The must-win games for BYU, Utah, Utah State


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SALT LAKE CITY — With fall football camps just weeks away, now is the time to look at their 2015 schedules and separate the one must-win game for each team that could separate a good season from a great one, or a step forward for the program versus a stagnation.

This isn't to say these would be the biggest wins for each program with Utah beating national championship runner-up Oregon, or BYU beating SEC powerhouse Missouri, or Utah State beating Washington would surely draw larger national attention than the three games proposed games. These are simply opportunities for great progression, and must-wins for the Cougars, Utes and Aggies.

BYU

BYU's must-win comes early in the season, and not against any of the four Power 5 opponents they play on the season. While knocking off Nebraska in the season opener, or UCLA in the Rose Bowl, or forcing Jim Harbaugh to answer questions about a loss to BYU would surely bring joy to the Cougar faithful, BYU must defeat the Boise State Broncos.

Since moving to independence and watching the college football landscape shift around them, BYU has found itself in limbo, not a member of the Power 5 conference but likely too talented for the Group of Five conferences as well.

While fans have only seen one season of the college football playoff, it seems clear that Boise State is primed to dominate the lower ranks for the time being. The Broncos earned the initial guaranteed invite from the college football playoff committee to the New Years Six bowl game with last year's Fiesta Bowl and knocked off Pac-12 South division champs Arizona. The Broncos won the high-profile bowl game despite replacing long sought-after head coach Chris Petersen to the Washington Huskies.

The Cougars have fought the argument that they are more similar to a Group of Five team than a Power 5 member and can help cement that argument with a win over the Group of Five's best team at home in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Despite returning 17 starters, the Broncos have lost three straight road openers, and BYU can extend that streak with a win on Sept. 12. BYU likely won't be favored in any of its Power 5 match-ups this year, making a win over Boise State perhaps the Cougars' best chance a high-profile win all year.

If BYU wants to continue to look down on the Mountain West Conference, proving its superiority over Boise State is a must.

Utah

For Utah, the must-win game features several familiar faces, and with a lack of a true rivalry game while the Holy War is on hiatus, the most hated team on the Utes schedule is without question the Oregon State Beavers.

Former Utah defensive coordinators Gary Andersen and Kalani Sitake now call Oregon State home, with Sitake leaving the Utes despite a nine-win campaign in 2015.

Andersen was a beloved by Utah fans when he moved out of the shadow of Kyle Whittingham to Utah State to rescue a dying program. He was admired when he made the jump from Logan to Madison, Wisconsin, to lead the Badgers, but admiration gave way to ire when he made the jump from Wisconsin to Corvallis, Oregon.

Andersen and Sitake have successfully poached Utah recruits, convincing the prep stars to don Beaver orange, making the rivalry between former coaches that much more heated. Through four years in the Pac-12, the Utes have split the series with the Beavers with the last two games being decided in overtime. The Utes appear to have a decided advantage. Along with a new head coach, Oregon State is also replacing long-time starter Sean Mannion at quarterback. Though as with any rivalry game, little can be predicted before the two teams meet on the field.

If the Utes want to prevent Gary Andersen and the Beavers from prying top talent from out of the state, they can make a convincing plea to local recruits with a win on Halloween night at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and Utah fans can find comfort in earning the latest laugh in what should be a long Whittingham-Andersen-Sitake rivalry.

Utah State

Utah State is in the unique position of truly battling for a conference championship, something neither BYU nor Utah have laid claim to since leaving the Mountain West Conference. But while winning the MWC crown might be the biggest goal for the Aggies in 2015, it might not have the long-term impact of a win over BYU.

Matt Wells' Aggies stunned the heavily favored Cougars last year in Provo, with a convincing 15-point victory, ending Taysom Hill's season prematurely. Ironically, the quarterback that led the Aggies over BYU, Darell Garretson transferred away from the program, leaving Chuckie Keeton alone at the top of the depth chart to run the show this year. Despite a marvelous career at Utah State for Keeton, one achievement he's yet to fulfill as the starter is a win over BYU.

While the Aggies are unlikely to ever dominate in-state recruiting, they could make a convincing argument for those recruits on the fence of whether to play in Provo or Logan. While there is still a noticeable gap in the weight carried between BYU and Utah State, a second consecutive win over the Cougars could narrow the gap considerably.

While there are surely more high profile games on the docket for BYU, Utah and Utah State, wins in a few select games could separate a good season and great one, while showing growth for the programs as a whole.


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About the Author: Ben Anderson ------------------------------

Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.

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