I have to admit, I gave the Utes little or no chance. I never thought they could match the speed or strength of a top-notch SEC team.
But I love being wrong. And I’m REALLY pulling for a split national title.
Quite shocking but I agree with you, at least on my expectations for this match.
I don’t think the win will have any influence on which team will be declared as NCs, though.
'Bama fan here.
Damn, this sucks. I think that this hurts more than losing the SEC championship game… because I didn’t really think that we had a good shot at that.
But I was certain that we could win this game. After all… Utah is this year’s Hawaii. Well, it seems they aren’t. I’ve gotta give Utah credit. And if I were a voter, I’d seriously consider giving them a 1st place vote. If there were the +1 system that I’m in favor of, then I definitely think that Utah should get the shot.
I could easily see the AP voting Utah knowing that they went undefeated and that Florida will get the Coaches poll (sorry Oklahoma, I think Florida is going to win). I would love to see it. I watched Alabama play a few times this season and I thought they were basically as good as any other team in the top 5, and tonight’s win was a solid win.
I would give Utah my vote.
The Mountain West has looked fantastic from start to finish this year.
Utah has beaten two top 10 teams (Alabama, TCU), Oregon State (which beat USC and won their bowl game without their 2 best offensive players), and BYU.
TCU and Oregon State are better wins than Georgia and LSU this year.
Besides, nobody would have hesitated to give Alabama the title if there had been no SEC championship game and Alabama was still undefeated.
I wasn’t the least bit surprised…of course, I’m a tiny bit biased, since I went to school at the U of U, my sister currently goes to school there, and my husband works there. Still, I don’t follow college football at all, and so I don’t understand how it works. Why do people put up with a system where “number 1” is established on votes, and not on actual records?
I didn’t think Utah could do this either. I wouldn’t vote for them ahead of Oklahoma/Florida or USC, but I didn’t give them enough credit.
Because the system works.
Basically, Chick-fil-A conducts a poll of who the two most popular teams are, these two teams play in the “Sour Cream & Onion Pringles Bowl”, and the winner is awarded the “Crystal Pepsi Ball”.
The NCAA does not officially recognize this “SpeeDee Oil Change Most Popular Team”, so there is no such thing as an NCAA champion in football.
It isn’t difficult to see Tostitos why magicJack they don’t settle it on the Outback Steakhouse field. You would have to be Emerald Nuts to think there was anything wrong with this system.
Because unless they are in the same conference, teams don’t play the same teams. It wouldn’t be fair to award an undefeated team the national title if they’ve been racking up wins in a relatively weak conference, while other teams are competing against the big boys. Fortunately for the Utes, there are a couple of decent teams in the Mountain West this year.
Perfect scenario since the current system is so flawed.
OK beats FLA in a close but boring game. UT hands Ohio their ear.
OU “wins” the BCS and UT goes well “we beat them” and Utah fires back with “we didn’t lose at all”.
What an unsatisfying way to conclude what is probably the most competitive endeavors available to the average Joe.
Not to defend the BCS, but I think that Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and USC all beat Utah in 9 out of 10 games. And they don’t beat them by less than a touchdown. Hell, I’d even give Ole Miss, Ohio State, and Penn State a better than even chance.
Alabama was horribly overrated all year and the SEC was likewise. But there is no way in hell the Utes would get my vote.
Give Utah all the credit for beating an overrated Alabama team fair and square, but the truth is there’s a lot to be said for Utah being excited to play in that game and Alabama disappointed in not playing for the NC.
And there’s no way Utah has any play in the NC picture.
With respect, what the hell does Utah have to do to get everyone to believe they have a good team??? All this nonsense about who they can and can’t beat. USC LOST to Oregon State, but Utah beat them. This continued nonsense about the toop Western teams being weak has to END. It’s been the perception since I was growing up in California in the 60s, and it was just as incorrect then as now.
Utah - Undefeated, including a bowl game against the second place SEC team, which they won handily. Best in the nation? They at least deserve consideration.
Hindsight is 20-20, isn’t it?
Yup, give a team that is coming off a loss in their biggest game of the year a month off and you can expect a half ass performance.
Utah showed up to play, Bama showed up to party.
I’m not a college football junkie, but I think there are two perspectives to consider here:
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Who should be National Champion, based on the season’s performance.
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Who is the best team in the country right now
Let’s take USC and Utah for example, since you mentioned them. In the case for Nat. Champion, Utah absolutely deserves to be considered - undefeated, beat a common opponent that USC lost to, beat a former no. 1 in Alabama, etc.
In the latter case, I think that USC would paste Utah though on a neutral field, were they to play today.
But I agree completely that there’s a terrible bias against non-USC west coast teams.
Beat better competition. None of the teams they beat (Bama excepted) are currently in the top 10. And, while it was nice, Bama did not deserve to be in the top 10.
I gotta ask. Do you REALLY think that Utah could beat Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, or USC? REALLY?
I agree. To a point. And that is to the point where people think that Utah is the best team in the nation.
Consideration, yes. National Champion? No.
It was not shocking at all to those who watched Utah play this year. Great team.
YES! I do think they could. I think they would be quite competitive. I think it’s stupid to assert otherwise. As in totally without any foundation based upon actual doings on the field this year.
Yeah, just look at how Boise State got crushed by Oklahoma a couple years ago.