Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- BYU, ranked higher, feels disrespected as Utah is favored in their matchup.
- Despite BYU's 17-2 record since last season, they aren't favored against Utah.
- Coach Whittingham's silence on BYU's quarterback adds to perceived disrespect by BYU.
SALT LAKE CITY — Higher ranked and playing at home, yet neither matters to the oddsmakers. Yes, the BYU football team has good reason to play the disrespect card.
Dating back to last season, when they were never included in the conversation, the Cougars had no chance to receive a bid into the 12-team football playoff despite posting an impressive 10-2 record at the time. SMU got in at 11-2, with one of those losses having come against BYU in Dallas.
Fast forward to this season, the Cougars are rolling at 6-0 with two come-from-behind rallies for road wins against Colorado and Arizona. Since the start of last season, coach Kalani Sitake's program has gone 17-2, with both losses coming by a combined 9 points to Kansas and eventual Big 12 champion Arizona State, respectively.
Too bad for the 15th-ranked Cougars, though, none of those accomplishments are good enough to gain favored status against Utah this Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The arch-rival Utes opened as the favorite, even though the home team usually gets 3 points when determining the betting line.
The rivalry between the two programs already is crazy enough, but BYU can take it as another sign of disrespect when Utah coach Kyle Whittingham went mum after an innocuous question about upstart quarterback Bear Bachmeier. The week preceding games, coaches typically lavish praise on the upcoming opponents, often to the point of stretching the truth.
But not this time for Whittingham, a former star linebacker on four BYU championship teams from 1978-81. He was only interested in pointing out a few statistical similarities and the coaching connections on both staffs.
One week ago, before Utah played then-nationally ranked Arizona State, Whittingham praised Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt in his opening comments before taking questions from media members. In his freshman season, Bachmeier has played a significant role in BYU's surprising start and certainly deserves mention.
"You know, I'm just going to focus on us this week — our guys, our coaches — so I'm not going to give much thought on the opponent this week," Whittingham said.
The opponent? Oh, yeah, more disrespect for BYU.
Meanwhile, during his media availability, Sitake went in depth on Utah quarterback Devon Dampier. Whittingham's former defensive coordinator even said both sides need the rivalry "whether we want to admit it or not."
"Yeah, super talented, and he's tough, man," the former BYU fullback said of Dampier. "He has great vision, and that's in the passing game and in the running game. ... So when you look at the stats, he knows where to go with the ball, and he's well-coached.
"There's a reason why they brought him in. He looks really comfortable out there. And whatever you need to do, whatever you need him to do, he's willing to it, and he's super tough."
No. 23 Utah comes in at 5-1, having lost by 24 points at home to fellow Big 12 member Texas Tech last month. Since the setback, the Utes have destroyed West Virginia and then-nationally ranked ASU by a combined 66 points.
Seventh-ranked Texas Tech, bolstered by deep-picket boosters putting up big money to land a host of difference makers, is the class of the Big 12 halfway through the regular season.
The Red Raiders have a favorable schedule that includes games against the suddenly reeling Sun Devils, who aren't nearly the same without the injured Leavitt, and three teams with losing records (Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and West Virginia) and another against UCF.
In essence, the Utes likely need a win to stay alive in the conference race. A second conference loss would seriously hinder their chances and give BYU the edge in potential tie-breaker scenarios.
At the same time, Utah is the first in a challenging five-game stretch for the Cougars. Three of the next four games are on the road, two of which are against Texas Tech and No. 24 Cincinnati.
