So, if it was back in August

[ProudUte]

And you heard on November 20, 2021:

– Utah was playing Oregon on ABC and the winner would clinch their division

– Oregon is ranked 3rd in the nation

– Utah is a 3 point favorite to win the game

– Utah is leading the conference in scoring

I know if it was me – I would think “Wow, what a great season!”  We must have a helluva team to be favored against the 3rd ranked team.

So, this still has the making of being a very good season. The facts stated above are true but misleading.  I throw out the rivalry loss as something that was eventually going to happen.  But the WTF losses to SDSU and OSU have put a little bit of a damper on the season.  However, if we win out and play and win in the Rose Bowl – it will be one of Utah’s best seasons.

 

[LetItRide]

Yes the LYU game was inevitable ,but Cam wasn’t in the game.
SDSU was a cluster F until Cam got in the game.
OSU was rolling 14-0 but Cam wasn’t playing defense. He did struggle some in red zone.
Yet he drove us down there multiple times.

See a correlation here😎

If he started the season we have two losses at most.

This game is the most important in his career that could catapult him forward or just be a hiccup that he can make up later in season.

Good post.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Oregon St also had the benefit of a bye before the Utah game, whereas we were coming off a game vs. South division rival Arizona St.

[UteBacker]

Well, I certainly had us beating USC, UCLA & Az St while losing to BYU, SDSU & OSU. 😉

[ProudUte]

So, on the other hand – if the only thing you knew in August was that we would lose to BYU, SDSU, and OSU – what would you have thought.  For me, “We were overrated and this is going to be a loooong, hard season.”

[BD]

Yes, it is crazy. After those first two losses to BUY and SDSU, I honestly was questioning whether Utah would even be bowl eligible. The loss to BUY was inevitable at sometime. It took a pandemic, the wrong QB choice, and disarray on Utah’s Oline for it to happen – a perfect storm of improbabilites to combine together. While I would say that BUY dominated that game, a 9-point victory with all the chaos would bother me if I were a BUY fan – it probably should have been even greater than a 9-point victory. Not trying to find any moral victories for Utah here. It is what it is.

However, Utah has to win here. While technically they still win the South if they beat Colorado if they were to lose to Oregon, they don’t want to rely on that alone.

Yes, I would never have guessed any of this way back in August. What a fun season, with the best still to come.

[SkinyUte]

I don’t think you can give any context to this season without factoring in everything else this team has had to deal with around TJ/AL.

The fact we’re even having this discussion means this season has been a truly remarkable success.  In fact, I’d argue that the season is a massive positive for the program regardless of what happens in these last two weeks and the post-season. 

[Trailgoat]

Starting Brewer was the right call at the time. Rising was less than a year out from major shoulder surgery and less than a quarter of D1 game experience under his belt. Brewer was in a tough spot with the Oline issues, youth, new system and all the new players at skill positions. Brewer was brought in for one season to provide depth and immediate experienced play at QB. Rising’s fast progression and powerful leadership has been a huge difference maker and a pleasant surprise.  

[ayoriver]

I didn’t see much in there about the development of the young bloods. Some of them have been very impressive during our run of form, and I can’t help but think there were some hard lessons learned early on that they’re benefitting from now.

[MFury]

If you told me, at any point in the last decade, that Utah would be leading the PAC 12 in scoring offense, I would never have believed you…

…or would assume that our turnover ratio was so strong people were confusing our defense with our offense.