Once an end of the year rivalry, the University of Utah and Brigham Young University will kick off the 2019 college football season at Lavell Edwards Stadium on Thursday night. My how things have changed in what used to be a fairly even rivalry. Once the in-state powerhouse, BYU has instead tried to play a game of keeping up with the Joneses, and it has not gone so well.

Come Thursday night, if the Cougars lose, they don’t have much else to play for. If the Utes lose—well, that would take a Herculean effort by the boys in blue—they still have more than enough opportunities to make it to the Rose Bowl.

As has already been well-documented, the Utes’ current rivalry winning streak is old enough to be baptized. There are BYU fans who have lived nearly a decade and never seen a BYU win. High school football players that are being recruited by both schools, might hardly even remember a BYU win.

Those remarks about the rivalry can go on and on and on and on. However, perhaps no one embodies the sudden shift and the reality between the two schools better than Utes receiver and Provo native, Britain Covey. The Utes’ talented and humble receiver, always says the right things about the rivalry, and he is eager to play on the field he once wore blue to, every Saturday.

“I’m excited,” said Covey about the upcoming Holy War battle. “I’m especially personally excited because I grew up with season tickets in portal PP in that stadium. I’ve always wanted to play in that stadium and I’m excited I finally get the chance to and I hope to come out with a ‘W’ It’s going to be fun. I’m going to have most of my family there and they all are going to be wearing red because blood is thicker than water.”

Now to take a trip down memory lane. Much has been made over the years of Covey’s recruitment. The truth and reality is, no matter how anyone may try and spin it, Covey chose Utah because the opportunity was better, wearing the red.

“[The process] was really good because my parents especially, were open to anything,” he said. “I think that’s one thing that parents around the nation need to learn more of. It was funny to see all of us doing the balance scale and weighing the pros and cons of each school. I remember just sitting there and saying ’Man, Utah’s football program is just a better option.’”

While he’s maintained an impressive level of respect for the team he grew up rooting for, the recent success of the two teams—along with Covey’s usage—shows that he made a wise decision.

Despite now playing for his third offensive coordinator in his three seasons—with his career put on hold two years for an LDS mission—Covey has consistently thrived as a big play threat. The 2019 season, should be no different under 2009 Sugar Bowl winning offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig.

“It’s exciting. It’s very set, efficient and traditional,” said Covey. “You’re not making it up on the fly, it is like Coach Ludwig has been doing it for years, which he really has. We have a lot of confidence in it because it is so tactical and so traditional. For the receivers, we just need eight guys because if you are eight-deep you can be an amazing team which is exciting because when you have eight-deep, you can rotate and it makes for a dynamic group and, it's fun.”

The new scheme under Ludwig will be more run dominant, but Covey anticipates it being even more productive for his receiving group.

“For the receiving corps, I want to be the best receiving corps to ever come through Utah and I want to have the best year that any receiving corps has ever had,” he said. “Which is cool because we are going to be a run heavy team but I still think we can have the best receivers that have come through the program.”

Unfortunately for Covey, he was unable to get reps in the offense, back in the spring, after hurting his knee in the Pac-12 Championship Game. However, for a player with his football IQ, it doesn’t matter as much. That being said, it does change his outlook and has made the football junky inside him appreciate the game, that much more.

“I come out here every day and I say a long prayer rather than just of , ‘Help me not get injured and help me play safe, it’s ‘Thanks for helping me play this game.’ I think that’s what it brings to you, is gratitude. If you get an injury like that, you’re more aware that it can be taken from you, but now I come out there and I realize that not many people get to play this game and not many people come back from ACL injuries. I am just grateful for the opportunity I have to play this game.”

For Covey and the Utes to have a successful season, a lot will rely on another key contributor coming back from an injury: quarterback Tyler Huntley.

“Tyler is a lot more confident, and he has really good body language,” said Covey. “It’s like it’s his team and his offense, he has totally taken this team over. It gives you a lot of confidence to play under a guy and obviously he has gotten a lot bigger.”

After last season’s close battle, in which it almost looked like the Utes didn’t care to show up until the end of the third quarter, both the Utes and Cougars come into Thursday’s game beaming with confidence, but once again it’s the Utes getting the national love. That praise was taken up another notch when ESPN’s Lee Corso picked the Utes to go to the College Football Playoff Championship Game.

Utah will need to rely on player leadership, like Covey's, to help them balance out the noise and progress game by game to their ultimate goal.

“It’s just the reality. You can act like you didn’t hear it, or you're not aware of it,” said Covey. “But, at the end of the day, let it have a positive effect on you. I think tuning it out works, but I feel like letting it fire you up is even better.”

While the Utes and Covey are loving life in the Pac-12, this is the new rivalry reality, as it seems at best, year after year that BYU is stuck in neutral. The Utes are the ones envied and the Cougars seem to have only one game to play for. On Thursday, this is BYU’s Super Bowl, while the Utes just start their 2019 Pac-12 journey. As this cycle continues, there will be more and more childhood Cougar fans, who don the red, just like Covey.

So Cougar fans, treat the former—still beloved—Utes coach right, and before you give up on Kalani Sitake, remember what he’s up against. It is what it is, enjoy the new rivalry—or the new reality.