It's November 22nd and Utah still has an outside chance at playing in the Rose Bowl.
That's something none of us thought possible back in October after the Utes opened Pac-12 play 0-4 and were looking at the New Mexico Bowl - if any bowl at all.
Well since, Utah's bowl situation has definitely become more rosy, even if it's unlikely the Utes will be playing in Pasadena to start the new year.
But we're a long way from Albuquerque and that ain't bad.
So, where will Utah end up? That's still undecided, but with Utah's strong play the last few weeks, USC's sanctions and Arizona State's shockingly bad collapse, it's possible the Utes have now played their way into the Alamo Bowl - a bowl once thought to be a near-lock for the Sun Devils just a mere few weeks ago.
Utah might not be on the level of the team they're predicted to play (it could be Oklahoma) should they punch their ticket to San Antonio, however, there is a three million dollar payout, so I'm sure they'll happily accept, even if the odds are stacked against a victory.
If it's not the Alamo, most other pundits believe Utah will be playing in the Holiday Bowl this year. Maybe against Baylor.
That pays less than the Alamo Bowl, but offers up a closer trip for Utah fans and still a solid Big 12 opponent. Thanks to Washington's downfall, who at one point was 6-2 on the season and a very attractive option for that bowl game, the Utes are in good position, if not taken by the Alamo Bowl, to be spending their holidays in beautiful San Diego, California.
Not bad.
This is what is so utterly fantastic right now. Utah football is looking at, for the moment anyway, no worse than the Holiday Bowl, with a strong chance at the Alamo and even a slight chance, though let's not even entertain the thought, at the Rose.
Last year, once the BCS dreams were crushed, the best bowl Utah could hope for was the Las Vegas Bowl, which actually produced a decent opponent, but only because Boise State fell to Nevada late in the season. Had the Broncos won and it's likely that Utah would've faced a MAC team.
Yawner.
And that's even without mentioning the Sun Bowl. It's still a possible destination for Utah.
I know some here don't like the thought of playing a game in El Paso - but the bowl itself pays well, gives us a solid BCS opponent and is still one of the better known bowl games around.
So, right now, Utah's bowl situation is still muddled. But it's looking less and less likely they're off Vegas or San Francisco to play some non-BCS team.
I'll take it.
What bowl do you want (and I'll leave out the obvious Rose Bowl option)?