Is Utah a top 50 program?

The talking heads at ESPN are claiming that FBS football is moving to two super conferences that will include around 50-52 teams. If this is true, and given that future championships are going to come from the B1G and SEC, moving to the Big 12 seems like a bad move.

Is Utah worthy of being in that top 50? It’s got to be more than just a good football program, but everything else from TV viewership to Olympic sports to academics. I think it is, but I could be biased.

I think that we’re likely right on that bubble, depending on which metric you use. Football will continue to be solid as long as Whitt is here (and we all know that football drives everything) and the U has a solid reputation, but it feels like all the other sports are…less so.

We also don’t bring a large national following, which is ultimately the most important factor in all of the realignment chaos.

I think that a move to the B12 would likely be a temporary fix if the P12 looks like it could dissolve further. The ultimate goal would be to get into the B1G or SEC, but I don’t know how realistic that is. Depends entirely on how much they want to consolidate power.

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Last year’s breakthrough could not have come at a better time. This year we need to find a way to success in Week 1, and then battle week by week.

It’s a little hectic right now, but for me the downside is limited - like I’m going to stop supporting the Utes - so I’m cautiously optimistic.

We were in the right position at the right time, last time. No reason to think we couldn’t do the same again.

(And if things don’t turn out great, we are just talking about sports.)

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It all seems like an elaborate way of telling the NCAA to suck it.

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Yes and no. I believe Utah is among the Top 50 teams in the country. However, for that to be applicable regarding two super conferences, there would need to be some house cleaning to remove the non-top 50 teams such as the Illinois’, Vanderbilts, Indiana’s, etc. to make room.

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Agree. I listened to the radio guys this morning, who sometimes come up with good points. DJ was making the case that if it goes to 2 super-conferences, if they’re both 20 or 24 teams, do one or both FOX and ESPN simply write off the western US, except LA and maybe the NW and Stanford?

Do both networks write off the Mountain time zone & Arizona altogether? That seems unlikely, IMO, especially with all the growth out west.

Money vs growth.

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I’d like to see two 24-team promotion/relegation leagues, but CFB probably has too much complexity for it.

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I was up early this morning doing my daily exercises, and flipped on the TV. Lo and behold, there was the Rose Bowl. I was lucky, and able to attend the game in person, but I had never watched the televised broadcast.

I saw the fourth quarter. That of course is the most depressing quarter, but I came away quite proud of the Utes. They did not give up. Ohio State threw at our converted running back/ cornerback all night long successfully. (Stroud is a great quarterback, and his line protected him very well all game long, but without our converted running back back there at corner, there’s no way Stroud gets 500 passing yards in this game.) Kirk Herbstreit was his usual homer self, but I’ve learned to ignore that.

That game went down to the last play. We have nothing to be ashamed of or sheepish about. We are clearly a top 50 team. A top 50 program too. There’s no doubt about it.

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I watched it last night on ESPNU, the whole second half and it ended about Midnight ET. Was great to see again. In seeing the second half of the game again, I realized how much bigger that missed fourth down play was at the top of the 4th quarter, where Kuithe got turned a bit by the throw and the Utes came up short. Biggest play in the 2nd half to me.

With all this conference changes and the like, I am really glad we got the chance to get a Rose Bowl under the traditional conferences before it all disintegrates.

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College football would be soooo much better if it had a legitimate governing body that looked out for the sport as a whole. It would be a lot more fun to watch if performance on the field mattered as much as $$$ and TV markets.

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It really does feel like we keep doing everything expected to advance as a program and then the rug gets pulled out yet again

My Utah football dream (and not too far fetched) for this year is another Rose Bowl, which we win. if it happens, I’ll be there.

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I thought the same thing. A game of inches. Argh!

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