One week and the fun begins

Fun, of course, should mean a Utah victory. I don't think a loss would be fun. They never are, right? So maybe I'm going out on a limb here when I say the fun will begin. It could read the fun might begin - but that's not very decisive. I want to be decisive and not appear weak. So we'll keep it as it is and hope that, in the end, it is when the fun will begin. 

In seven days, we'll have a better idea of how good this team really is. Personally, I don't have the faintest idea of what to expect from the 2010 Utes. Well that's not entirely true. I do expect a winning record, a bowl berth and contention for the Mountain West. However, outside of that, it's all virtually unknown. 

This season, more than any other, is very similar to 2008. Now I know what you're thinking, back that up Jazzy because that team went 13-0 and it's hard to ask for something similar out of this team. You are absolutely right. I'm not suggesting these Utes will go undefeated. I'm only saying their potential is pretty high and that means a lot. Especially if they can live up to that potential.

Of course, the truth is, none of us knew what to expect out of the 2008 Utes. We knew they had a chance to be really special, but that's just it - all we could do was speculate. Certainly the program under Kyle Whittingham hadn't established itself as a team with the potential to go undefeated. 

That's why 2010 reminds me of 2008. The prospects for a really good season are there. Especially now that Whittingham has created a consistent winner here.

But on the other side of the unknown is a dark and scary place. It's a season of struggle. That's where 2008 differs from 2010. We knew then they would be really good. Potentially great. But we also knew there wasn't much chance of them playing worse than our expectations. Not with the talent they returned. Not with a senior quarterback. 

This year, though, those guarantees aren't there. We don't have a senior quarterback to fall back on and certainly not an experienced defense to carry an offense if they peter out. 

But in seven days, I think we'll have our answer. I say think because you can never be sure if the opponent is worthy of its preseason hype. Beating Michigan in 2008 proved absolutely nothing and it wasn't until the Utes defeated Oregon State a few weeks later that it became clear we had a really good team on our hands. 

Pitt should be different, though, because I do believe, unlike Michigan in 2008 or even Louisville in 2007, they are worthy of their preseason buzz. So Thursday should tell us what we need to know about this Utah team. 

A win might not answer all the questions, but it will answer most of them. Likewise, a loss might not answer all the questions, but it should answer most of them. And isn't that what you want out of a season opener? 

Last year, we didn't really know how Utah stacked up until their game against TCU - at the end of the season. 

That shouldn't be the case this year. Beat Pitt and we'll know this team has the potential to be really good.

All that begins in one week.