BgwinLSU said:
Not at all trying to flame, and i understand where you are coming from BUT ...
if you were to have beaten Utah this wouldn't even be discussed.
I think that teams like Utah, Boise St., TCU etc would still struggle in any major conference. These teams play weaker schedules, build up confidence and overall are usually more healthy coming into bowl games.
I think if anything, it should scream playoffs.
The facilities are awesome and it has 30,000 students. We have Nobel Laureates, one of the best medical schools in the nation not to mention the law school and other awarded programs.
As to sports, success brings recruiting. Utah does find the "little guy" that has real talent and speed. It only gets better by beating teams like Alabama. The day after the game, Two 4 star recruits commited. Florida offered to both.
Weaker schedules do not mean weak programs. Conferences are based on locality not on USA possibilites.
Coaching is the key and when you have a great staff your possibilities are endless.
If Utah got into the Pac 10 everything would be easier. We do not lose very often to Pac 10 teams. However, the recruiting goes up when you are in a BCS (what a joke) conference. Teams are hard to judge until you play them. I am sure you though we would struggle against you this year. I had my own doubts.
Utah is not going away. I heard the same thing in 05 the year after our Fiesta bowl win. Funny, we had like a 6-5 season and were barely bowl eligible. We were paired against a top 20 Georgia Tech team. We dismantled them. Brian Johnson had surgery and he was out. We lost 8 players from the starting O and D. That was our down point for a season and up point for our growth at the same time.
We destroyed Georgia Tech. The game was a joke.
I am not saying that we were great but we get the players that grow into studs...just like all good teams.
You cannot always judge how great a 5 or 4 star will become. Hell, most go nowhere. It is the coaching.
I do agree about playoffs. You get through a gauntlet of excellent teams then there would be no doubt.
Go Utes!!!