Pac12 opponent strength

[Kyler Marvin]

How much of the underperformance this year has been due to the Utes regressing from last year compared to the rest of the conference improving; especially the top teams in UCLA, USC, and Oregon.
They have been able to gain a lot in the off-season due to the portal and were able to improve a ton from last year and I think that also shows in the rankings.
I think utah is slightly better then last year overall but the strength of our opponents has gone up a ton. And if you combined that with all the injuries to key players I think it can explain where the Utes are to an extent.

[Tony (admin)]

I disagree with your 2nd to last paragraph. I think the Utes this year are slightly less good than last year. We are missing a few key players who made some huge contributions on the field and in the locker room.  Covey and Lloyd are at the top of that list. 

[cj13]

Also the Kuithe injury was huge and although Cam is great I believe he played better overall last season.

[noneyadb]

I’d argue the biggest issue this year is the RB room. There is no #1 or #2 RB. 11 games in and opponents have enough film to review game play tendencies. Without an all-purpose back, Utah severely tips their hat with certain personnel groups. Bernard indicates a passing play. Thomas a running play. Neither are able to keep defenses guessing every play like a Booker or Jordan. Add in Cams recent inability to complete passes above a 50% clip and it’s fortunate Utah had a chance to win that game.

[EagleMountainUte]

We say this as a rationale. Utah had the plays all game against Oregon. You even had an injury to their best player. They couldn’t play their backup even. That is how much MORE talent they got than Utah? One hobbled guy?

Florida loss again. Play was there. You just play for OT or you play at least more downs. You don’t force it into double coverage.

fUCLA yeah I guess. Charbonett torched Utah though. DTR was ok. Plays were left on the field. fUCLA defense is not very good.

Reality is something was missing this season for sure. Talent disparity? Coaches put them in a position to succeed all year despite “paid” talent. SC was like a 50 million dollar team? Essentially Rising and Kincaid making plays beat them. Plus the defense coming up with the stops.

Utah is good enough. Sure I would love more talent. Especially wideouts that can catch with their hands more.

[Trailgoat]

Agree on talent disparity compared to USC, UO, and this year anyway with UCLA. USC and UO showed with good coaching, the player purchasing and transfer portal combo works as designed for the big money schools. Gaps only going to widen. From what I read, UofA, ASU, and OSU are stepping up the NIL game as well. Have no clue if or what Utah is doing other than KW and Harlan complaining about it and recruiting not looking good so far.

Rising’s numbers are about the same as last season other than throwing more INTs. Rising in the road losses had 1 TD and 5 INTs in all three games combined. The loss of Covey, Lloyd, Tafua, and Sewell was bigger than I expected from a leadership, STs, and LB, edge pressure perspective. Utah’s LB group was the worst it’s been in years. Kicking game and return game may be worse than it’s ever been.

Rising’s numbers steadily declined since the USC game. Rising’s completion % after the USC game is around 56% compared to around 70% including the USC game and all games prior. 4-4 TD to INTs. Risings QBR and RTG dropped significantly after the USC game. The way he’s been throwing I wonder if his shoulder is bothering him. Hope Rising ends his career on a good note with a solid performance against CU. CRs accomplished a lot over his short playing time at Utah. Ends his career as one of the best QBs at Utah. Will be interesting to see if he plays in the bowl game if Kincaid, Phillips, and others bail out. Time to pass the QB torch.

[DrahtUte]

I’ve been thinking that losing Chris Curry at the start of the year has turned out to be a much bigger deal than I ever would have guessed. With all our RB difficulties, he could have been just the veteran presence we needed. 

[rbmw263]

I dont know about all that but last night was very winnable and if we win that we finish with a better record against a much tougher schedule. 

[Calgradutedad]

Let’s talk schedules. If you consider there to be big 4 teams the records in head to head are:
USC 1-1 (road loss/win at UCLA)
UCLA 1-2 (one road loss;no road wins;home loss to USC)
UTAH 1-2 (two road losses;no road wins)
Oregon 2-0 (no road games)

Oregon had a cushier schedule compared to the others. USC got to avoid Oregon since Cal/Stanford have to play USC every year.

Also: Not having a reliable kicker really hurt Utah this year. Matt Gay kicked six field goals in the Oregon win at home in 2018. Covey’s ability to flip the field on punt returns was really missed too.

[Tony (admin)]

^^this