I would feel bad for you guys for an average season,

[Ted Lasso]

But then I remember you won two Pac-12 championships in a row. I don’t feel bad for you at all 😂

[Ute Dub]

We’re a spoiled fanbase throwing a baby fit over 8 wins. The cognitive dissonance exists as expectations were that we’d have a returning top 10 QB and instead got a bottom 10 QB. We were pump faked multiple times on the good QB and then pump faked again because we kept winning without the high level QB, so the expectations remained high.

Teams learned Barnes tendencies and then took away the few things he did well.

It was still good to beat USC, Florida, Baylor, and the other wins, etc.

Some of us Ute Fans fail to remember how utterly lucky Utah was to even be in the second PAC 12 championship game. Talk about lucking your way into it.

But yeah, I’d much rather be in Utah’s situation than some other teams’ situations.

[Utegator]

And if you think about 2022, we started off horribly with another QB bungle. I think we’re all just seeing a pattern of mismanagement of the QB room and it’s frustrating.

[RoboUte]

ngl decent banter.

[enigami344]

I feel like a lot of Utah fans is becoming those SC fans/Oregon fans/Bama fans that they hate

[lgt4141]

I think most teams would be very happy with the Utes average season. The last two years winning the Pac 12 Championship was unforgettable and even though it feels like Utah regressed this season it is still a winning season and a bowl invite which most teams would call a successful season.

[Central Coast Ute]

I like your comment but playing devils advocate here. Based on the last 2 years and what we were told prior to, and even during the season, the Utes should have finished with no less than 10 wins. Heck, maybe even 11. Oregon should have been the only loss. This defense was wasted.

[EagleMountainUte]

Getting to 8 as a team is a credit to the program Whitt runs. In no way am I dissatisfied with that. With all of the injuries getting anything after Barton went down was a huge accomplishment. Then more and more piled on. Oregon and Arizona Utah had zero chance because of the offensive situation combined with the defense. Washington you had chances, Northwestern you gave it no chance with Barnes again.
Criticism doesn’t mean I want to fire a whole bunch of people. That seems to always be the defensive tactic of apologists and simps. “Why do you hate what I believe in?”

I think many have identified a reoccurring deficiency at Utah that is holding the team back from being a solid top ten program. It is the QB spot and the constant for all of that time has been Coach Whitt. It’s not like you can blame Scalley for the QB play. Whitt has been able to secure a single QB with a drop off in talent behind that starter. It is so vast you make Utah’s offense completely predictable and needing Vaki to make anything work.

2024 off-season preparation can’t be an all in on Rising type thing again. It really just can’t.

[Charlie]

You might consider what you were told was based on a healthy team with Rising and Kuithe making it back to the field. That was the excitement. Take those numbers off any team with high expectations and you begin to see what Utah accomplished.

[Central Coast Ute]

Yep. So maybe we should not have been told what we were told.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Whitts tenure has been about developing a family atmosphere and developing players. He has built a successful program with players buying in and good coaching to put them in a position to be successful. Our recruiting improved because new recruits saw the value of the program and wanted to be a part it.
Back to back Rose bowls resulted.

Then NIL transfer portal and money get involved. Now money is the motivating factor. Good players want to get paid. The $$ in the collective become more important than development and family loyalty. JJ is the prime example. No one blames him or any other player that can make a lot of money at a young age. That’s the goal to get paid for your hard work and talent. You can achieve that goal pre- draft and NFL.( Rising )

It’s a new era for college football. We need to recruit donors over players. Maybe offer Phil Knight an honorary U of U diploma!! Kidding aside I’ve had season tickets since the early 70’s and watched this program improve year after year. It’s been an amazing ride. Fiesta- Sugar-two Rose bowls were so much fun to be there and be part of a dream come true for me as a lifelong fan.

This last year has left a sour taste for me personally. I’m getting old and “old school” is a thing of the past. I’ll let the “new school” take over and see what happens.

[Utesbyfive]

JJ is going back to Texas to play with friends and family nearby. I’m not exactly sure it’s all about money. Since Ty and Aaron are gone, I suspect he’s getting kind of homesick in a way. I don’t hold it against him.

[Utah]

Damn. Some real wisdom in your post:

“We need to recruit donors over players.”

So true. The other thing that needs to change and fast, is the coaches need to have some say in how the NIL money is spent. Maybe Jackson isn’t worth the big bucks, but Whitt knows everyone is coming back and overpaying for a RB for one year is what will put us over the top. Or Whitt knows we have some good backs and don’t need the RB but we need a player at another position.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I seriously doubt (possible) he is homesick. He’s been here 3 years. I’m sure it’s been a culture shock to him. Being out of your comfort zone can open more doors down the road.

His past remarks and the way the program honored and embraced the families of TJ and AL showed a true family atmosphere. I’m only speculating but I believe he got a big offer that Utah can’t match. I’m sure we contribute to the SMU collective every time you fill your car with gas. He seems like a great guy and teammate. He will be missed by all.

[Dallas]

In hindsight, the season was a success; it’s just bitter considering the way we were led on about the health of our two best offensive weapons and the sense of what might have been. We were led to believe in unrealistic expectations. Had we known the reality that Rising and Kiethie were out all season (not to mention all the other injuries) it wouldn’t have been a disappointment.