Nominate: Worst Loss Ever

by Rhino95 on Nov 28, 2011 9:46 AM MST

Still depressed after Friday's debacle, I'm trying to tell myself that it's been worse than this. But I'm still not convincing myself.

Please, nominate your "Worst Loss Ever" candidates. I have a list of five, to start:

Last Friday
T.D.S - the Harline game.
T.D.S. - Lavell's last game, '00
New Mexico, '94. Ruined our up-'til-then undefeated season.
Colorado State, '89. Caused me to vow not to return for another season as long as Jim Fassel was head coach. Fortunately, Fassel was fired soon after the season ended.

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For Me

Magic Happens.
Last Year’s TCU Beat Down
07 UNLV

All rank higher than last night.

by UnHoly Ram on Nov 28, 2011 9:53 AM MST reply actions

i would say

in my recollection……….

’07 UNLV
’10 TCU
’94 New Mexico

were all worse.

[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 10:15 AM MST reply actions

agreed

well except 94, can’t really say cuz i would have only been 3 lol

by khaostheory117 on Nov 28, 2011 11:36 AM MST up reply actions

07 unlv and 2011 Colorado games definitely do it for me. I can handle the tcu, Boise states, and USC losses

by bzutefan on Nov 28, 2011 5:18 PM MST via mobile up reply actions

To me, this was a worse loss than last year against TCU

Last year, I still wasn’t sure who the Utes were and knew the TCU game would answer some of those question. I got all the info I need after that game and the subsequent week. Utah was a good football team beating up on inferior competition.

We beat a ranked Pitt team, but they turned out to be average. When we put 60-something on Iowa State, I started believing. Turns out, that was where we peaked for the entire season.

This loss to CU was different. We knew who we were. Nothing great, but definitely capable and resilient. We found a way to win and got the season back on track. We also knew we were playing an opponent that had struggled on the road, not just this year, but for the senior classes entire existence.

Not to mention, there was something very tangible with a win. Granted we needed some help, but it turns out we got it. We could be playing for a Rose Bowl this weekend. The path might not ever be paved in gold as it was this year. USC ineligible, the top two contenders faltering in November and opening the door for us. A 2-9 team visiting your home stadium. What more can you ask for?

Unlike the TCU game, where we didn’t really understand who we were yet, this year we did. And the prize was known too. CU definitely deserves all the credit in the world. They obviously played a much more spirited, passionate, and sound game than the Utes, but i would be hard pressed to find anyone that would definitively say they are a better team. That wasn’t the case last year. TCU actually won the Rose Bowl.

by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 12:25 PM MST reply actions

So the question becomes, how can you be upset losing to a better team?

Better teams are supposed to win. In hindsight, Utah clearly wasn’t better than TCU last year. And I agree w Jazzy from a different post, the UNLV game didn’t have a PAC12 conference Championship on the line. A bad loss sure, but there was no end result other than a stigma and embarrassment.

Same with the ‘94 New Mexico game. Even if Utah wins, the BCS hadn’t been created. The Utes probably would have ended up in a lesser bowl, like the Freedom anyway. Nebraska and Penn State also finished that year undefeated, so it wouldn’t have been like the ’84 TDS team winning a National Championship. They still finished in the top 10. A top 5 was the ceiling.

It’s hard to create a pecking order for bad losses, but off the top of my head, I can’t think of a more significant one than this. One, where such a prize was specifically attached to a victory. A South Division championship, with a shot at the Rose Bowl.

by UteinBrooklyn on Nov 28, 2011 12:44 PM MST up reply actions

And I'll Maintain

That Utah’s loss last year to TCU blew a more legitimate shot at a Rose Bowl, than this game did.

Hindsight tells us that TCU was the better team, but building up to it, Utah fans didn’t believe that. We believed we were just as good, and could win that game.

I’m sorry but being shown to be a fraud (last year versus TCU) was more disappointing to me, than almost becoming a fraud (Back dooring our way into an Oregon Blowout in the Conference Championship Game)

by UnHoly Ram on Nov 28, 2011 1:44 PM MST up reply actions

agreed!

Love the Jazz, Utes, and BoSox.

@AskTheSportsGuy
bigbenstechnicalfoul.blogspot.com

by BigBenSportsGuy on Nov 28, 2011 2:08 PM MST up reply actions

not better than Tcu

I was a hopeful but never a believer, TCU was a far better team than utah last year and they proved it with convincing wins against everyone they played including Wisconsin. We didn’t have any big team wins leading up to the Tcu game and it was the “test” and we failed and just to calm any doubters we went to ND and stunk up that game as well.

by bzutefan on Nov 28, 2011 5:14 PM MST via mobile reply actions

Good comments, have made me think

I guess there are destructive losses and emotionally devastating defeats.
The TCU ‘10 was a very destructive loss. It derailed our team and sent us into a tailspin for the remainder of the season.
The emotionally devastating defeats are the ones you feel crappy about for days/weeks/months, but don’t really harm the program. Will the Colorado loss hurt recruiting? Possibly not. Granted, we’re not facing Oregon in the CCG, but if the Bruins get crushed, many of us may feel perversely happy about not being the sacrificial lamb.
UNLV ’07 could actually be seen as a turning point. The Utes focused after that game and went 23-1 in their next 24 games, including the Sugar Bowl.
I guess we have to see how the team and fans bounce back in the bowl game to assess the situation.

by Rhino95 on Nov 29, 2011 9:25 AM MST reply actions

Personally I'm already over the Colorado loss.

by UnHoly Ram on Nov 29, 2011 11:17 AM MST up reply actions

Agreed...

Thinking about bowl game and looking at next year. That being said my vote is for TCU loss last year. It seems like in this mini debate people have made cases for the losses that have been the most devestating, most embarrassing, most disappointing, and maybe there is a different game for each of those slots. In my lifetime the Colorado loss was disappointing, the tcu loss was devastating(with harline game honorable mention), and unlv was embarrassing.

by notblue19 on Nov 29, 2011 6:12 PM MST via mobile up reply actions

Colorado still doesn't make any of those three spots for me.

Most Disappointing: ’94 UNM, ’07, and ’09 BYU All tie for me, ’10 Notre Dame.
Most Devastating: Last Years TCU lost easily claims this spot for me.
Most Embarassing: Easily ’07 UNLV. While UNLV was a turning point, it also is a game that gets brought up all the time. I remember ’09 going down to Vegas for the first time since that game, all the stories were about vengeance.

I honestly don’t see that same mentality sticking around this game. Maybe it’s because UNLV whooped us, while with Colorado, we lost the game.

by UnHoly Ram on Nov 30, 2011 9:23 AM MST up reply actions

I usually take pride in my team history...

But as for the 94 season, I have no context. My first sports related disappointment happened when I was 10-11, and my Utah Jazz fell short in back to back years against the bulls.

by notblue19 on Nov 30, 2011 2:56 PM MST via mobile up reply actions

94 context

McBride’s best team had peaked in his fifth season of climbing the ladder of respectability and had played on ABC @ undefeated CSU winning a thriller for their 7th win. At 8-0 and ranked in the top 10 and needing 2 wins out of three for the first WAC title and Holiday Bowl bid, they held an easy 3 score lead at halftime at NM and McBride conservative in the 2nd half. Los on last play FG 23-21 to sub .500 team. Not to be outdone. They followed up the next week at AF with a 24-7 halftime lead and followed the same script and lost 40-33. Finished with their 2nd consecutive 34-31 thriller over BYU and finished second in the WAC to CSU who lost to Michigan in the Holiday Bowl. Utes beat a good Arizona team in the Freedom Bowl 16-13. and finished in the top 10. Just needed one win in those back to back losses for WAC title and winning both would’ve matched what BYU did in 1984 that they can’t stop talking about. Would not have won mythical NC. Would’ve finished 3rd behind undefeated Nebraska and Penn St. Beat 4 ranked teams that year. At Pac-10 champ Oregon, at 10-2 CSU vs. 10-3 BYU. and vs. Top 25 Arizona.

by UteBaron on Nov 30, 2011 3:19 PM MST up reply actions

Wow, thank you...

I can only imagine how much that loss would have sucked. Especially watching the second half collapse. I will say though, that the AF game kind of reminds me of the hangover beat down by ND last year.

by notblue19 on Nov 30, 2011 4:20 PM MST up reply actions

There's a reason why Whit is sometimes referred to as McBride 2.0

And the Notre Dame hangover is exactly that.

For that matter Colorado was very McBride like.

by UnHoly Ram on Nov 30, 2011 4:36 PM MST up reply actions

I may not have entirely read your comment...

Then hive minded a little bit.

by notblue19 on Nov 29, 2011 6:14 PM MST via mobile up reply actions

ND was rough

I spent 1000$ to make the trip and everything was worth it but the score. Fans were great stadium was unreal And just being at ND was great experience. Needless to say the trip home sucked after that kind of a loss.

by bzutefan on Nov 30, 2011 8:46 PM MST via mobile reply actions