PROVO - It's the biggest week of the year on the Utah sporting landscape. Rivalry week. The Holy War. BYU-Utah, this Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium. This year's game is as unpredictable as ever and has enough storylines to fill a season of The O.C. Will Utah backup quarterback Brett Ratcliffe be able perform well in his first start? Will the Cougars be able to march the ball on offense the way they have the previous three weeks? Will the Utes be able to keep their three- game winning streak against the Cougars alive? Who will prove to be the most successful first-year coach, Kyle Whittingham or Bronco Mendenhall? Will John Beck shed a tear?

The list goes on and on. The Cougars are favored by 11 points, but anybody who ever watches these games knows that they usually turn out closer than that.

BYU enters the game full of confidence after recent conference wins over UNLV and Wyoming, while the Utes are floundering after a crushing home loss to New Mexico last week.

Fans around the state love spending the week debating the various topics that could play a factor in Saturday's game.

The Utes have won three in a row, five out of the last six in Provo and eight of the last 12 overall.

None of that means anything come kick-off time. It is one of the best rivalries in college, and everyone has an opinion.

Check out B2 to find out what people are saying about the upcoming game, and most importantly, who they're picking and why come Saturday.



bdevoe@davisclipper.com