With loss, Utes' bowl picture muddled
by JazzyUte on Nov 27, 2011 9:54 PM MST
in Football
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PrintPrior to Friday's game, it seemed like Utah was pretty much a lock for either the Alamo or Holiday Bowl. That isn't the case anymore and now it's unclear where the Utes will land this holiday season.
One loss and they've started tumbling down the bowl ladder. Where will they land?
It's still possible, I guess, Utah does end up in either the Alamo or Holiday and they should be aided by Stanford's win over Notre Dame, which all but locks the Cardinal up in a BCS bowl game. Outside a stunning upset by UCLA in the Pac-12 title game (ugh), Oregon is on their way to Pasadena for the new year - so that's two potential bowl threats playing in the BCS. An ineligible USC helps a lot too, as does UCLA's potential 6-7 finish.
My guess is that the Alamo takes Washington, which is a bigger name than Utah and has an identical record. It doesn't hurt they're coming off a victory, though San Antonio is certainly closer to Salt Lake City than it is Seattle (by 838 miles) and maybe, though unlikely, they decide to take Utah due to travel proximity.
A week ago, it looked like if Utah wasn't a lock for the Alamo Bowl, they would certainly fall no further than the Holiday.
But it's likely, given the option, the Holiday Bowl gobbles up Cal, who's located in the same state, therefore could bring the fans, and enters far hotter the last few weeks than the Utes. It's really hard imagining the Holiday Bowl bypassing Cal for either Utah or Arizona State. It could happen, I guess, but I wouldn't expect it.
That leaves the Sun Bowl. Utah hasn't played here since a 26-0 victory over New Mexico in 1939 and certainly it's the most prestigious of the bowl games left after the Alamo & Holiday - but it's also one we kind of ruled out the past few weeks as the Utes slowly increased their bowl options with every victory they strung together.
Remarkable how one defeat can undo all that.
But it appears this is the odds-on favorite destination for Utah. Not an ideal place to travel, but at least the bowl game carries some clout.
Since the remaining teams are hardly an attractive option (UCLA might not even be granted a waver to play in a bowl game, ASU will enter the postseason with an epic collapse and no head coach), it really is hard envisioning a scenario where they do drop below the Sun Bowl.
IF that happens, as unlikely as it may be, then Utah is off to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco to play either Nevada or a .500 ACC team.
Eh.
So there you have it. Utah's bowl options in light of their loss Friday night.
Not as rosy, but still salvageable.
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I just hope
that the Utes are mad about that loss to CU, and destroy the opposition in their bowl game…Whitt is usually good at picking his team up after a loss, so that’s one possible ray of sunshine.
Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated.
"Shoot baskets, not people." -AK
Agreed. Utah hasn't ended the season with consecutive losses since 1996.
It would ruin everything the team built up in November and leave us feeling just as gloomy as we did after the Cal game.
If it’s the Sun Bowl, it looks like the Utes will be taking on Virginia – a beatable team.
But we’ll see.
Sun bowl and prestigious should not be used in the same sentence
Been to both and I would take the Kraft bowl over the Sun any day of the week.
I wouldn't...
Yes, the location is better, but the opposition is awful. Who’d want to play a WAC team?
Is it definitely a WAC team this year?
I know they have some sort of rotation going on. Cal vs Miami a few years ago was a pretty cool game.
WAC opponent would suck, though.
In any case it’s unlikely the Pac-12 will even fill that bowl slot.
Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts. - R. Feynman
Well the ACC might send NC State I guess.
Since Miami has already said they won’t accept a bowl invite, the pickings are slim from the ACC.
that would mean
Norm Chow would have coached against all of his former schools in one season
by motes on Nov 28, 2011 8:25 PM MST via iPhone app up reply actions
Hypothetical Scenario
UCLA’s possibility of being 6-7 made me think of a scenario I was pondering a week ago. This is obviously hypothetical, but interesting none the less.
First, rather than only struggling in the conference early, the Utes struggle in all of their games and start 0-7. The remainder of the conference games have the exact same result with one exception…the Utes beat Colorado. The Utes would finish the season 5-7, 5-4 in conference and would head to the conference championship game.
This would pose a scenario where if the Utes won they would not only have a losing record, but they would be the conference champions and would head to the Rose Bowl with a 6-7 record.
Am I missing something? Would the BCS really allow a 6-7 Team to go to the rose bowl? While I could never see this happening, the fact that it is a possibility scares me.
Unless the rules have changed, it's entirely possible, I think...
Though on a lesser level, back in 2001, North Texas won the Sun Belt with a 5-6 record and went to the New Orleans Bowl (lost to CSU) and finished 5-7…
They might’ve changed the rules since then, but who knows…
is the conf championship an automatic ticket to the Rose Bowl/BCS
I think not – I think bowl eligibility is a pre-requisite. But I’m not certain on that.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
Being a conference champion makes you bowl eligible.
At least, according to wikipedia:
Bowl Eligibility Wikipedia Article
From the article:
Under current regulations, in order for this to occur, a team must have a winning record, which may include one win against a Division I FCS scholarship-awarding opponent, or win their conference, and the team must not be on probation.
So, if we were 6-7 but won the Pac 12 championship game, we’d be in the Rose Bowl because we’d be the PAC 12 champion. Of course, that’s ludicrously unlikely, but that’s how the rules would work.
Everyone hates a pink-shirt-wearing communist.
by displacedute on Nov 28, 2011 5:52 PM MST up reply actions
Battle of the Brothers in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl?
I’ve seen this one thrown around a lot. Part of me thinks this would be cool, then the rest of me slaps me to me senses. I would rather have the Sun Bowl, but would rather travel to SF. Tough decisions.
Don't hate me
But I was kinda happy you guys lost because it puts my Washington on top of the list, but now there’s lots of projections having Kansas State or even shudder Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
A huge opportunity, but most likely also a huge beat down. However, the Holiday Bowl would then probably have Baylor and RG3. Some very scary offenses. Wish we had your defense to go with our offense right about now!
So good luck to us both!
by Skeptical Dawg on Nov 27, 2011 11:02 PM MST reply actions
Well I can't promise not to hate you...
But I was hoping Washington State would beat you guys for the very same reason.
Can’t knock you for that, but like I said, this getting into the Alamo Bowl could blow up in our faces in front a large national audience. The Sun Bowl should be pretty winnable.
by Skeptical Dawg on Nov 28, 2011 12:08 AM MST up reply actions
At this point there's no ill-will
Go to your team’s bowl game, win it, make the PAC12 look dominant.
You can’t win every game, every year. But you can win your bowl game every year for a really long time…..
Washington Travels Well
That plus the same 7-5 record as Utah and Cal and wins over both probably make the Dawgs the Alamo bowls choice. I also think Cal to Alamo, Utah to Sun and ASU to Kraft are pretty sure bets.
The wild card being the Holiday Bowl won’t want us (UW) back because then it would be Nebraska or Washington for three straight years. I think they’ll want a change of scenery.
by Skeptical Dawg on Nov 28, 2011 12:05 AM MST up reply actions
Yeah, but the Alamo Bowl snubbed us last year for Arizona who we finished above in the standings, so if they don’t like us again and take Cal, we could then get passed on by the Holiday Bowl and end up in the Sun Bowl while you go to the Holiday Bowl. Not likely, I don’t think, but I wouldn’t exclude that possibility.
by Skeptical Dawg on Nov 28, 2011 12:11 AM MST up reply actions
I thought the bowls, per contracts with the Pac-12, are allowed to take a team lower than their standing. However, it can’t be more than one place down in the standing, meaning UW’s only shots are the Alamo and the Holiday (assuming two BCS berths), since technically UW finished with a better conference record than Cal and Utah by default of defeating both, and Utah being the third in the bunch by a 4-5 conference record and loss to Cal.
in essence, the Holiday Bowl has to do some serious grovelling to Alamo officials in order to avoid a threepeat of Husky games.
Oh you could be right. Forgive me for not knowing bowl regulations. Last year was the first time we’d gone to one in 8 years :)
by Skeptical Dawg on Nov 28, 2011 12:46 AM MST up reply actions
The Holiday would be fine with the Dawgs again.
UW travels well. Particularly in December, to San Diego.
Alamo took Ariz over UW last year because Arizona whipped us h2h.
… that was the bottom line.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
The Holiday Bowl loves Cal because of the reasons you guys already mentioned: the in-state connection plus Cal fans tend to have a good turnout for this game. There are loads of Old Blues in SoCal, plus the NoCal types don’t mind the roadie down the coast.
UW will get the Alamo because as the best of the rest of the conference, they are the largest tarnished jewel remaining.
After that, who knows? The good news is you guys will be going somewhere. As long as you make the most of it.
Of course, this assumes that the earth doesn’t stop revolving and the duckers stomp uclol like a bunch of overripe grapes. Should the miracle happen, then it’s all fococta.
Being an Old Blue means embracing the "meh".
more likely the Sun Bowl will invite Utah. With an ACC #3 opponent, Virginia or Georgia Tech ? While ASU will be invited to the Vegas Bowl. The remaining 2 Pac 12 Bowl affiliations Kraft Fight Hunger and New Mexico will be unfilled. I just don’t think the Pac 12 will petition the NCAA for an 6-7 ucla team while there are more bowl eligible teams having better records. You need to remember that any post season game is a reward for the players efforts during the season. Traveling well will enable the conference and various bowl affiliations to exist harmously. Your previous Vegas situation may come back to haunt you later. As a member of the Pac 12, you cheer for your home team first, then the conference – this is the “Confernce of Champions”. By doing so you lift the conference visibility and overall prestige.
Sun Bowl...winnable but meaningless game.
Beating an ACC team isn’t going to make up for Friday’s abortion.
…will our fans even travel to El Paso?
Maybe I’ll feel better in a week.
A game that could have gotten us ranked wouldn't be meaningless...
…and beating a top ranked Big12 team would have done that.
As it stands, we can only embarass ourselves further, instead of carrying the momentum of a strong finish into 2012.
Now if the Sun Bowl passes us & we end up in Vegas playing TCU, then we could get a little momentum back if we won there…
…but after watching the CU debacle I am no longer confident we can beat TCU, even though I still think they are overrated.
We weren't getting ranked.
We were barely receiving votes in the Coaches, and weren’t getting sniffed in the AP.
Any Votes we were getting would have went bye-bye with a loss to Oregon.
And Even had we won, and not gone to the Championship game, another loss against a mediocre team wasn’t going to get us ranked.
Most projections had us going up against Texas or Baylor. (22 and 17th currently) so those aren’t exactly top ranked, and weren’t going to get us the push to get ranked.
If we played in the Alamo bowl, our opponent would have been K-St. or Oklahoma...
…and they figure to be top 10, if not right on the fringe…
Perhaps it would be difficult to justify a 5 loss school getting ranked (assuming we would have lost to Oregon)…but the hype would have been there to put us on the fringe of the top 25 with a win vs. one of those schools.
Regardless, beating an un-ranked team in a bowl game is meaningless…but beating a ranked one generates some noise…and the higher the rank, the greater the noise.
Also
Chances of Vegas are very slim.
Pac-12 currently has
Rose, Alamo, Holiday, Sun, Fight Hunger, Vegas, and New Mexico Bowl Tie ins.
They currently have 7 Bowl Eliglble teams for those 7 spots. Most likely 2 Teams are going to the BCS, which means the New Mexico Bowl is out. When UCLA loses to Oregon they are no longer Bowl Eligible, meaning the Vegas Bowl is out.
Right now the worst we can get is the Fight Hunger Bowl
doesn't Vegas rank ahead of Kraft? I can't remember, but I thought it did.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
I honestly wouldn't mind the Vegas, but I'm in the minority.
People having nightmares about getting mocked by BYU fan & a tail whipping from TCU…
I wouldn't mind vegas as a travel destination and think it would get butts in the stands
But I read that the Vegas Bowl president is already on record as saying they won’t take the Utes because they don’t want a rematch of last year.
And yeah, a loss against TCU or Boise wouldn’t go over too well in old conference circles. We’d definitely be mocked and laughed at for at least a year or until the next time we were able to beat that team.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 12:02 PM MST up reply actions
Jazzy also mentioned something about an VB incedent in 2001
I’m not sure what happened to make the president of the Vegas Bowl sour on the Ute Nation after that year but apparently we did something to upset the powers that be.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 12:05 PM MST up reply actions
They scheduled the '01 game on XMAS...
Not many Utah fans attended. Tina Kunzer-Murphy really treated Utah like crap during the week prior to the bowl game. She rarely spoke of the Utes, talked up how great USC was, just essentially acted as if the program didn’t exist in many of her comments.
This irked the athletic department and Coach Mac, who, after the game had ended, called out the Vegas Bowl for treating the team like dirt.
She then went on to rail against the fact Utah couldn’t sell all their tickets (they sold maybe 2,000), but failed to mention that USC didn’t bring many fans, either.
Ever since, the U and the Vegas Bowl have had some issues. In ’05, when the Utes received an invite to the Emerald Bowl to play Georgia Tech, Whittingham made a joke that the best way to see Vegas was through your rear-view mirror.
So, interesting days.
Vegas might not have any choice
If we get low enough to still be around for Vegas to choose us, we’ll be the only Pac-12 team left to choose from.
I wouldn't say maningless.
It’s an accomplishment, just like reaching the NCAA tournament. Total games played and how many invites you’ve received are what brings history and tradition. Utah has a fantastic overall bowl record. That should be looked at as a source of pride.
The extra month of practice time and coaching is significant.
And having trophies locked up behind glass looks good to recruits.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 11:57 AM MST up reply actions
I'm sure much of this is still just hangover from losing to CU...
It really is deflating to think about what you could have had, vs. what you have.
…but yes, in a couple of weeks, I’ll be excited to see a Utah football game again, & hope we can finish the season on a high note.
UCLA! WTF!
I can’t get over the fact the UCLA will be representing the south. It’s not like we deserved it either. It should be USC. I know they’re under sanctions, but what’s more unjust, allowing the entire football viewing world to enjoy a USC vs. Oregon rematch at Autzen even though Reggie Bush got a free SUV, or forcing UCLA to travel to Eugene only to get slaughtered. I’m a grad student in Eugene and I wouldn’t accept free suit tickets to that game. No team in the south deserves a bowl invite. Sorry this is totally off topic, I’d rather we go to SF.
by QuackAttackUte on Nov 27, 2011 11:40 PM MST reply actions
BTW thank you guys for a classy blog
I tried to comment on UCLA’s about the title and bowl fiasco and they deleted all my posts while using some “colorful” language on their own. All I said at least the quacks would have an asterisk by the first Pac-12 title since the true south winners beat them on their home field.
by Skeptical Dawg on Nov 28, 2011 12:17 AM MST up reply actions
asterisk it all you want
if not for the CCG USC would be claiming a 3rd place finish, not the South division championship*.
Agreed. USC has no claim to the Pac-12 title...
Even with their win over Oregon, since they lost to ASU and Stanford.
This is the Pac-12
From now on it’s a divisional conference and the CCG is what decides the champion, not record. That’s what every school agreed to and you’re just going to have to
by Skeptical Dawg on Nov 28, 2011 5:16 PM MST up reply actions
No problem...
I’m pretty liberal when it comes to what’s allowed here. I’d wager I run the most tolerant blog on SB Nation. Just as long as you’re not a complete asshole, you’re fine to say whatever the hell you want – well, unless it borders on hate speech, then no.
by JazzyUte on Nov 28, 2011 1:06 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
They're a bit sensitive this year, more than other blogs I've visited
Of course, I can understand why.
Not excited.
What makes anyone here think that a bowl game would be watchable?
If our team didn’t care when it really mattered, why would they care in an NIT bowl?
All I have to say for this team is: Have fun in Juarez. Hopefully you get a wakeup call and show up for all 13 games next year. See you then.
I have watched every game this year...
And if you told me I would be living a groundhog year, I would watch them all again. Every one. I am excited to watch whatever bowl they are in, regardless of their last performance, because that is the last time this season I will be able to see my Utes play. I will be there for every minute of it, good, bad, or otherwise.
by notblue19 on Nov 28, 2011 8:29 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
very excited for the bowl game
I think the sour taste in the mouth of our players and coaches will do some good. Sure, it might not be the best game ever, but I think we will come away with a win. GO UTES!
[shameless self promotion] You are always welcome to visit my blog @ bigbenstechnicalfoul.blogspot.com, I always try to make it fun and enjoyable. I most often talk teams in Utah, but I also like to talk national stuff. [/shameless self promotion]
by BigBenSportsGuy on Nov 28, 2011 8:36 AM MST reply actions
I can't say I'm excited, but I definitely need something to get the bad taste out of my mouth
It feels like I just ate a dead raccoon.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 11:41 AM MST up reply actions
Not in Brooklyn, but I did eat some in Mississippi once.
Literally, washed out my mouth, brushed teeth a few times and went to bed, I still had the taste in my mouth the next morning. It made my tongue go numb. HAHA
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 3:46 PM MST up reply actions
I want the Sun Bowl
After watching that game Friday, I don’t want to go up against a good team. WSU and CU figured out how to throw all day on us. It wouldn’t be very hard for Baylor or OK to do that as well.
At this point, we’re just not that good. The Sun bowl is way better than whatever crappy bowl we would be in if we were still in the MWC. And I’ve gone to bowl games against ACC teams before and had a blast (Georgia Tech).
So here’s hoping for the Sun Bowl. A winable game. A deserving place for us.
BOYCOTT the Ute Bowl Game!!
I am sorry but I think we should all BOYCOTT the bowl game, whatever the hell it is! The Utes loss on Friday was completely unacceptable and Whit and the program need to know that their fans will not support mediocrity. Our standards have been raised and we will not stand for a lame bowl game with a crapass opponent (not that we could beat a quality one after seeing what we did on Friday).
What will they think when they show up to San Fran or San Antone or wherever and there are NO red-colored fans? I think it will shock them into significant change that will put us in the right direction for next season.
Who is with me??!!!
Changes
I think there are a lot of things. First I think its time we recognize we need better coaches for the QB and DB positions. Johnson and Scaley are great guys but not ready for PAC 12. I also hope that this season proves that we need to do a better job recruiting and strategizing for ‘worst-case scenarios’ like with what happened with Wynn. We really had no good backup plan and that needs to change. Those are just some quick thoughts :)
You may get your wish with Scalley...
There are already rumblings that Urban wants to snatch him up and bring him to Columbus. Personally, given Scalley’s recruiting prowess, I hope Urban fails in that endeavor.
As for Johnson, I’m going to be in his corner until he gives me a very good reason to leave it. That man has been told he’s overmatched over and over again both on and off the field and he continues to make his doubters look foolish. Combine that with the fact that no less than Norm Chow said he was one of the most intelligent football minds he’s seen in 40 years on the sideline, and I’m more than willing to give Johnson as much time as he needs.
yes Scalley rocks with recruiting….but man our DBs continually get burnt in the secondary. We always have sweet safetys…but man getting burnt is getting old. I think Chow can have a big impact with QBs moving foward…and Johnson has done a good job with what he has.
That being said, now that we are in the PAC 12 it is hard to believe we couldnt attract talent from other schools with better experience who could bring more to the table.
I don't agree re our DBs continually getting burnt...
Though I understand how it could seem that way after the CU and WSU games. No question they blew it against CU, but the “burns” against WSU were due to an idiotic prevent defense that we suddenly installed. And even after the WSU game, we went into the CU game as the # 1 pass efficiency defense in the conference and the #19 pass defense in the country. We also led the nation in interceptions.
Our DBs certainly make their share of mistakes, but I don’t think they continually get burned.
The problem wasn't our DB's
It was the damned Linebackers and the crossing routes. A play that burned us all freaking year.
Crossing Routes gave us problem all year long. Colorado just looked like they actually watched game tape and adjusted to it.
Scalley has done a tremendous job this year...
Lacy is undersized, and yet he’s done a great job of playing with WR’s that are 6-3.
Black has made tremendous strides…might even be a fringe NFL player.
Mo Lee did a great job of converting to defense.
Eric Rowe is already good and as a freshman, he’ll only get better.
Reggie Topps has also made some good strides…and all of these guys are coming back, except Black.
Even in the Colorado game, it’s not like they ate our lunch. They only scored 17 points.
This was a group of guys we all had questions about coming into the year, and I feel like they answered the bell really well.
More proof that the Secondary is good...
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/30623/coaches-all-pac-12-teams-announced
Black, Byrd, Lacy…all honorable mentions.
awesome to hear
especially after it being such a huge concern in the offseason
by khaostheory117 on Nov 28, 2011 9:45 PM MST up reply actions
thoroughly against you
these are amateur athletes, not millionaire ego-maniacs. they had a bad game………boo hoo hoo. they deserve our support.
Love the Jazz, Utes, and BoSox.
@AskTheSportsGuy
[link]bigbenstechnicalfoul.blogspot.com[/link]
by BigBenSportsGuy on Nov 28, 2011 10:18 AM MST up reply actions
sorry...should have posted this here!
Yes they are not pros, but we dont have to support them by spending a bunch of time and money to travel out to a crappy bowl game against a crappy opponent. The main objective is to send a message to the leadership that we will not accept our team falling apart against a crappyass team and ruining our chances of having a great end to our season. When we know what they are capable of and they fall apart like that it is all on the leadership, not the players.
Didn't you learn anything this year? Apparently not.
There are zero `crappyass’ teams in the Pac-12. There are only great teams, and really good teams. The great teams always have great years. The good teams have good years and they have bad years.
Utah was a really good team having a bad year. Then they got better, and started having a pretty good year.
Colorado, likewise, was a really good team having a bad year. Then they also got better.
It happens, to Utah, to Colorado, to EVERYBODY. It’s a rollercoaster ride, every year.
To take a loss to ANY Pac-12 team as a reason to mount some sort of indignant crusade/tantrum seems ridiculously juvenile, and disrespectful to both your team and your new conference. You can maybe justify that weak whiny shit in the WMC, where there ARE plenty of weak teams. But not here.
If you lose here, if you get beat, it’s because you got beat.
A proposed systematic boycott is a bit extreme
They laid an egg. While it’s going to going down in Ute history as one of the worst losses, it’s not time to press the panic button or go to aggressive economic tactics.
The Utes definitely had a rough first year in the PAC 12. It was a wake up call. A 6-6 team in the PAC is much more equipped to win than a 6-6 MWC team.
That said, i don’t think many fans are going to end up at a bowl game in El Paso. They’ll be lucky to get 20,000 Utes in the stands.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 11:51 AM MST up reply actions
Not a bad down year
This was a down year, but we knew it would be. If spent the past three days complaining to anyone who will listen to me about how badly Utah played against Colorado. It was pretty embarrassing. But it’s pretty nice that we’re in a position to be this hysterical about a 7-5 season. There’s no way I’m gonna boycott the bowl game, and anyone who is calling for Whitts head needs some perspective.
by QuackAttackUte on Nov 28, 2011 10:38 AM MST up reply actions
definitely not calling for Whits head…and i agree that overall the season went OK. BUT the Colorado game was ridiculous and boycotting the bowl game would put extra emphasis on the importance to fix some of the issues.
But if even if you're right...
And boycotting the bowl game would provide such an emphasis, it does more harm to the program than good. It makes us look bad to our new conference, every bowl game nation wide (the bowl committee world is a very small one), national and local media, and potential recruits.
The harm it could cause far outweighs the benefit of the statement it might make.
Agreed
Imagine if Utah is 2nd in the conference in the next couple years, and being talked about for a BCS At-Large.
The “Boycott” would sure be a reason for Bowl games to think we don’t travel, and therefore get left out.
I dont think any future bowl where we have a solid team is going to look at what happened this year with an average team and a serious flop at the end of the year and make any kind of decision based on that. We need to learn our lesson from this year and take advantage of controlling our own destiny when we have the chance. If we are continually in the scenario of being hopeful that we will get picked by a good bowl..then I dont think we will have much to cheer for anyway.
Are you crazy or do you not pay attention?
Bowls pick the team that will provide the best revenue. The best way to determine that is past performance.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Larry soon would be there. -Maji Man
by daedalus17 on Nov 28, 2011 4:03 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
Agreed.
In a few years, the stories about the Utah Fans Boycotting the game will be lost on the 3rd or 4th page of Google Results. What Bowls will see is the number of unsold tickets.
Honestly, I will accept a lame bowl game this season.
When Wynn went down, and we were sitting at 2-3, with an disgrace to the position at QB, getting to 6-6 was a dream I hoped Utah could achieve.
Just because the rest of the Pac-12 South crapped the bed, I’m not going to forget that we are in fact a Mediocre team this year, and that getting to 7-5 was quite the feat.
8-4 would have been better, and that loss was completely unacceptable, but I’m not losing sight of the fact that we were a mediocre team this year.
I agree that when Wynn went down…things looked like crap and we all thought the season would be a loss. We proved though that we have talent all over the field and that given the competition we had the ability to get ourselves into the PAC 12 Championship game! We didnt…we choked at the end, at the worst possible time. I am sorry but I refuse to be happy with where we are when we had a chance of being much better off. I think everybody looked past colorado and that is why we lost…bad preparation, lack of motivation, and look at what happened.
I agree....but....
Yes they are not pros, but we dont have to support them by spending a bunch of time and money to travel out to a crappy bowl game against a crappy opponent. The main objective is to send a message to the leadership that we will not accept our team falling apart against a crappyass team and ruining our chances of having a great end to our season. When we know what they are capable of and they fall apart like that it is all on the leadership, not the players.
Dolphins and sharks are natural enemies. Dolphins are like, "Quit eating us," and sharks are like, "Stop smiling all the time, you morons."
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
by CrimsonUte on Nov 28, 2011 10:34 AM MST reply actions 1 recs
we have come a long way
Our standard is so much higher for wins. Even coming out positive on the win side were still not “proud” . We expect at least a 9 or 10 win season basically every year. Which says a lot about our team. Dominance, we usually possess just not last Friday. Utes had a shit game. I think mentally were complacent. But as for boycotting the team that had your dick hard the last few weeks, that’s a little childish.
by aUTmanAMi on Nov 28, 2011 12:44 PM MST via mobile reply actions
I think that if you boycott a game after the team had a bad game...
Ute fans will be seen nationwide as fair weather. This is probably the most ridiculous idea I have ever seen posted on blocku. Let’s get some perspective. It was one football game. Leadership? Ha! A team without leadership does not pick themselves up after the first half of the season to even have a shot at the end of the year. I am proud of these guys for overall season result, not just one game. Next year should be good.
by notblue19 on Nov 28, 2011 3:15 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
not a bad game….complete lack of preparation and motivation. COLORADO WAS 2 AND 10! THEY HADNT WON ON THE ROAD IN FOREVER! We had everything to play for and had 1 freaking first down in the first half. They PWND our defense in the first half….
Its not just that we lost…its how we lost. We got schooled…
Obviously not everyone is going to boycott the bowl game….national perspective is not going to be impacted either way…..I want to send a local message that the level needs to be picked up in a major way.
This year the competition in the division was mediocre…its not going to get any easier.
Even if National perception did not change...
After boycoting a game. Go tell a tds fan you are not fairweather. Tell that to a recruit. Let bowls keep that in mind while selecting. Tell people who would never boycott a Utes game. This is overreaction at best.
by notblue19 on Nov 28, 2011 5:29 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
I like it!
I like to know that there is a possibility that we play them in a bowl game some time down the road….think of how awesome that would be!
I hate OSU with a passion
this will make that very hard to do because I really like Meyer
by khaostheory117 on Nov 28, 2011 3:19 PM MST up reply actions
agreed
I wanted the best for Meyer at Florida. Can’t say the same for a school that cause itself THE University. Hope he fails.
Probably in the long run, but will have early success
He’ll probably rock the B10. Until his passion gets the better of him and then he will probably implode.
We missed all that with him leaving after just 2 seasons. So we mostly still like him around here.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women. - Conan the Barbarian
Hear, hear
Dolphins and sharks are natural enemies. Dolphins are like, "Quit eating us," and sharks are like, "Stop smiling all the time, you morons."
Sort-of-daily sort-of-funny sort-of-thoughts at danoftheday.com
I like Urban and what he did for the program but...
I could care less about OSU. I don’t hate them but they are like West Virgina or South Florida to me. I just don’t care. Unless they play an SEC team and them I’ll root for them.
Other than that, if we face Urban, he is on the opposite side of the feild and I hope we squash them. Would be a good story though.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 3:41 PM MST up reply actions
About the bowl situation
I think the sun bowl is the most realistic. washington get’s picked over us for the alamo bowl because they beat us and cal and they played a tougher conference schedule. cal makes most sense for the holiday bowl given it’s location. leaves us for the sun bowl. el paso might not be the best place for a bowl game but it would have the best matchup for us on a down year. i’d say it might not be such a bad thing because if we faced a offensive team like Baylor or Oklahoma i’m not sure we’d be up for it.
I just want to take a moment....
… And Revel in the fact we’re complaining about The Sun Bowl after a mediocre 7-5 season where we are the conferences 4th or 5th best team, instead of complaining about the Vegas bowl when were are the conferences best team.
Erickson and Neuheisel fired today...
So to sum up… Utah couldn’t win a 6-team division where three of the teams fired their coach by the end of the year, another was post-season ineligible, and the last hadn’t won on the road in four years until they played us. OUCH.
EXACTLY!
I dont get everyone on here saying they are “happy with the outcome” this season….the competition was crap and we couldnt take advantage of the situation when it presented itself. All we had to do was beat the WORST team in the conference….AT HOME….and we blew it. Pathetic.
That's what I've been saying...
You couldn’t ask for a better path to the championship game and Utah bumbled it badly.
Hopefully next year’s team is money, because I guarantee you it’s not going to be nearly as easy.
They really blew it...
One of THE worst losses in program history. I’m no Ute historian but this is as bad as I can remember. I know some are arguing TCU was worse last year, but I disagree.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 3:55 PM MST up reply actions
You're right. The ramifications of losing that TCU game simply weren't as substantial.
Plus, I never thought we were on TCU’s level going in to that game last year (and neither did most people I know, when forced to be honest with themselves). I KNOW we were at-or-above CU’s level going in to this one.
All of that combines to make the TCU loss memorable, but the CU game a loss for the ages.
Next year's team
On offense
Same issues at QB An injury prone Wynn, no decent or proven back up.
- Loss of Asiata creating huge holes for White.
- Loss of both starting offensive tackles. People, including myself, have been hard on Cullen but his loss is not insignificant. He was a two year starter.
Defense
Utah’s strength was run D. We lose A LOT from our front seven Shelby, Aiono, Fotu, Finau, possibly Lotulelei.
- Loss of half of the depth on the DL
- Loss of two starting LBs including the team’s leading tackler.
-Loss of a starting CB.
by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 4:05 PM MST up reply actions
It sure ended on a sour note
but overall I think it was a pretty good year for you. It was your first time taking on “The Grind”, yet you finished bowl-eligible, were a factor late into the division race despite your starting QB going down, and had a nice 54-10 romp.
It’s interesting to think about what might have been, had the field goal at USC not been blocked and if Wynn didn’t get injured. That’s what Beavs have been doing since James Rodgers was injured last season at Arizona. The team just wasn’t the same after that, and we went from Top 25 to finishing 5-7 with some ugly losses. But that’s just how it goes sometimes…
I’m confident the Utes have better things coming in the next few years, and I’ll have fun watching :)
Scotty you rock
You’re one of my favorite people on here
by khaostheory117 on Nov 29, 2011 1:07 AM MST up reply actions
I have been afraid to say the g word on here...
But I am inclined to agree.
by notblue19 on Nov 29, 2011 12:47 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
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