Expectations are generally high when you're coming off a ten-win season and bring back some of the most productive talent of that team.
Often the expectations are ridiculous. Obscenely ridiculous, if you will. I believe this is one of those moments. Though I'll concede the possibility makes me tingle inside.
College Football News, known for their never-ending projections & rankings of everything and anything, has come out with their way too early bowl predictions for the 2010 season.
It is, of course, May and that's never too early to speculate who will be playing where come January.
So where do they have Utah?
Well at first glance, they've got us playing in the Las Vegas Bowl against Washington. Not entirely bad. Probably means we're either first or second in the conference, right?
Well then scroll all the way down to the national championship game and you get this...
January 10, 2011 Glendale, AZ
BCS Championship 8:00 pm ABC
BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
Way Too Early Projection: Ohio State vs. TCU
WHY? Here's the call (and remember, it's May ... don't get mad if and when we flip-flop before the season). The SEC champion will have two losses, but if it's undefeated or has one loss, it's in Glendale over an unbeaten TCU/Utah winner. The ACC, Pac 10, Big East, and Big 12 champions will also have two losses, Ohio State will lose once, to either Wisconsin or Iowa, and will have the best record among BCS teams. The other out-of-left-field call is Nebraska, who has the right schedule and gets Texas at home. Basically, if there are two BCS teams with one loss or, of course, are unbeaten, TCU is out.
Uh what?
Yup. CFN believes that the winner of Utah/TCU will play in the national championship if things shake out perfectly.
That's just insane, right? I mean really?
Of course, the Utes aren't the favorite here. Obviously CFN believes the Frogs will win in Salt Lake. With that said, the possibility of a NC berth coming down to that game in November seems quite, I don't know, out there.
But I'll take the potential buzz if both teams enter undefeated. That would be something.