Utah's Pepsi deal features a blue and BYU caveat

BYU wears blue and therefore it’s unacceptable on the Utah campus. (Getty)
BYU wears blue and therefore it’s unacceptable on the Utah campus. (Getty)

Utah has a hilarious arrangement with Pepsi when the contract between the university and the beverage giant begins July 1.

Per KSL.com, Pepsi’s branding will feature as little blue background on vending machines and other spaces wherever possible because of the similarity to rival Brigham Young University’s colors. BYU’s colors are blue and white while Utah’s colors are predominantly red, white and black.

Seriously, this is a real thing.

All signage, including those on vending machines and coolers, will feature a PepsiCo logo absent the blue background and a U. logo as part of its branding. In addition, several other products, including Code Red Mountain Dew, will be prominently branded throughout campus.

“We never asked Pepsi to remove blue from their logo — never a discussion on that. But what we did ask and collaborate with them on is that we develop a concealment that’s conducive to campus, which means a little flexibility from Pepsi and a little flexibility from us,” said Brett Eden, a contract manager for the university’s auxiliary services. “These co-branded machines and the artwork will include a Pepsi logo — their red and blue logo — but the backgrounds will be different.”

[More college football from Yahoo Sports: Dr. Saturday’s top 20 games of 2016]

If you didn’t already know or somehow wasn’t able to guess, there is no love lost between the in-state rivals. The semi-annual rivalry football game between the two schools is called the Holy War and Utah owns a six-game win streak dating back to 2010.

The two teams play each other on Sept. 9 this season and the game is at BYU. Maybe Utah should give all traveling fans who drink caffeine free samples of Code Red to partake in while tailgating in Provo. In addition to being a red power move, it’s also a competitor. BYU has an exclusive on-campus beverage contract with rival Coca-Cola. Though the school’s website noting the deal doesn’t feature a blue can. BYU is going to have to step up the rivalry.

For more Utah news, visit UteNation.com.

For more BYU news, visit CougarNation.com.


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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!