The Holy War Of Tradition And Exposure In The Playoff Era

If Chris Hill, Utah’s athletic director, made any mistake lately, it was in his assertion that none of the Utes’ fans would miss the annual football game against in-state rival BYU. “The deep, dark dirty secret is our fans are not disappointed.” In his honest effort to strengthen the image of his program, and their chances as reaching the playoff, he made the unforgivable error of speaking for everyone.

In the ensuing kerfuffle, Hill would be backed into a corner by loudmouth local radio jocks, and forced to prematurely announce that he had in fact come to terms with BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe  to continue the rivalry game, known to the world as the Holy War, beyond 2018.



So now, as the college football scheduling activists of the world pat themselves on the back for saving yet another rivalry game, it’s time for Utah fans to reflect on what they’ve lost. Don’t get me wrong. There is a special place in my heart for traditional rivalries, especially those that span the last century with no interruptions outside of war time. But in the age of the college football playoff, it takes more than a few traditionalists to earn the attention of the committee.

Utah is in the precarious position of having two historic rivals, and neither sharing conference affiliation. Likewise, they are a fringe team at best, needing victories over national brands to earn the respect of decision makers. So, faced with an already unforgiving nine game Pac-12 schedule and a single bye week in 2015, do you stick with tradition, or do you pick a fight with someone twice your size?

This year, the Utes chose the fight, scheduling household name Michigan in place of BYU. In fact, Hill didn’t just get Big Blue on their schedule, but got them to Salt Lake City for an opening season home game in an era where neutral sites rule the early marquee matchups. And although Utah couldn’t have known it at the time of scheduling, it will also be one of the most anticipated coaching debuts in recent memory.

That seams like a fair trade to me.

But now the series is renewed with BYU beyond 2018, and buried in all of the excitement is the information that this was only made possible by Notre Dame’s willingness to buy out the remaining four games in their previously agreed upon series with the Cougars. Clearly Hill and Holmoe are willing to make sacrifices for the sake of tradition. Hopefully their fan bases feel the same way.