While college football fans across the nation speculate about conference championships and which bowl game their respective teams will play in, Ute fans have been left to dwell on the many painful what-ifs of a 5-7 season that will keep Utah out of the postseason for the second consecutive year.

What if the Utes would have made the interception on the final play against Oregon State and won the game in overtime? What if they had scored on their final drive and beat UCLA at home? What if Travis Wilson had stayed healthy? What if the defense hadn’t blown a 12-point lead to Arizona State in the fourth quarter?

If any one of a number of crucial plays had gone Utah’s way, fans would currently be celebrating the Utes’ return to bowl eligibility. But in reality, close games or not, Utah is exactly where it was one year ago — near the bottom of the Pac-12 barrel. For a fan base accustomed to winning, this season has been especially frustrating.

“I really do feel like our team was better this year than last year, but our record doesn’t reflect it,” said Patrick White, a recent U graduate in economics and a longtime Ute fan. “After [beating] Stanford, I felt very confident we were going bowling, but a mix of QB instability, poor O-line play and being outcoached led to our dismal final stretch.”

Many Ute fans felt that after Kyle Whittingham’s squad upset the then-No. 5 ranked Cardinal on Oct. 12, anything was possible.

“I think like most fans, after the Stanford game, we felt invincible,” said Abby DeLawder, a second year graduate student in occupational therapy. “There was a small glimmer of hope that maybe we could beat Oregon, but we just weren’t quite ready for that.”

After beating Stanford in one of the biggest upsets in Utah history, no one could have predicted how the season ended. The Utes dropped five games in a row and finished the year with a 2-7 conference record thanks only to beating lowly Colorado in the season finale last Saturday. The losses were hard to take for the Utah faithful and certainly rooted out a number of fair-weather fans.

“Part of being a real fan is standing by your team and knowing that —as frustrating as it may be for you to watch— the players are experiencing that tenfold,” DeLawder said. “We have a lot of great talent in our program, so despite our growing pains this year, I’m excited to see what we bring to the table in 2014.”

White is not so optimistic, feeling there is need for change if the Utes want to become a serious competitor in the Pac-12.

“We need to figure out a way to keep our foot on the gas and close out games if we want to make a bowl next season,” he said. “I’ve already bet lunch with my coworker that [Utah] doesn’t make a bowl next year. I’m totally willing to give Whitt another season, but I’m afraid it’s a tall task for him
next year. And if we don’t make a bowl game, Whitt gets canned. We need to get an offensive coach who can recruit. I hope Whitt can turn it around, but it will be tough.”

Some members of the MUSS also feel a coaching change is in order.

“I think it’s time to shake things up,” said Danny McCormick, a senior in business entrepreneurship. “It seems like the current coaching staff has been kind of complacent since that Sugar Bowl win [in 2009]. Change is a good thing. We can’t expect to do things the old way and win in a new conference
against some of the best teams and best recruits in the nation. Honestly, we’re getting tired of losing.”

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