Every great sports dynasty seems to me to be predicated on a rivalry. Whether it’s a game between crosstown or cross-county teams that dates back to adobe brick construction, or a major matchup between college teams that want to rip each others heads off, rivalry is good for the thing we call sport.

I never paid much attention to the Utah Utes before I moved to Vernal. I was raised in a household that revered BYU. In fact, it was probably one of the only homes that had a “Y” flag in northeastern California.

Even though I was only 4 years old in 1978, the mists of time cannot hide the memory of my father, in his hushed and muted tones, saying “Aw, heck,” during that year’s Holy War where Utah squeaked out a 23-22 win over the Cougars.

Last week I read about the 1977 game that helped Cougar QB Marc Wilson set an NCAA record for passing yardage. It was after that game, which BYU won 38-8, that Utes coach Wayne Howard spoke in the spirit of prophecy, saying, “In the next two years, Utah will drill BYU...”

“Drill” might not be the right word, though, as Utah only got past the Cougars by one point in their 1978 come-from-behind victory at the former Rice Stadium. It was also notable as the first time LaVell Edwards was beaten by the squad from Salt Lake City.

The rivalry continues this week here in Vernal as the Cougars take on the Utes in hockey. I guess you could call it the “Holy War... on Ice.”

It will be nice to see two major NCAA programs come to the Uintah Basin for some competitive action. I’ll be there covering it — and I’d invite everyone who loves hockey to come see the game.

No word yet on who I’ll be rooting for.

Utah will also take on the University of Northern Colorado on Friday night at Western Park. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

If we’re lucky, we’ll get to see some high-speed action from both teams — and maybe even an all-out brawl like the one that erupted between BYU and UNC in 2007.

The fight was such a rager that even some of the referees came out bloody.

Or, we could get a Porter Rockwell-free BYU that, while not letting Utah check them high and low and back and forth across the ice, will fight hard for a Cougar win.

Okay — I guess you know who I’ll be rooting for now.

Finally, it’s just my luck that Utah would be ranked so highly this year. That said, I need two tickets to the Holy War on Nov. 27. If you have any tickets to sell, or know someone who might, call me at (435) 789-3511.