Mark Harlan rant

Utah Utes fans fly flags during a game between the University of Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

This week’s Big 12 power rankings from the “Locked on Big 12″ podcast may have included 16 teams, but that doesn’t mean every Big 12 program was represented.

Podcast host Drake Toll cheekily cut Utah out of the list and threw in Washington State, joking that Utah chose to leave after its loss to BYU.

“There’s a new team in the Big 12! We had 15, one of them left, and I think we should add another to get back to 16,” he said.

Toll was referencing Utah athletic director Mark Harlan’s rant after the BYU-Utah game — specifically what he said about life in the Big 12.

“We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not,” Harlan said, among other things.

During his power rankings segment and throughout the rest of Monday’s episode of “Locked on Big 12,” Toll criticized Harlan for his actions, arguing that athletic directors shouldn’t say things like that.

Harlan is also facing intense pushback on social media, where fans of other Big 12 programs have gone so far as to call on the conference to kick Utah out.

While some of these fans share Harlan’s frustrations with Big 12 referees, many took issue with his broader critique of the conference.

Others raised concerns about Utah fans in general, arguing that they’re sore losers and sharing coverage of the BYU cheer coach’s allegation that she was knocked out by a fan who threw a water bottle.

“As a fan of big 12 and neither Utah teams, we are tired of the Utes. Get them out of the big 12,” one X user wrote.

Toll said most Utah fans are perfectly normal when compared with other fans and that it’s not surprising for fans to react poorly when they lose a rivalry game, especially at the last second.

But he said Harlan’s actions and the actions of those who trashed the field deserve to be criticized.

Mark Harlan rant

Harlan made his controversial comments during a surprise press conference appearance in the wee hours of Sunday morning. He ranted about Big 12 officials and discussed his school’s place in the conference, as the Deseret News previously reported.

“I’ve been an athletic director for 12 years. This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan told reporters.

Harlan was reprimanded by Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark over his actions and fined $40,000, the Deseret News reported.

The Utah AD issued a statement on his behavior Sunday afternoon.

“Last night following our game against BYU, I made clear my feelings related to the game officiating. However, I recognize that there are more appropriate times and avenues to express those concerns, and I accept the consequences of my decision. My comments came after having just left our team locker room where our student-athletes were hurting and upset. The University of Utah is proud to be a member of the Big 12 Conference and we look forward to working with our peers to continue to enhance the league. BYU, Coach Sitake and their coaches and student-athletes are having a terrific season and we wish them the very best,” Harlan said.

Reactions to Mark Harlan

Harlan’s statement did little to calm his detractors on social media. Some have pointed out that he didn’t actually say “I’m sorry.”

Monday morning, X was still alive with debates about Harlan, as some college football fans thanked him for calling out Big 12 officials and others circulated a petition asking the conference to expel Utah.

Fans of other Big 12 programs have raised concerns that Utah fans are especially mean-spirited or that Utah officials need to do more to control problematic fan behavior.

“I agree most fanbases have their bad apples but point me to the fans of the other new teams who have been as bad as some of the Utah fans about joining the Big 12,” said one X user.

Toll from “Locked on Big 12″ has been among those trying to defend the Utah fan base. He noted on X — from his “Locked On Big 12″ account — that belligerent fans are the exception not the rule in Salt Lake City.

“I think it’s really constructive for Big 12 fanbases to know: I spent the entire weekend around Utah fans. None of them are like this. Most are good, hospitable people who embrace the conference,” Toll wrote.

When did Utah join the Big 12?

Utah announced its decision to join the Big 12 in August 2023.

The decision came toward the end of a major shakeup in college football, which saw Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC; USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington move to the Big Ten; and the Pac-12 as we knew it to arrive on death’s door.

Utah officially transitioned to the Big 12 earlier this year on Aug. 2, 2024.

The Utes were predicted to dominate its new conference-mates in its first Big 12 football season, but, instead, they’ve floundered.

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