I am as a fan, as a fan I have an unrealistic expectation that the Utes should be perennial powers nationally and win every game that they play. But fandom/fanticism should not be a shelter from reality.
In the real world we as Ute fans should actually expect to be the Michigan State of the Pac-12. Before I get blown up lets look at the comparisson. Neither team is a “traditional power” or a blue blood. However, both teams have quality coaching that leads to win performance that regularly exceeds analytics and “talent” based expectations of the national pundits. Both teams are in conferences where there are true blue bloods or upstarts that will always have defacto recruiting advantages and who have a percieved talent advantage. Both teams turn unheralded recruits who don’t arrive on campus as predestined pros into NFL prospects. Both regularly defeat the blue bloods but not always to a level that results in a championship season because they are also capible of losing to mid to lower tier teams because that is where the talent level actually is when execution is off.
In short, the Utah program is never going to be USC from a tradition standpoint. Utah will never be Stanford who gets the pick of the best “student” athletes nationally every year. Nor will they have the financial backing of an Oregon. But what we have seen over the last several years is a coaching staff that is in (and winning) recruiting battles with Washington, UCLA, ASU, and Oregon for quality recruits and whose eye for talent is so respected that some teams in the conference (uh hum ASU and USC) track the 2 and 3 stars Utah is on and so they can make a late play.
What we realistically have to look forward to is lots of 8-10 win seasons with a special season (the experience is in place at the right time) where the Utes win the South, possibly the conference and make the playoff and a dog season (when the new talent is figuring out how to win like this season) going forward.
Also, lets face it, those 9 and 10 win seasons where the Utes were still in contention until the second to last week of the season were frustrating but also they were pretty darn fun too. So lets support the process, enjoy the ride, and support our coaches and our players!
Go Utes!
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