Ugly Win vs. Cal Proves Only Team That'll Keep Utah from Pac-12 Title Is Utah

It’s one of the mainstays of coachspeak. It’s a go-to line before big wins and after disappointing losses all the same.

“We can only beat ourselves.”

At Utah, following the team’s narrow 30-24 win over previously undefeated Cal Saturday night, it’s a statement that rings quite true, however.

The Pac-12 is there for the taking in another chaotic season of college football out West, and the only team capable of stopping the Utes at the moment appears to be, well, Utah. It’s been a strange, up-and-down journey to this point in Salt Lake City, but here we are.

The conference is not only there for the taking by Utah, but a College Football Playoff spot is, too.

Heck, a slip-up may not end the dream of both scenarios the way things are going, either. That says plenty about the sport in general exiting Week 6 but also a lot about the buzzworthy unit from the Beehive State.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

The Utes are a legitimate Top Five team when you examine them closely as we inch closer to Halloween and check off a lot of boxes. After capturing yet another quality win this week against the Bears, it’s hard to argue with their resume, but Utah also appears to be a team that can get graded on more than wins and losses as we sail past the halfway point.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham’s squad has a strong running game once again. On Saturday, we finally saw the explosive Devontae Booker many expected to see game-in and game-out after he opted to return to school and bypass the 2015 NFL draft.

Quarterback Travis Wilson has his moments where you scratch your head, but he has plenty of experience you just can’t teach and is finally comfortable in the Utes' offensive system.

Defensively, "Sack Lake City" isn’t as swarming as it was last season, but it easily paces the top tier in the Pac-12. Hunter Dimick is a great player relatively unknown to most in the country, while Tevin Carter and Gionni Paul have a nose for the football unlike many others.

More than anything—and sometimes it’s not saying much in the Pac-12—Utah is the best tackling team you’re likely to find not playing in the SEC. And while Cal is to blame for many of its turnovers in a hostile environment, there was also a Utah defense that needed to grab those five interceptions and lone fumble Saturday night.

Even on special teams, which has unquestionably taken a step back from previous years in terms of reliability, nearly every coach west of the Mississippi would likely trade his group for what the Utes trot onto the field, especially punter Tom Hackett and kicker Andy Phillips.

In many ways, it’s a team reminiscent of that great group the program had in 2008 when they went undefeated but had to squeak out a few close wins late in the year. It doesn’t hurt the parallels to bring up that they beat Michigan to open the season then, too.

History has a way of repeating itself; maybe it will again in 2015.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press/Associated Press

As we saw on the field against Cal, the team won unpleasantly and very much escaped after quarterback Jared Goff was knocking on the door with the clock winding down.

There were three offensive turnovers. A fake punt looked like a developing disaster until it was saved by a “lucky” false start penalty. A Booker fumble as he was putting his hand on the turf resulted in a gift that gave the Bears life in the second half when the Utes should have been slamming the door shut.

It could have…well, definitely should have been a much bigger win than 30-24. To use another coaching cliche, a win is a win. This one certainly qualifies, but it might be more in line with the modus operandi around the program than most are accustomed to with top-tier teams. Call it grading on a curve, but it’s simply what Whittingham has done with his teams.

With the exception of the out-of-character routing of Oregon earlier this year, Utah wins close and typically finds ways to win ugly. The Utes are not going to blow many Power Five-caliber teams out of the water, but they’re plenty capable of dominating and controlling games even if the final score is closer than you expected waking up Saturday morning.

Since joining the Pac-12, they typically don’t lose by much, either.

This year, that combination may not win many No. 1 votes in the polls, but it will be plenty effective and sure to be rewarded by the playoff committee when the time comes.

It’s nice to be good, but in today’s version of college football, you also have to be a little lucky if you want to win a championship. Utah appears to have both qualities, and as a result, it controls its own destiny the rest of the way.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

That’s not to say the Utes can be perfect, though. They can’t afford to be less than their best on the road at USC. They can’t afford the slip-ups they showed against Cal when UCLA comes to town in November. Even Arizona State next week could be tricky.

But right now, Utah is the Pac-12’s best, and it will take multiple stumbles for it to be knocked off the top perch.

Why Utah? Well, after the flaws that have been exposed elsewhere around the South division, why not Utah? UCLA is young, and it shows. USC is a complete mess right now, and Arizona and Arizona State are just too inconsistent. 

At this point, only the Utes themselves look like they will have a say as to whether this will be a dream season or not for a team used to proving people wrong.

You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.