QB

[Utes 69]

Difference in the game was QB. We a need two good QB next year.

[Caliman]

hater

[RoboUte]

We a need two good QB next year

Heck I was generally of then mind that we needed at least one this year but that wasn’t part of the plan and you get thumbs downed for saying that so I can only assume it’s wrong. If logic follows I don’t see why we’d need a good quarterback next year. That may seem counterintuitive but popular opinion is popular opinion so I’ll trust it.

[Utah]

Here is my plan, if I was Whitt:

1 – Get Rising to come back. If we had Rising this year, we have one loss, at worst. If we have Rising next year and he is healthy, we roll through the Big 12. The Big 12 is bad. Hell, we probably roll through the Big 12 with Barnes. But we need Rising back.

2 – going along with #1, you believed Rising before about being close to being healthy. Never again. You bring in a transfer QB to compete for #1.

3 – You try to keep one of Rose and Johnson. I might be ok with no transfer QB if you think Rose is good enough to push Rising for #1. If Rose isn’t close to Rising’s level, then you bring in a transfer QB.

4 – RS Wilson.

This means at the start of fall camp, you have: Rising, a transfer QB, maybe Johnson/Rose, and Wilson.

That’s a damn good QB room.

[2008 National Champ]

If we had Rising this year, we have one loss, at worst.

Cam Rising is not capable of playing next week, last week, or any of the weeks that have passed by this season. People need to stop pretending like Cam Rising of 2021 or 2022 could have won games this year that were lost by the team on the field. You weren’t going to get that version, even if he’d been cleared to play.

People have fallen in love with “Cam Rising would have done ___”. Brian Johnson would have won that game, Alex Smith would have won that game, hell, Tyler Huntley, Brett Ratliffe, Lee Grosscup would have won that game. If it’s going to be inane straw man, at least get creative because one-legged Rising wasn’t winning that game on Saturday.

Oh, and the elite defense gave up 6 scoring drives. 28 points by the offense should have been enough. But I don’t hear anyone saying Devin Lloyd would have won that game

[Utah]

You missed the forest for a tree.

The point wasn’t “if we had a semi-hurt Rising we’d be great.”

The point was, “Rising is a damn good QB and we want him back next year.”

I never said I wanted Rising to play this year. I never said anything about his injury. I just showed a hypothetical example of a situation that shows how good Rising is.

And we 100% want him back next fall.

[2008 National Champ]

I don’t think I missed the point, at least the one that you posted. You may have had something else in mind. I do that all the time. But I quoted verbatim.

Rising may be great next year. None of knows. But Cam Rising wasn’t going to have this team 9-1 right now. If you read your 1st point as if anyone but you had written it, you’d agree with my take. Anyone thinking that Rising was capable of winning games this year is conveniently forgetting that he is still not cleared to play and extrapolating past performance. He isn’t on the sidelines in street clothes because he’s some secret weapon that Utah hasn’t felt the need to unleash yet. He is incapable of being on the field without risking permanent injury, at least according to his doctor.

[Milton Vanderslice]

With the drop in our strength of schedule next year, we could be very successful in the regular season with Barnes as QB1.

There aren’t any teams on the level of OSU (12), Oregon (6), or UW (5) on our regular season schedule next year. Kansas State (25), Oklahoma State (15), and Kansas (16) are the big fish with Texas and OU leaving. (using last week’s rankings)

[prestitute]

And UofA, which we will see next week. The drop in the BigXII won’t be as big of a pushover as people seem to think. It seems like there are a lot of inconsistent teams, but not bad teams. We have 5 away games with a lot of travel, too. OK St on the road won’t likely be a pushover. We also don’t know these teams as well. We struggled enough with a bad Baylor this year that I won’t assume we are going to go in and necessarily dominate.

I think we will go in and compete, but BB would be on the lower end of the QB rankings in the BigXII going into next year. I think our best shot is with Rising. We will see though.

[Utah]

I agree. If Barnes has any shot to play for us next fall, the coaches failed the team.

[Yergensen]

You serious Clark?

[J Rocksville]

It’s tough to say. It looks like we should be pretty set up for success next year, but we don’t know who’s coming back, who may transfer out, potential coach changes and other teams can build fast through the portal. Arizona looks like they’ll be solid next year, Colorado should be better, Kansas, OK st, etc etc.

Hopefully our stability works in our favor and we add more than we lose. As for qb, I think rising and I feel like either Barnes or rose transfers. Nate Johnson should look hard at changing positions, and then maybe Mack Howard as qb3 and Wilson running the scout team. I could see Wilson starting as a rs freshman in 25.

[2008 National Champ]

There should be at least 90% of the starting lineup from Saturday returning for 2024. Damuni and Vele should be out of eligibility and I think Laumea and Battle. 18 of 22 starters that have been largely responsible for 7-3 this season.

Of the “out for season” crew, Barton is definitely back but unless someone tells me the extent of his injury I’m going to assume a full year recovery so half season seems safe. Bernard can come back if he wants. Maea should have another year. Pittman can get another year but I don’t know if he’ll want to come back to Utah – seems like he cut bait on that.

That leaves the 3 “super covid seniors” who 2023 was going to be their last year. Yassmin’s only option if he wants to play is to come back, but he was rumored to be wanting to go home before this season so he’s up in the air. Rising and Kuithe probably have as many options to play elsewhere as they do at Utah so for this analysis I’m going to assume they are done.

I’m not seeing anyone on the roster (underclassmen) currently who “needs to go pro now”. Bishop will take a peek, Vaki needs another year and needs to decide on a position, Bills will get a grade but I don’t know how high after this year.,, So you’ve got a team that had to fight to get where they are now and give the majority an offseason to learn from their mistakes? I’m actually pretty bullish on 2024 Utah and would probably commit to 9-2 (don’t know game 12 yet) based on just the above. If that is the baseline, then anyone who comes in and beats out the incumbents should do nothing but raise the bar.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

We all had unrealistic illusions of Cam and Kuithe taking us to the promise land.(me included). We are back to reality now. We have seen our defense and need more playmakers on offense.

Cam and Kuithe would be healthy next year. The Big Twelve is a new challenge and teams are unfamiliar with our style of play on both sides. We have a legitimate shot next year of a playoff run.

[2008 National Champ]

there’s that pesky “we” again. there was a vocal minority who felt that the projections for CR and BK were extremely on the optimistic side given the nature of their injuries.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

“We” meaning the coaching staff. Training staff and insiders like only u. Glad you were right. I guess “we” all should have listened to you. We are all fans and hope for the best. “We” might have thought different if the extent of the injury was known earlier.