Utes BCS Repeat: Recap and Predictions

13-0 ... Only undefeated team left standing when the dust cleared. Emotional rollercoaster of a season with last minute comebacks, timely sacks, missed field goals, perfect 2 minute offense executions, demolishing the in state rival, and capped with a BCS victory over the 5 weeks at #1, season end powerhouse, Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Impossible repeat? Maybe not

What was there to be said about the Utes last year in preseason? Average senior quarterback who was injured early the previous season. No real offensive star power but a solid defense. Not ranked in the AP Top 25 or the USA Today Top 25. and first game of the season in the Big House.

Was the season flawless? No. Were there times when one play would have drastically changed the outcome of the whole season? Yes. But the Utes finished on top and blew expectations out of the water.

Fast forward to now. Key Losses: QB, kicker, punter, leading pass rusher and lock down CBs, and most all starting offensive threats

So why all the positive atmosphere in camp? Why the talk of Conference Championship repeat. How does Utah get a higher preseason ranking than they've ever had?

Must be something there....

Ute backup QB Corbin Louks came into Spring ball with more experience in the Utes Offense than the other candidates and looked to be the heavy favorite for this year's starter. But JUCO transfer Terrance Cain and true freshman Jordan Wynn had other ideas. Spring ball brought out the weaknesses in Louks' passing game and cast doubt into the coaches' minds. Fall would be the deciding factor.

Jordan Wynn and Terrance Cain proved to be no joke, being named 1 and 2 on the depth chart respectively.

Personally, Im excited that Louks was outdone by these guys (and not because I dont like Louks or think he would have done a bad job) but because having seen him play, I think he had loads of talent and potential and these other guys proved to be BETTER than him.

At WR the coaches continually talk about how much MORE talent they have in the wide outs than last year. The Utes are about 8 deep at WR right now (including break out, redshirted freshman QB gone WR, DeVonte Christopher)

At RB returns Matt Asiata (who has shed pounds and gained speed) and also Eddie Wide who is the alter ego of Asiata. A speedster with jukes to break ankles.

The D is going to be bigger, stronger and faster than ever returning 7 starters including Stevenson "Sly" Sylvester, pick artist Robert Johnson, and Koa Misi.

Questionable areas include, but are not limited to; special teams, QB, and new coordinators

Regarding Special Teams - Utah's kicking game is going to be worse than last year. Period. You cant replace "King Louie" Sakoda. But they do have the next best thing. Louie coaching the newbies as a student assistant coach.

Regarding QB - Everyone is nervous about having a true freshman quarterback or JUCO transfer starting without any experience. Well, they shouldnt be and here's why. Brian Johnson, at the beginning of the season, was nowhere near the QB he ended up being at the end of the season. He threw and INT in every single one of the first 6 games and fumbled a few as well. Ute fans were always on edge and frustrated at his pocket presence until that Oregon State game where he finally came into his own. The last 7 games of the year, he only threw 3 INT's and was all of a sudden a mastermind.

So, will Wynn or Cain be flawless out the gate? No, they wont. But, they will also have Utah State and San Jose State as pretty good buffers. With how good the Utes defense will be this year, a highschooler could be taking snaps (and if Wynn keeps the #1 spot, its not too far off) and the Utes would still win. With Asiata in the backfield, they're solid.

Regarding Coordinators - new coordinators are always a scary thought because you dont know what kind of spin they want to put on the program. When Urban Meyer left, Coach Whit stated that he would make sure the program didnt stray too far from the way Urban had run things. Lost talent and injuries aside, the Utes have done just that and have been successful in it. (4 bowl wins since Meyer to prove it). Ive always been relatively confident in knowing a defense will never slip below a certain level no matter who the coordinator at the time is when the head coach was Defensive Coordinator for years before being named head coach. He knows what it takes to win and will no doubt help out Sitake when needed.

The Utes' road schedule is tough this year. No doubt about that. Oregon is going to be the hardest game they'll play this season in my opinion. Their fans are ridiculous and their stadium is magnificent. The MUSS Bus will be traveling there and so hopefully they'll be able to represent. If they can get our offense firing and fluid by then, I really think they have a good shot at winning that game. The defense has very few holes in it. The run defense specifically is going to be phenominal. They will cruise after the Oregon game to the TCU game.

TCU is not adding a whole lot to an average offense. They will be very fast and Andy Dalton will have a lot of experience but I just dont think they have enough offensively to out-do the Utes defense. You can say whatever you want about Utah's "luck" last year with the missed field goals but the fact of the matter is, Utah also had some close plays go TCU's way (i.e. the INT that hit Sean Smith right in the hands in the end zone) Had he made that catch, who knows how the game would have turned out. TCU may have even won! So say what you want but the Defense shut down TCU's offense for 3 whole quarters and gave the offense the time it needed for the final blow. 

The Team Down South "TDS" is just not impressive this year. Thats it. Their Offensive line is inexperienced, their quarterback only performs agains mediocre teams. The Offensive coordinator doesnt utilize the best player on the team (Unga) nearly enough. Im pretty sure Unga was running all over Utah. What happened to that plan? Their defense is slow at best and Bronco is more concerned about having his players tucked into bed on time than firing up the team in the locker room. The TDS could surprise me and end up winning more than 8 games this year but I doubt it.

This year belongs to the Utes