They get two rivals, they get a huge fan base in Las Vegas albeit, they better have the ‘roach coaches’ stocked with Sunny-D and orange slices for TDS fans. They get a huge TV viewership as opposed to last years Miami Who Cares Bowl. Win-win!
ESPN is the winner here nonetheless of the outcome.
This game is on Utah, they had the Rose Bowl insight, and they choked it away. Deal with it! I’m not going to bitch-and-moan about it. It is what it is. But seeing the zoobs giddy with so much confidence, it’s going to be nice seeing them go home with their tails tucked back to Provo.
Utah will be -1 to -3 in this game. Should be close since TDS is playing Utah without their best players.
The SL Media will be hyping this game and “what can Utah do to beat the TDS”. And you know who they all will be picking…
GO UTES!
Yes the thing that concerns me is we have so many star players gone for this game: Booker, Hansen, Covey…
Let’s hear it people. What are your thoughts? Personally I’d rather leave byu to rot in its own irrelevance.
Had the Utes not gagged on themselves in the Arizona and UCLA games we would not be in this situation.
I may miss this game as I might be on a flight back home from New York after watching the Runnin’ Utes play Duke at Madison Square Garden.
Not excited. Lot to lose and little to gain.
I’m not happy but I’ll still be watching.
It’s disappointing that we finished so poorly down the stretch but honestly the more I think about it the more fired up I am to watch the boys beat the TDS! We’re better up front on both sides of the ball, our linebackers will be healthy, our corners are better than their receivers, Dimmick will be back and Whit owns them with weeks of prep. Hell, Travis will probably play well to top it off in his last game…offensively we’ll see but we’ll be able to run it against them.
The potential let down in the Sun bowl is now replaced by some serious motivation in my opinion. Our guys will be “chomping at the bit” to shut them up…again.
Went from not being very excited to can’t freaking wait. 10 wins, sending Donko out with a 5th straight loss, crushing their recruiting hopes and banishing them to independent purgatory! Get on board they’re gonna need you in Vegas!
^This is the attitude we as fans need to have. I’m sick of seeing fans on facebook or other blogs saying, “boycott the bowl!” We have no one to blame but ourselves for appearing so unappealing to the higher bowls. So now, play with a chip on our shoulders and pound the TDS into the dirt.
I texted my brother to see if he wanted to go. We went last year. He said he would consider. Then he came back saying that I had to promise I would pour beer on Zoobs.! I said I would. He then said I would have to promise to tip over a Zoob in a wheelchair and pour beer on while pronouncing them baptized in the Church of Latter Day Hedoniats. I’m thinking about it. What kind of beer would be appropriate?
P.S. My brother went to the U in the late ’70s and suffered under the Lavell Edwards era Zoobs
P.S.S. Already got my sign made for the game: PROTECT THIS JUNK!
DISAPPOINTED. We finished 9-3, tied for first in the South. That’s a good season. Let’s put things in perspective.
Ole Miss finished 9-3, and is headed to the Sugar Bowl against #16 Oklahoma St. They lost to CFB #19, unranked Arkansas and unranked Memphis. Best wins #2 Alabama, #20 LSU. Three of their wins are against UTM, Fresno St. and NMSU.
Michigan finished 9-3, and is playing in the Citrus bowl to play #19 Florida. Losses to #22 Utah, #3 Michigan St, and #7 Ohio St. Best win #13 Northwestern.
Utah finished 9-3, and is heading to the Las Vegas Bowl against unranked BYU. Losses to #25 USC, unranked Arizona, unranked UCLA. Best wins #14 Michigan and #15 Oregon.
#17 Baylor at 9-3 gets #10 North Carolina in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Losses to #4 Oklahoma, #11 TCU and 5-7 Texas. Best win #16 Oklahoma St.
Does anybody else see a very huge SEC bias? Ole Miss loses to a G5 and gets a NY6. Michigan’s losses are pretty hard to argue as quality losses. Baylor lost to 5-7 Texas.
In spite of our late season slide I think we still had a better season than Ole Miss and Baylor. Yet we didn’t get quite the bowl game we deserved. All three of those other teams get a ranked team in a much better bowl game. East Coast bias? Pac12 unrespected? Or did we just get the shaft?
P**SED! Let’s send the ‘Nut Punchers’ back to Provo with a broken ego.
GO UTES!
Maybe there will be a brawl in the stands that will convince Chris Hill to cancel all the remaining games…
I hope the Utes get new jockstraps and cups for this game.
we got robbed but it’s all about the $$. UCLA and USC are better teams for $$ in CA bowls. So…. here we are at the LV bowl again. part of me is sick and part of me wants to destroy TDS. unfortunately for me… i can’t go this year. i’ll be in SLC having driven up two days beforehand…. can’t adjust plans and dam i don’t want to drive 6 hours back to LV anyway. will watch on TV. GO UTES !
PS it just sickens me to see the zoobs talking smack about our bowl selection especially since many of them have been talking about this matchup for a while and we’ve been telling them to take their pipe dream elsewhere. eatin some crow !
Bowls used to be about rewarding good teams. This was before television and of course cable. Teams traveled by train and huge crowds would come out to wave as the train passed through town. Christmas parades drew huge crowds as well because there was nothing to do at home except play checkers or cards (no TV).
Ah, then comes TV and Cable. Now teams go where the bowl/conference/TV network can make the most money. Utah would have been in the Sugar, Outback, Citrus or some other New Year day bowl game except Ole Miss, Arkansas and the like will sell more tickets than Utah would.
Not fair but that is the way the dollars fall.
Nothing to gain by playing in this game. That being said, I feel pretty good about kicking the crap out of the zoobs.
Their giddiness is due to the fact that Booker & Covey are out. This will be their best chance to get a W but I still like the Utes chances. Come out p**sed and hungry and Utes win this 28-10.
GO UTES!
Nothing to gain by playing in this game. I agree and this gives BYU the edge. This is the same way Bama fans (including myself) felt in 2008 when we fell from #1 to face a MWC Utah in the Sugar Bowl. We were number one right until the lost the SEC championship game. I hope the Utes are not so bummed out they are just going to go thru the motions.
I will back our team and more than likely watch the game, but I don’t want to hear the rhetoric of how the PAC12 doesn’t want repeat bowl appearances that is obviously bulls**t.
Glimpse into the Las Vegas bowl stands:
Travis Wilson and a very small group of players will be the first ever to beat byu at Rice-Eccles, at LES, and on a neutral field. TW is probably the only starter who can claim this distinction.
Who else on the team has played all 4 years? Porter? Aiono? Did Norris or Whittingham play as FR?
At least its on ABC…
Not especially. Whitt always has a strong gameplan for the Team Down South. Plus, even with our injuries, we still match up really well. Our D and O lines are superior to the Zoob’s. Booker is out, yes, and BYU-P fans are reveling in that fact; but they seem to forget about a kid named Joe Williams who (if he can hang on to the ball) will run BYU into the ground.
Not to mention the #2 overall defense in the PAC: #1 in INTs, #1 in Rush Defense, #3 in Pass D. Efficiency.
Oh, and BYU has only played one ranked opponent all season, and lost.
Not predicting an outright win just yet, that will depend on which Travis Wilson shows up in Vegas. But overall, I feel pretty confident.
With half the team injured and unable to play and no decent passing game at all? Sure. Definitely nervous.
This is a no-win situation for the Utes.
If they beat byu they were supposed to. If they lose, the zoobs will be going all tarzan pounding their chests about it.
I sure hope not. No idea what goes on in A-Rod’s head. In fact, I’m not sure he knows what’s going on in his own head most of the time. Ever since Oregon he hasn’t dialed up a consistent offensive game plan.
Was the Oregon game plan “that” good or did Oregon just s**t the bed that day? I’m not so sure anymore after watching our offense the last few weeks.
Have a little ‘faith’ Tony, it’s all on the TDS now. Overconfidence can be a weakness.
Apparently, KT has been taking reps at receiver since Covey and Scott will be out.
Could be interesting.
Apparently, KT has been taking reps at receiver since Covey and Scott will be out.
Could be interesting.
I’ve been hoping for something like that all year. He’s got some running talent. Get him the damn ball.
been a wilson supporter forever and to an extent i still am. however, if he isn’t getting it done, we need a quick hook for sure. if he throws an INT to the LB, i will throw a temper tantrum for sure ! need to give KT some time if it isn’t happening. TW did have a great game last year in the LV bowl. we do seem to give him very little credit for the read option (running). he is very very good at that.
Nervous no, just disappointed. The last four quasi-great QB’s to come out of Provo are a combined 0-4 against Utah. And that includes Taysom “Glass Legs” Hill and “Heisman and National Championships” Heaps (54-10 anyone). If anybody’s nervous, it’s Tatum Mango, it’s all on his shoulders to beat Utah in the last six years. I don’t think he’ll be up to the challenge. Utah has played against better QB’s in the Pac-12 (Goff, Rosen, Adams) and shut them well below their usual stat lines.
I’m sure the TDS’ O-line is nervous, as well as the pathetic TDS secondary and rush defense (I can’t even name a player on the TDS’ front-7?). But I’m sure they’re all TDS ‘LEGENDS’? Shall we talk about Special Teams where the game might come to in field position and kickers?
I expect Utah’s ‘B and C’ squad to still beat TDS’ ‘A-Team’.
Too bad Utah got passed over from the Foster Farms Bowl (3.3 mil payout + ‘P5’ opponent) to play a Big XII wannabe in the RPLV Bowl (1.3 mil).
Better win the game TDS, it’s really on you. You begged for it, now you got it.
Wait, the last four QB’s lost to Utah? I remember two. Nelson and Hill. Hill was great, Nelson was a bum. The two guys before that, Hall and Beck had three wins. Mangum is already as good as Hall was his sophmore year. Mangum will be one of the better QB’s you have faced. Unfortunately for you guys you have to deal with him 4 times.
Your comment on the pass rush was…uninformed. Bronson Kaufusi has 11 sacks. The BYU has 37 on the year, tied for 6th nationally. Utah sits down the list at 20. BYU has 15 int’s on the year, only 4 fewer than Utah. You are living in the past. This BYU D is different. Run D is our weakness. Fortunately for us, we won’t see Booker and your backup is banged up.
We’ll see Lone Wolf. Pressure is all on Tatum Mango. Travis has won on a bigger stage for a few years. You’ll see the “BULL DOG”. And we’ll see ‘TDS v. Michigan’ Tatum Mango at the RPLV Bowl. I can’t wait now.
GO UTES!
Comparing sack statistics between the two teams with such different strength of schedules is not really meaningful.
You’re a smart guy Tony. Sure it’s meaningful. BYU didn’t play a PAC schedule, but it wasn’t a Sunbelt schedule either. Kaufusi is a top 3 rounder.
Lone Wolf, you are correct it isn’t a Sunbelt schedule. Not even the Sunbelt would stoop so low as to play mighty Wagner.
Not even the Sunbelt would stoop so low as to play mighty Wagner.
LOL
32 of BYU’s sacks came in their 8 games against G5 teams plus one FCS team, with a high of 8 against Cincinnatti. That’s an average of 4 sacks per G5/FCS game.
Just 5 total sacks in their 4 games against P5 teams, for an average of 1.25 sacks per game. Notably, 0 sacks against UCLA and 0 sacks against Missouri.
So it looks like there’s not much to worry about BYU’s sack prowess as it was largely accomplished against bottom of the sack competition.
P.S. Watching Lowell Lutulei manhandle Koroma will be an epic joy.
I knew someone (other than me) would come up with some realistic sack stats… lol.
are you saying people actually care about BYU?
We were tossed in the Vegas bowl with a crappy MWC team after a good season last year, and the team came out to prove a point. Proved that team they paired us with did not belong on the same field as us. Now we’ve been straight disrespected after having a really good season in the Pac 12, and given a 9-3 indy team who hasnt beaten a single team with a pulse all season. Does the team have it in them to prove the same point in the same game in back to back years?
We might be in a power conference, but we are clearly still the underdog. Need to keep that mentality. The LA schools will always be picked above us in bowls. We are still the little guy, and need to play with a gigantic f(#(*@ chip on our shoulder. Always.
I was really hoping that we wouldn’t be going back to Vegas, but now that we are I hope we absolutely curb stomp the Zoobs who’ve been praying for this match up all season. Send Roscoe off to Virginia with another Utah loss, and one win shy of 100.
F**k BYU.
Screw the PAC 12 and Chris Hill for letting this happen.
What you guys don’t understand is that outside of your bubble nobody cares about Utah football. Wazzu is a much more appealing and entertaining program to the rest of the country. I hop this sinks in. It’s time for you all to get off your high horse. You aren’t as great as you think you are. The reality is that BYU and Utah are pretty comparable programs.
Keep telling yourself that zoob, but both teams are no longer comparable. Utah didn’t need ‘fluke’ plays to beat one bad and one mediocre team. Good for you, something to brag about.
If the pressure is on anyone, it’s the TDS and especially Tatum Mango. They wanted it so badly versus Utah. Now they have it and if they lose… I guess it won’t matter because the usual laundry-list of excuses will be all over Zoob-board, SLTrib, KSL and DNews.
Lone Wolf, we’ll see if you have the guts to come back and talk after the TDS loses? We’ll see?
The reality is that BYU and Utah are pretty comparable programs
LOL.
Where each school is at as a program is beside my point. Utah has had better seasons than the bowl they were invited to would indicate in back to back years. Part of that is the terrible bowl affiliations of the P12. But its a sign that while we have a seat at the P5 table, there is still work to do
BYU is only known nationally for being nut punchers and lgbt haters. Don’t get too big of a head here, Wolfie.
I am wondering if we will see a tweet from a byu coach saying, “Come to Vegas. Watch how I sin!”
The reality is that BYU and Utah are pretty comparable programs.
Uh, no. Not they are not.
Meh! My college football season ends on 19 December. 🙂
Yeah me too, especially if Alabama wins.
I think Alabama is out first round again
I think Alabama is out first round again
I hope you’re right, but I doubt you’re right.
My seats at the basketball games are off of portal 18. The bathroom there for years has had a large row of urinals with no privacy walls between them, until yesterday. 3/4 of them do now. Not a lot of money spent for a much better “experience.”
Sorry. No photos. 🙂
I don’t worry to much about privacy when I have 64 ounces of Pepsi trying to find it’s way out.
Probably not. But I would’ve taken the loss in Levi’s Stadium and a better bowl over the trip to Las Vegas that we’re about to get thanks to the media and ESPN.
Not this year, especially without Booker and Covey.
No. The Utah run defense matched up better to Stanford’s run oriented offense. Unfortunately, Travis Wilson’s play deteriorated substantially beginning with the game against USC. The level of futility in the pass game was disconcerting. Zero TDs at home against UCLA with all sorts of opportunities in the red zone. We stand a good chance at losing our bowl game if we’re matched up against a P5 of a BYU.
i don’t think so. furd’s run blocking is to die for. CM is a stud. one of the fastest white dudes on the planet… fun to think about but we probably would have gone down. our offense is simply pathetic. unfortunately, we were over-rated all year and now that the bubble has burst, it’s painful. lotsa fun early on but now we live with another LV bowl.
We have some sensible Ute fans here, all in agreement.
The week 8 version of Utah, maybe.
Gigantic scoreboard and FINALLY a better sound system.
Upgrades are coming to Rice-Eccles Stadium, and Chris Hill gives us more details in State of the Utes. #goutes
https://t.co/BLHwT6EzvZ
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) December 3, 2015
Nice to see upgrades. I do appreciate the new bathrooms.
Predict the 2019 Utah Football regular season record
Total Voters: 382
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