After the final AP poll was released late Thursday night, Utah could only muster a No. 2 in the polls, collecting 16 first-place votes and finished 87 points behind No. 1 Florida, and 38 points ahead of No. 3 USC.

Luke Neville has looked unstoppable in the Runnin' Utes last three wins over UC Irvine, Gonzaga and Wyoming. It was no different in Tuesday's game against the LSU Tigers.

It was not a warm homecoming for former Ute assistant Trent Johnson as the Utes pummeled Louisiana State 91-61, giving Utah its 10th win of the season and fourth in as many games.

Foxsports.com recently did a story on how difficult it is for most good teams to schedule games with one another, especially teams that are members of a mid-major conference like the Mountain West Conference.

Three days after a perfect finish at the Sugar Bowl, changes on the Utah coaching staff continue.

The goodbye was inevitable, but for outgoing coordinators Gary Anderson and Andy Ludwig, the choice to coach the Ute football team through the Sugar Bowl couldn't have ended any sweeter.

The Utes played with a chip on their shoulders the entire game and dominated play on both sides of the ball. Not that what the media says about them matters anymore, but several players feel like Utah has earned its due respect.

Defensive coordinator Gary Andersen dialed up a myriad of run and pass blitzing schemes and a Utah defense that was tired of hearing the one-sided praise of Alabama's skills, used speed and pressure to force the former No. 1 Crimson Tide into a series of turnovers and just 208 net yards on the night.

On September 2, 2004, a 17-year-old kid named Brian Johnson completed one of his two passes for a modest 11 yards in Utah's season-opening win over Texas A&M.

Brian Johnson threw for 336 yards on 27-for-41 pass attempts, Freddie Brown caught 12 catches for 125 yards and the Utes scored on their first three offensive possessions to jump out to a crucial 21-point lead against Alabama.