I need a ball-knower. In my understanding, the nickel back comes in only when the formation calls for an extra defensive back to replace a linebacker.
My confusion comes from Smith Snowden being called the nickel. In spring ball, Whitt would say that Scooby Davis had one outside cornerback position locked up, Snowden had the nickel locked up, and they were trying to figure out the other outside cornerback.
Is Snowden our best cornerback, or is he not? If he is our best cornerback, why isn’t he the outside cornerback where he would play in all formations?
While I’m not anti-NIL, I am anti being told I’m a lesser fan because I won’t finance a our star DB’s 13th pair of Jordans and his DoorDash addiction while he livestreams from a hot tub full of Gatorade. If you want to dump your money into this mess, go for it—but don’t come at the rest of us like we’re the problem.
Let’s call it what it is: college football sold its soul. This isn’t about school pride anymore—it’s about who can throw the most money at teenagers who now treat programs like stepping stones on their way to the next bag. Loyalty? Gone. Development? Irrelevant. Culture? Sold to the highest bidder.
And fans? We’re just walking wallets now. If you’re not stroking checks, you’re told to shut up and clap. Well, no thanks. I’ll cheer for the team, I’ll buy my overpriced ticket and my $12 nachos, but I’m not pretending this circus is noble. It’s not. It’s a pay-to-play free-for-all, and the only tradition left is pretending it still means something.
So ride the NIL train if you want. Just don’t expect me to throw money into a dumpster fire and smile while it burns.
Yep. The executive order, although meaningless, is relevant to the forum. Since Trump signed it, it was only a matter of time for this to happen.
For over two years now we haven’t been able to effectively pass the ball, run the ball, or kick the ball (It’s been longer for kicking). Unfortunately for us, those are the core functions related to scoring points. It’s not really an exaggeration to say that our glaringly obvious opportunity for improvement is being able to field anything resembling an offense at all. We’re not even talking positioning groups or depth or anything here, which would normally be the answer. We flat out need to field an offense. Any part of one.
Honorable mention: Special teams. We consistently lose the possession to possession field position battle these days when it used to be practically how we won in the mid 2010s. We can’t punt well, and we return them even worse. We returned the ball for 235 yards in 2023 and 2024 combined. Almost the exact total we had in 2022 alone. And adding those three seasons together comes within 20 yards of 2021 alone. Our dropoff here fairly well mirrors our dropoff in offense, only differing in that it started earlier.
I like the positivity but Utah’s future is murkier than I think you’re suggesting.
1. It’s not certain Utah will bounce back big this year. They should be improved but it’s also possible that improvement only nets them an additional win or two compared to last year.
2. Utah is not on the Big 10’s radar. Utah can try to work that Big 10 invite all they want but there is only passing interest in Utah. They might get a better look if they expand beyond 20 teams but that isn’t likely happening for a while and certainly would be tied to the Big 10 and SEC splitting off and making their own division.
I know this will be unpopular but Utah fans need to drop the idea. Even if the Big 10 looks west to help balance UCLA and USC, Cal and Stanford are still the more likely option. And then after them, probably Colorado and ASU, especially if the Sun Devils keep winning like they did last season.
Ah, the words of the world’s most notorious sex offender and a known liar, who certainly didn’t have an axe to grind against the man who cut all ties with him when he found out he was a sex offender (the irony of claiming he has no moral compass). Great source to base your opinion about someone on.
To answer your question, I can only speculate. Maybe it provides him some sort of leverage. Maybe the DOJ is still building a larger case against people on the list. Maybe it’s because if we the people were to find out all of the people who are actually on the list, it would be so devastating to the fabric of our nation it would result in total chaos. Who knows?
Regardless, the idea that Trump is on it (something even Epstein’s former lawyer vehemently denied on CNN) and the Dems sat on it for four years is just absolutely laughable.
Yes, that is the only reason and I think Nico Iamgoingtoleaveformoney is better than anything Colorado has but that’s just me
Utah had a pretty easy schedule for a P4 team last year. It was their easiest schedule since the MWC days. They won two conference games. Yes, they were a decent QB away from maybe being in contention for the Big 12 title but that team still couldn’t take advantage of a Big 12 that didn’t have one stand-out team and all the big players, sans ASU, at home. Utah shouldn’t have needed even a serviceable QB to beat Arizona in Salt Lake City. Arizona was dog crap last year and they walked into RES and bullied the Utes – a year after they bullied ’em down in Tucson and Utah was supposed to come out and hit ’em with revenge.
I think it’s safe to say this year’s schedule is much more improved, which also means that any improvement Utah sees on offense because of more consistent quarterback play could be neutralized by a defense that has some questions on the defensive line and a harder overall schedule. So, maybe Utah only sees marginal improvement in the won/loss record.
And that’s not even getting into the real chance that Whittingham has regressed as a coach and we’re seeing that regression.
So, I think it is reasonable to believe 7-5 is a realistic prediction for this team. They’ve still got a lot of questions, even on offense, to believe otherwise.
LOL! The “Holy War” is one of the best rivalries in all of college athletics…. BECAUSE religion is at play. There is nothing else like it, and that is why it fascinates people outside of its influence and generates the interest it does. I am of the COJCOLDS religious persuasion, and frankly, we need to be a little thicker-skinned and able to take some shots without wilting. If someone is overly obnoxious about the religious aspect, that only makes them look like an asshole, and I just ignore them.
Sorry to dissent on this, but not to even acknowledge the religious undertones of Utah sports is like ignoring the “elephant in the room.”
I agree with AZ Ute. The D line terrifies me right now. Logan Fano is the only guy and I’m worried he is a B- at best? We will need a few guys to step up there for sure!
Utah @ 
UCLA 
