Utah-BYU Poll Results, Plus Game Day Do's and Don'ts

We're just a little over 24 hours from the big game, and if the About. com "Predict the Score" poll is any indication, BYU fans are feeling pretty confident. A whopping 32 percent of respondents predicted that BYU will win tomorrow's rivalry game by 14 points or more. In the "Most Memorable Utah-BYU Game" poll, 43 percent chose BYU's back-to-back last-minute wins in 2006 and 2007.

I love the BYU-Utah rivalry, but I think it's unfortunate when things get nasty between fans. In that light, I've created this list of game day do's and don'ts:

Utah-BYU Game Day Do's and Don'ts

1. DO wear your team's color. Red spray-painted hair? Excellent. Full-body blue makeup? Go for it. Show your support by wearing as much of your team's color as you desire.




2. DON'T wear both red and blue, or wear purple. Maybe you got your undergraduate degree at Utah and your graduate degree at BYU, or vice versa. Maybe you married someone from "the other side." Regardless, game day is not a day to sit on the fence. Pick a side. A related DON'T is, DON'T cheer for both teams during the game.




3. If you're watching the game at home, DON'T invite fans of the other side to your game-watching party. I know that can be a hard rule to obey, and I've broken it myself many times, but it's more fun to watch the game if you can react how you want without worrying about hurting someone's feelings. And if your team loses, do you really want to be taunted in your own home?




4. If you're at the stadium, DO be polite to visiting fans, remembering that you may be in their shoes next year. However, season ticket holders, DON'T sell your seat to a fan from the other side, no matter how much money he or she offers you. Especially if you sit in my section. Please. Seriously.




5. Utah fans, DON'T scream obscenities, throw things, get in a fight, or do anything else that will give BYU fans an opportunity to call you "classless" (a word BYU fans seem to use a lot that nobody else uses).




6. BYU fans, DON'T call Utah fans "classless." It's weird, and it doesn't mean what you think it means. Look it up in a dictionary.




7. Utah fans, DON'T use the game as an excuse to vent any frustration you may have with Utah's "predominant religion."




8. BYU fans, DON'T imply that God is especially fond of BYU football or that your team can win a football game by "living right."




9. BYU fans, DON'T continue to wear those "Quest for Perfection" shirts. That slogan didn't really work out for you last year.




10. Utah fans, DON'T mention last year's Sugar Bowl more than ten times in any one conversation with a BYU fan.




11. DO cheer loudly for your team, and DO remember it's only a game!

Photo by Getty Images