The Great Debate |
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How will the football team fare in 2013? |
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‘Cupcake’ matchups can’t save Utes |
Utah poised for a stellar season |
 Let’s flash back to November of 2010. The Utes had ridden an easy schedule to an 8-0 record and a No. 5 national ranking. A home game showdown with No. 3 TCU gave them a chance to prove they truly were a national powerhouse.The Horned Frogs embarrassed the Utes 47-7 that day and convinced everyone watching that Utah was clearly overrated.With that backdrop, let’s make some predictions. If the current rankings hold, the Utes will play five nationally ranked teams (No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Stanford, No. 21 UCLA, No. 24 USC and No. 25 Oregon St.). Since joining the Pac-12, the Utes are 1-3 against ranked opponents, with the lone win being last season’s victory over No. 25 BYU.Not only has Utah struggled against ranked opponents since changing conferences, but it has also struggled in important games. At the end of the 2011 season, all the Utes had to do to earn a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game was beat Colorado, which was in the conference cellar. Utah lost.That track record doesn’t fill me with confidence as the Utes embark on what will be their toughest schedule since joining the conference and perhaps the toughest ever. Call me a pessimist, but I say the Utes will end up 5-7.First, Utah will lose all five of their games against ranked teams. Luckily, the Utes do have some cupcakes on the schedule, Weber State, Colorado and Washington State.Now the Utes need to find three more wins to get to bowl eligibility. Where are they going to come from?Utah State? The Aggies have Chuckie Keeton, yes, but they also needed a blocked punt for a touchdown and Jordan Wynn going down for them to beat the Utes in Logan a year ago. I don’t expect fortune to shine so brightly on Utah State this time around, so Utah wins. BYU? A game that more often than not comes down to the final seconds, this will be the last Holy War for two years. It will be in Provo, and BYU will have someone that actually resembles a quarterback for the first time in a while. Utes lose. Arizona? The Wildcats are breaking in a new quarterback, the game is in Salt Lake City and I’m feeling generous. Utah wins. Arizona State? The Sun Devils have crushed the Utes the last two seasons and should be even better than they were in 2012. Utes lose. Add it all up, and Utah finishes 5-7, misses a bowl and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham gets a warm welcome to the hot seat. Maybe those old Mountain West days weren’t that bad after all. |
 A divisional run? Is that even possible? Yes, because the Utes can start the season at 5-0.Utah has the advantage of seven home games this season, five of them in the first six, with the lone road game in Provo.Over the last decade, the Utes led the rivalry series 7-3 over the Cougars, with a 3-2 away record. BYU still has All-American candidate linebacker Kyle Van Noy, but they have lost other key components of their defense.Another in-state matchup is the season opener against Utah State. Even against a sputtering Utah offense in their last meeting in 2012, it took the Aggies an overtime period to beat the Utes for the first time in 12 years. Despite losing their head coach Gary Anderson this season to Wisconsin, the Aggies are still a good team, but they’ll be facing a hungry and vengeful Utah squad on their home turf, and the Utes will be victorious.Weber State is the next home game. That’s win No. 2.Following the battle in Provo, Oregon State will come to town. The Beavers had one of the best defenses in the conference, third overall, and returns seven starters. However, the Beavers had inconsistent quarterbacks after a fast start. Although junior Sean Mannion has won his old spot as the starter for now, we will most likely see senior Cody Vaz at some point in what will surely be a low scoring but grinding game.The UCLA Bruins, winners of the Pac-12 South division last season, never fare well in Salt Lake City. In their last two visits to Rice Eccles Stadium, the Bruins have been whipped with a combined score of 75 to 12. Quarterback Brett Hundley lost his prime targets and top rushers to the NFL, so it will all rest on him. Utah will come out on top, earning mid-season recognition from around the Pac-12.Consecutive losses will follow Utah’s surprising start. First, Stanford comes to Rice-Eccles in week six. With a defense that is ranked among the top 15 in the nation, the Cardinal will hand Utah its first loss of the year. A closely contested loss will follow in Tuscon as Ka’Deem Carey of the Arizona Wildcats rushes for a couple of scores. Utah will keep it close, but Carey is just too good. However, this is the year that Utah beats USC. The Trojans have not had anything below an eight win season in 12 years. Even though they have the best wide receiver in the country, Marqise Lee, whichever quarterback they use will be busy trying to avoid the defensive front of Utah. Loss No. 3 will come at the hands of Arizona State. Utah won’t be able to pass All-American defensive tackle Will Sutton and the Sun Devils. Another loss to the Oregon Ducks will follow. With the return of quarterback Marcus Mariota and the do-it-all running back De’Anthony Thomas, Utah will get a lesson on how to hurry up the offense at full speed as they suffer back-to-back losses for a second time. Closing out the season with two more wins against Washington State and conference rival Colorado, the Utes will find themselves back in the bowl season facing an opponent from the Big 12. This year’s Utes are not the same team that missed a bowl game in 2012. Armed with the wisdom of Dennis Erickson as co-offensive coordinator, a more comfortable and confident quarterback in Travis Wilson and the motivation of proving they belong in the Conference of Champions, the 2013 Utes are poised for a stellar season. |
Great Debate: How will the football team fare in 2013
August 27, 2013
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Dan Miller • Sep 21, 2013 at 5:02 pm
Ryan is right on
Dan Miller • Sep 21, 2013 at 5:02 pm
Ryan is right on