In our 50 sim-seasons, the Cougars won the MWC title half the time. The other half was split between Utah and the other seven teams. While BYU went undefeated just three times (one season the Cougars went 13-0 with a Fiesta Bowl win over Clemson), the team went bowling every season. The Cougars were invited to 15 BCS bowl games (Fiesta, Sugar and Rose but never the National Championship Game).

The Utes made one BCS game while getting an bowl invite 86 percent of the time.

As for Utah State, it never finished with a winning record but did get an invitation to the Alamo Bowl, where they lost to La.-Lafayette, after a 6-6 season.

But how do the two teams play? We played both as the Utes and the Cougars in Rice-Eccles Stadium (where this November's game will be played) and had no trouble moving the ball against the computer-controlled opponent.

As BYU, we rolled to a 28-3 win. Unga ran all over the Utah defense, and the Ute offensive line just couldn't stop Jorgensen and linebacker David Nixon from getting to Johnson for sacks. Hall struggled with accuracy at times (the game does a nice job of showing when a quarterback is rattled in a hostile environment) but managed to hit wide receiver Austin Collie for more than 100 receiving yards.

But in our second game, the Utes were absolutely unstoppable, beating the Cougars 46-20. Mack ran for more than 200 yards, and Johnson led the spread offense to perfection. Defensive back Sean Smith snagged two interceptions, and Casteel ran back a kickoff for a touchdown. In each game, Johnson was injured for more than a quarter, and backup quarterback Corbin Louks had to take over for several offensive series.

So which team really is better? In the simulations, BYU won 54 percent of the time and the rankings and the numbers seem to favor BYU. In our gameplay experience, the Cougars were better defensively, but the Utes excelled on offense, when Johnson wasn't injured.

Bottom line: no matter which team you favor, you'll be able to have a good time beating down your rival. But on a national level, both have a long way to go.

OTHER FINDINGS FROM THE 50 SIMULATIONS: The toughest blocks to an undefeated BYU season are Washington (beat BYU 40 percent of the time), Utah (40) and UCLA (38). Utah played spoiler, ending a previously undefeated season three times. Although the Utes and Cougs never met for an 11-0 vs. 11-0 showdown, they both finished 11-1 in one sim. ... Another sim had Weber State stunning the Utes, only to have Utah rebound and win the MWC. ... In USU's only 6-6 season the Aggies beat Idaho, Utah, San Jose State, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech and Nevada.

NCAA '09 team ratings

Team Off. ... Def. ... Overall