Beehive Boot
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The Beehive Boot, which signifies instate football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
supremacy among Division I universities from the state of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, was conceived in 1971
1971 college football season
The 1971 college football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions. After being ranked 2nd in the preseason poll, Nebraska captured first place the following week and remained there for the rest of 1971 and won the Orange Bowl 38–6 in a #1 vs...
. The authentic pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
boot, which is estimated to be well over 100 years old, is awarded annually to the Utah school with the best record against its instate NCAA Division I foes. The schools who compete for the boot are Brigham Young, Utah
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
, Utah State
Utah State Aggies football
The Utah State Aggies are a college football team that competes in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, representing Utah State University. The Utah State college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Romney Stadium since 1968...
, and Weber State. However, because Weber State plays in the Championship Subdivision of Division I (the other three play in the Bowl Subdivision), they rarely play any of their intrastate foes, and thus have never won the boot. In fact, the Wildcats are just 1–15 against BYU, Utah, and Utah State in the 36 years that the trophy has existed, with their lone win being a 44–25 victory over Utah State in 1978.
In case of tie, the winner is chosen by vote of the in-state media. Such an event has only happened three times previously: in 1973, 1997 and 2010. Utah State was awarded the trophy in each year. Utah was awarded the trophy in 2011, winning their only intrastate game against Brigham Young.
In the addition to the Beehive Boot, BYU and Utah State also play for the Old Wagon Wheel. The same four universities also play for a state-wide trophy in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, called the Old Oquirrh Bucket
Old Oquirrh Bucket
The Old Oquirrh Bucket is the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy in Utah...
. However, that trophy is eligible to be won by Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University, or SUU, is located in Cedar City, Utah. It was founded in 1897 as an extension of the Agricultural College of Utah, by the citizens of Cedar City.During its history, the school has been known as:...
and Utah Valley University (both now NCAA Division 1 basketball schools), as well.
History
Brigham Young has the most wins in the series with 22, followed by Utah with 12, and Utah State with 7. After residing in Logan on USU's campus for the first four years of its existence, the trophy spent most of the next two decades in the hands of BYU. The Cougars won the intrastate series 19 of the next 27 years, including five in a row from 1983 to 1987. Since the mid 1990s, the boot has been back and forth between Salt Lake and Provo many times. Utah had a brief period of success during the early part of this century, winning four straight Beehive Boots from 2002 to 2005. It has also made a couple of trips to Logan during the past couple of decades.Typically, the trophy goes to the winner of the BYU/Utah game, with the only exception being the seven years that Utah State won it. Though technically possible, the loser of the game between the Cougars and the Utes has never won the Boot. In fact, only three times in history has the winner of the Beehive Boot lost an intrastate game (Utah State in 1973, 1982, and 1997). Utah was awarded the trophy in 2011, winning their only intrastate game against Brigham Young.
The Holy War
The "Holy War" is one of America's oldest and most heated college football rivalries. In fact, the schools even differ on when the first game was played. Utah claims that the first game was played in 1896 (when Brigham Young University was known as Brigham Young Academy). BYU on the other hand claims that the rivalry dates back to 1922, the first year BYU began playing football. For historical purposes, 1922 is the date most used when referring to the start of the Holy War. The Utes lead the all time series 55–34–4. The Cougars are 26–14 since the Beehive Boot was created in 1971.The Old Wagon Wheel
BYU and Utah State have met for the Old Wagon Wheel 80 times, dating back to 1922, with BYU holding a 43–34–3 lead. BYU had beaten Utah State ten straight times before Utah State defeated BYU by the score of 31–16 on October 1, 2010. With the victory, Utah State reclaimed the Old Wagon Wheel for the first time since 1993. The Old Wagon Wheel returned to BYU on September 30, 2011, when the Cougars defeated Utah State 27–24.The Battle of the Brothers
The Utah/USU rivalry, often called the Battle of the Brothers, is the most played rivalry between any of the schools that participate in the Beehive Boot series, with 110 total all-time meetings. Utah leads the series 77–28–4, including 12 straight wins and 20 victories in the last 22 meetings. The first game was played in 1892, a 12-0 Aggie victory, and the Utes and Aggies had met every year from 1944 to 2009 before taking a break. The Utes have won 29 of 39 meetings since the Boot was first awarded, with half of USU's ten victories coming in the first six years after the trophy's creation.Winners of the trophy
Brigham Young victories are shown in ██ blue, UtahUtah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
victories in ██ red, Utah State
Utah State Aggies football
The Utah State Aggies are a college football team that competes in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, representing Utah State University. The Utah State college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Romney Stadium since 1968...
victories in ██ white, and Weber State victories in ██ purple. Rankings under final scores indicate a team's AP Poll ranking prior to that game. Rankings next to a champions name indicate that team's ranking in the final AP Poll for that season. Teams are unranked unless otherwise indicated.
Season | Winner | BYU-UU score | BYU-USU score | BYU-WSU score | UU-USU score | UU-WSU score | USU-WSU score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | Utah State (2–0) | 17–15 | 29–7 | No Game | 21–17 | No Game | No Game |
1972 | Utah State (3–0) | 16–7 | 42–19 | No Game | 44–16 | No Game | 20–16 |
1973 | Utah State (2–1) Won over BYU by media vote |
46–22 | 13–7 | 45–14 | 31–28 | No Game | 10–3 |
1974 | Utah State (3–0) | 48–20 | 9–6 | No Game | 34–0 | No Game | 20–7 |
1975 | Brigham Young (2–0) | 51–20 | 24–7 | No Game | 13–7 | No Game | 30–7 |
1976 | Brigham Young (2–0) | 34–12 | 45–14 | No Game | 28–17 | No Game | 36–10 |
1977 | #20 Brigham Young (2–0) | 38–8 BYU #14 |
65–6 BYU #20 |
No Game | 20–0 | No Game | 23–14 |
1978 | Utah (3–0) | 23–22 | 24–7 | No Game | 23–20 | 30–7 | 44–25 |
1979 | #13 Brigham Young (3–0) | 27–0 BYU #10 |
48–24 BYU #16 |
48–3 | 47–21 | No Game | 34–10 |
1980 | #12 Brigham Young (2–0) | 56–6 BYU #13 |
70–46 | No Game | 23–19 | No Game | 50–13 |
1981 | #13 Brigham Young (2–0) | 56–28 BYU #18 |
32–26 BYU #10 |
No Game | 10–0 | No Game | 31–18 |
1982 | Utah State (2–1) | 17–12 | 20–17 | No Game | 42–10 | No Game | 31–10 |
1983 | #7 Brigham Young (2–0) | 55–7 BYU #9 |
38–34 BYU #15 |
No Game | 21–17 | No Game | No Game |
1984 | #1 Brigham Young (2–0) | 24–14 BYU #3 |
38–13 BYU #1 |
No Game | 21–10 | 52–16 | No Game |
1985 | #16 Brigham Young (2–0) | 38–28 BYU #11 |
44–0 BYU #18 |
No Game | 34–7 | No Game | No Game |
1986 | Brigham Young (2–0) | 35–21 | 52–0 BYU #18 |
No Game | 27–10 | No Game | No Game |
1987 | Brigham Young (2–0) | 21–18 | 45–24 | No Game | 41–36 | No Game | No Game |
1988 | Utah (2–0) | 57–28 | 38–3 | No Game | 42–21 | No Game | No Game |
1989 | #22 Brigham Young (2–0) | 70–31 BYU #21 |
37–10 | No Game | 45–10 | No Game | No Game |
1990 | #22 Brigham Young (2–0) | 45–22 BYU #5 |
45–10 BYU #4 |
No Game | 19–10 | No Game | No Game |
1991 | #23 Brigham Young (2–0) | 48–17 | 38–12 | No Game | 12–7 | No Game | No Game |
1992 | Brigham Young (2–0) | 31–22 | 30–9 | No Game | 42–18 | No Game | No Game |
1993 | Utah (2–0) | 34–31 | 58–56 | No Game | 31–29 | No Game | No Game |
1994 | #10 Utah (2–0) | 34–31 UU #21 BYU #20 |
34–6 | No Game | 32–17 | No Game | No Game |
1995 | Utah (2–0) | 34–17 | No Game | No Game | 40–20 | No Game | No Game |
1996 | #5 Brigham Young (2–0) | 37–17 BYU #8 |
45–17 BYU #21 |
No Game | 20–17 | No Game | No Game |
1997 | Utah State (1–1) Won over BYU and Utah by media vote |
20–14 | 42–35 BYU #24 |
No Game | 21–14 | No Game | No Game |
1998 | Brigham Young (1–0) | 26–24 | No Game | No Game | 20–12 | No Game | No Game |
1999 | Utah (2–0) | 20–17 BYU #19 |
34–31 | No Game | 38–18 | No Game | No Game |
2000 | Brigham Young (2–0) | 34–27 | 38–14 | No Game | 35–14 | No Game | No Game |
2001 | #25 Brigham Young (2–0) | 24–21 BYU #8 |
54–34 BYU #20 |
No Game | 23–19 | No Game | 36–10 |
2002 | Utah (2–0) | 13–6 | 35–34 | No Game | 23–3 | No Game | No Game |
2003 | #21 Utah (2–0) | 3–0 | No Game | No Game | 40–20 | No Game | No Game |
2004 | #4 Utah (2–0) | 52–21 UU #5 |
No Game | No Game | 48–6 UU #15 |
No Game | No Game |
2005 | Utah (2–0) | 41–34 (OT) | No Game | No Game | 31–7 | No Game | No Game |
2006 | #16 Brigham Young (2–0) | 33–31 BYU #21 |
38–0 | No Game | 48–0 | No Game | No Game |
2007 | #14 Brigham Young (1–0) | 17–10 BYU #23 |
No Game | No Game | 34–18 | No Game | No Game |
2008 | #2 Utah (3–0) | 48–24 UU #8 BYU #16 |
34–14 BYU #8 |
No Game | 58–10 UU #22 |
37–21 UU #17 |
No Game |
2009 | #12 Brigham Young (2–0) | 26–23 (OT) BYU #18 UU #22 |
35–17 BYU #20 |
No Game | 35–17 UU #19 |
No Game | No Game |
2010 | Utah State (1–0) Won over Utah by media vote. |
17–16 UU #23 |
31–16 | No Game | No Game | No Game | No Game |
2011 | Utah (1-0) | 54–10 | 27–24 | No Game | No Game | No Game | 54–17 |