It's weird, but I suddenly find myself experiencing some very unexpected bittersweet feelings about the Utes leaving the Mountain West Conference. To be fair (and accurate), these feelings are 99 percent sweet, one percent bitter. But I just didn’t see that one percent coming!
All of a sudden, I’m feeling a tiny bit nostalgic for Fort Collins, Albuquerque, and yes, even Laramie (good ol’ 7,200-feet-high, somewhat mean-spirited Laramie!) The classic matchups, the road trips, the rivalries (yes, they were often lopsided, but still there was history!) The Utes had countless battles with these teams throughout the decades, and to walk away without so much as a misty eye suddenly seemed a little harsh.
When I look back at the MWC and our pals there who toiled alongside the Utes all those years while being labeled “mid-majors,” “non-BCS,” and other pejorative terms, just like the Utes were, I can’t help but want to run back, in the rain, one last time, clutching my suitcase, while the taxi meter ticks curbside, and tell the Lobos, Cowboys, Rams and the rest of 'em how much we enjoyed our time with them, tell them that in many ways they helped shape who we are today, tell them our battles won’t be forgotten. But, well, tell them that it’s time to go now. Best of luck to the old gang, but it’s raining, and the taxi is waiting, and so are the Ducks, Trojans, Cardinal, Huskies, Bruins and Buffs. I’m sure you understand.
If I had written a post about leaving the MWC, I'm afraid I would have called it "See Ya Later, Suckas!" You're a much better person than I. You must have been raised good.
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