National attention on The Rivalry

It’s been interesting to see the amount of national attention generated by this year’s BYU-Utah game.

Here’s what ESPN.com is saying about tomorrow’s Big Game.

ESPN’s Brad Edwards:

No. 14 BYU (10-1, 6-1) plays at No. 7 Utah (11-0, 7-0) on Saturday in a game with both conference and national implications. If they win, the Utes can claim the Mountain West championship outright, while BYU can share the title if it wins the game. But that’s just the subplot of this year’s “Holy War.”
What’s also at stake is a BCS berth for Utah that would send about $9.5 million to the Mountain West Conference, more than $4 million of which would go directly to Utah. The rest of that revenue is shared between the conference office and the other eight member institutions, which is what adds further intrigue to this game. BYU stands to gain as much as half a million dollars by losing to Utah, but if the Cougars pull off the upset, they and everyone else in the conference will get none of that BCS money ‘ unless Boise State loses one of its final two games.
If the WAC’s Broncos stumble at Nevada or home against Fresno State, then BYU could conceivably finish as the highest-ranked team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference and end up with that $4-million-plus payday that would’ve gone to Utah.
How’s that for stakes in a rivalry game?

ESPN’s Rece Davis:

BYU started the season with “Quest for Perfection” as its slogan. Ironically, it’s archrival Utah which can still achieve perfection. The Utes can clinch a BCS bid and win the Beehive Boot with a victory. The Cougars stare at the possibility of cutting off their nose to spite their face.

BYU and Max Hall hope to claim a victory in the Holy War and end Utah’s perfect run.
A victory in the Holy War would likely knock Utah out of the BCS and cost BYU a half-million bucks or so in shared BCS money. The Cougars would prefer taking the financial hit to watching their rivals bask in BCS glory.
There is no price one can put on a rivalry game or on a Beehive Boot. Utah is undefeated in games against ranked teams. It’s kind of weird, but the Utes are 5-0 in such games. Utah’s D has been brilliant, but it hasn’t seen a passing game like the one piloted by Max Hall. Conversely, BYU was stymied by TCU, the only other time the Cougars faced an elite defense.