Air Force is now 8-2 on the season. BYU is 9-1 and ranked #15. This is going to be a game between two very good teams in Colorado Springs!
This is a game between last year's Mountain West Conference champ, BYU, and last year's MWC runner-up Air Force. And no, Utah was not #2 in the conference last year, they were #3 you crazy Utah residents!
I grew up a BYU fan. My all-time favorite college football player is still BYU QB Ty Detmer. I can remember making a bet with one of my best friends, a Miami fan, that if #1 Miami beat BYU that I would wear his Miami shirt that had a stork smoking a cigar, but if BYU won he had to wear my BYU shirt... yup, Ty Detmer lead BYU to a 28-21 victory in one of the greatest games I've ever watched
Then I had a conflict of interest my freshman year... Ty Detmer was still playing at BYU while I was at Air Force. I secretly was cheering for Ty while hoping for an Air Force win. BYU got the win, but after his senior year there was no looking back. The glory days of BYU football were over and it was purely "Go Air Force" from then on!
A natural rivalry:
My brother and sister are both BYU grads while I went to the Air Force Academy, which put our schools in the same conference. Our family reunions are based around the weekend of the Air Force-BYU game, whether in Provo, Utah or in Colorado Springs. It's just a great weekend.
While I won't be at this game in person, I will be there in spirit.
So in preparation for the game of the year, here is a look at a couple of AFA-BYU games of years' past...
Morgan's first Air Force - BYU game with me in October 2002. The score: Air Force 52 BYU 9
Yes, that was Air Force 52 and BYU 9
After 10 months of marriage, it was at this point that I knew she was a keeper... what a good luck charm: 52-9!
(whoever schedules night games in the late fall here must have box seats... it's cold!)
The next year in 2003 in Provo, Air Force beat BYU again...
Air Force 21 BYU 7 
A picture of me with my brother and his boys at the Academy... you can just feel the tension can't you?!
Adayla was born an Air Force fan!
Aren't we just cute? Anybody want to get me a new hat?!
For 51 weeks of the year I cheer for the Cougars (down to 50 weeks this year because I want Utah to have an undefeated season and go to a BCS bowl). Heck, I cheer for all Mountain West Conference teams to win when they play out-of-conference games (e.g. Wyoming over Tennessee).
But for one week, starting today, I see BYU the way everybody else in the country sees BYU: as the "most hated team in America" to quote Sports Illustrated.
During this week I ridicule people at church for wearing their BYU jackets and ties, for bringing their BYU blankets and bags. If they want to bring rivalry into the church during the Sunday meetings, or worse, assume that everybody at church is a BYU fan, then it is my duty to to talk my trash: Down with the Cougars. Down with their pompous "Quest for Perfection." To sum it up...
GO AIR FORCE! BEAT BYU!!
6 comments:
Too bad we won't see you at the game on Saturday! We'll be rooting for AF for you :)
So sad to see the attitude developed by the boy for whom we would get BYU game jerseys and autographed pictures.
We will enjoy the game for ya in person....HA!!! GO AIR FORCE!!!
I'll be rooting for BYU on this one for sure. No questions there. I usually like the underdog, like Wyoming and want the upset but not this time. My husband's name is Brigham and my son's name is Max...
I was born and raised a BYU fan. Now I just wear it under my WYO shirt so I don't get beat up at the Cowboy's games.HAHA
I couldn't help but notice that your list of memorable games stopped short at 2003. It's 2008 Tim! What happened the last four years? Oh that's right, BYU beat AF 41-24, 62-41, 33-14, and 31-6 last year. I just have to talk trash back (but it's weak because I'm not as big a BYU fan as your are for AF). And you truly aren't a BYU fan any longer if you root for Utah, regardless of a perfect season or the money the conference will get! I agree with you that this will be a great game, much closer than the last few years.
Good luck!
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