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IF UTAH SURPRISED YOU,
YOU WEREN’T PAYING ATTENTION

by Matt Strobl

  Ignore the title of this column, and let me offer up a scenario.  

Close your eyes.  Well, not literally- you have to keep reading.  Imagine a team that has been a powerhouse in recent years.  Over the past six seasons, this team has averaged just a hair under ten wins per year.  In those same six seasons, this team has won nine or more game four times, won double digit games three times, and gone undefeated twice.  

Would this team’s success surprise you?  

Now open your eyes.  And take a good, long look at the Mountain West champion Utah Utes.  Contrary to some common opinions, Utah did not appear from nowhere.  They are not new arrivals to the national scene.  And yet a staggering number of people who allege themselves to be college football fans say they are shocked at the program’s 2008 accomplishments.  

I say it’s time to start paying more attention to the MWC.  

Utah ’s recent ascendancy began in 2003 under coaching genius Urban Meyer.  He guided the Utes to 10-2 and followed that up with an undefeated 2003 campaign.  The Utes unblemished 12-0 record was capped by a BCS Bowl victory -- a 35-7 romp over Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl.  

Despite these back-to-back seasons, many dismissed Utah as a flash in the pan.  This probably would not have been the case if the Utes played in a power conference, but toiling in relative MWC obscurity made them easy to forget.  

The 2005 team returned only ten total starters, and lost its superstar quarterback Alex Smith to the first round of the NFL draft.  A rebuilding year naturally ensued, as would be the case with any team.  Even the mighty SEC features rebuilding now and then.  

The Utes still managed a winning record (7-5) and began a steady improvement despite Meyer’s departure.  Successor Kyle Whittingham engineered an 8-5 record in 2006, followed by a 9-4 season in 2007.  This was all well and good, but for those who followed the team, all eyes were on 2008 as the Utes developed a solid core of veteran leadership.  

And 2008 did not disappoint.  This season Utah had eight of eleven starters return on the offense.  It also boasted a starting lineup that included eight seniors.  It should have been no surprise to see the Utes climbing up through the rankings as the season progressed.   

Despite this climb, and despite the fact that they were billed as potential BCS-busters to start the season, fans around the nation seemed shocked by the final results: A dominant Sugar Bowl win... a number-two ranking in the final AP poll.  While the Utes’ season was incredibly impressive, it should not have caught us off guard.

This is a strong program.  Perhaps winning a second BCS bowl in five years will keep them on the nation’s collective mind a little longer this time. And on a final and related note -- if I were to hazard a guess, I’d be willing to bet that the BCS Committee will be giving careful consideration to adding the MWC as a BCS conference during the next review.  The conference has certainly earned it.

Submitted 1/3/2009

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