The new BCS rankings are out and the Utes remained sixth, while Texas, who had occupied the 2nd spot last week, dropped to 3rd. That means, unless Oklahoma loses to Missouri in the Big 12 Championship, Texas will not be playing for the national championship. Since their ranking pretty much guarantees them Oklahoma's spot in the BCS if the Sooners play for the championship, it's very likely Utah faces Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.
Now this isn't set in stone and it's possible the Fiesta picks Ohio State over Utah, since their fans always travel well, but right now, it appears this could be more likely than Utah playing the loser of the SEC Championship in the Sugar Bowl. Personally, playing Texas in the Fiesta would be a pretty great get for Utah, since the Longhorns have been one of only handful of teams to really dominate this decade. But it also would pit the Utes against a program that was unjustly snubbed from the national championship. That might not be a great mix for the Utes, since you never want to play an angry team, especially when they want to take their anger out on you.
Of course, a victory over Texas would be monumental and well worth the risk of defeat. Add in the fact Utah could get a great number of fans to Glendale and it's probably the best scenario for the Utes.
It'll be interesting to follow this the rest of the week, since now I'm starting to think the Sugar Bowl is becoming a less likely destination for Utah. Even if Oklahoma were to lose to Missouri, I think they would still pit the Utes against the Tigers in the Fiesta, move Oklahoma over to the Sugar to play either Alabama or Florida, while Texas gets into the national championship.
But we'll see. Thoughts?