beyond that, this team was legitimately, tangibly, and substantively a top 10 team. SP+ had Utah finish 10th, Sagarin had Utah finish 7th. Those are maybe the 2 most respected metrics in the sport. Beyond that, Massey composite (composite of 55 different computer polls) had Utah 11th, while metrics consensus had them at 8th.
Season was not without its warts. Some obviously disappointing moments. But in the end Utah was thoroughly a top 10 caliber team and back to back conference champions. There are levels to this, and this is one Utah hadnt hit yet. Checkmark, on to the next.