season until 1999, when they left for the Mountain West Conference.
On June 17, 2010, Utah was asked to join the Pac-12, a no-brainer of a decision, as Utah would see an enormous increase in revenue and exposure in a conference with a large national brand.
BYU didn't get invited, and for the first time in nearly a century, the teams no longer had to play each other.
June 17, 2010, is the day the rivalry ended, we're just now seeing it fully realized in 2016.
The best rivalries in sports are fun, they add to the game, they generate excitement, but they aren't organic, and they need support.
Michigan vs. Ohio State, Alabama vs. Auburn, North Carolina vs. Duke, Red Sox vs. Yankees, Packers vs. Bears.
All of these teams share the same conference, if not the same division within the conference.
They play each other every year. They have to.
Make no mistake, they don't need to.
BYU and Utah, who for so long were in the same division, are no longer in the same conference. In college football, with 128 Division 1 teams, not being in the same conference might as well mean they are no longer in the same league.
Krystkowiak said the rivalry has reached a new level of toxicity in recent years, and he's right. To survive, it's needed it.
There is no conference championship to fight for, no true spoiler role to play, all that's on the line is fan braggadocio, it's artificial, and to borrow Krystkowiak's word, "venomous."
These two schools aren't the only rivalry to suffer at the hands of conference realignment. When Missouri left the BIG 12 for the SEC, the "Border War" dissolved, with neither the basketball or football teams meeting since 2012. TCU and SMU, all but six years since 1915, have been unable to reach an agreement on whether or not to play beyond the 2017 season.
These were heated rivalries, passionate and full of tradition.
When they no longer had to play each other, the tradition disappeared and so did the games.
BYU and Utah had to play each other athletically for nearly a century, they never needed the other school.
Now they try to blame one another for causing at least a partial hiatus.
What else would you expect? After all, it's a rivalry.
Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.
