Judging by my e-mail, it must be football season.

Before the first game has been played, I'm already getting hate mail from fans on both sides of the BYU-Utah divide. And on both sides, they've been accusing me of being partisan to the other.

The impetus was my column for Wednesday's paper, wherein I wrote — lightly, I thought — that after everything the Utes did this summer, BYU stole its thunder this week by going independent. I figured it was just a humorous observation, but when it comes to Utah vs. BYU, it seems there isn't a ton of room for humor.

As I noted previously, it surprised me that fans of either team thought I was cheering for anyone.

It was an observation, people, not propaganda.

Wrote one reader: "Wow, Brad, you really out-did yourself to put a Utah spin on the BYU announcement. Congratulations!! I didn't think it was possible for an objective person to believe a school that has been contemplating it's future for the past 3 or so years could look at their last-minute announcement, which they had played close to the vest, as a negative snub of their recent rival. Only a partisan Utah fan, not a true sports reporter, would suggest such a thing, couched in terms of illegal activity (stealing)."