Utah Utes Football: 3 Most Important Games of the 2011 Season

This season brings some intriguing match-ups into the Utes' schedule that Utah fans are not very used to seeing...at least on a week-to-week basis. Fans have been accustomed to watching their team play the likes of New Mexico, Wyoming, UNLV and Colorado State in the last decade of Utah football.

Now, with Utah's move to the Pac-12, much more intrigue should be expected in each week's matchup for the Utes and for their fan-faithfuls. That being said, out of the 12 teams on Utah's interesting schedule this season, which games will be the most important? Let's find out...

3. BYU Cougars

Utah's third most important game this season is their annual rivalry game, "The Holy War," against BYU on September 17 in Provo. This game is automatically in the top three most important games of Utah's season because it's the "Team Down South," the in-state arch-rival Cougars.

Jake Heaps and his team will be looking for revenge this year following last year's last-second, heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Utes in Salt Lake City. Ute cornerback Brandon Burton blocked Cougar kicker Mitch Payne's potential game-winning field goal as time expired.

This game will also mark the first time the two rivals match up after they both left the Mountain West (Utah to the Pac-12 and BYU to Independence). It signals the beginning of a new era in this heated rivalry.

2. Arizona State Sun Devils

Utah's game against Arizona State on October 8 in Salt Lake City is the second most important game of the 2011 season because this contest could determine who will play in the first Pac-12 Championship Game on December 3. Now that Arizona State and Utah are Pac-12 South Division foes, this will be a key clash in early October with big ramifications.

Because of USC's postseason play ban, Utah or Arizona would represent the South Division against one of the two likely North Division representatives, Oregon or Stanford, even if they were to finish second behind USC in conference play. This would give Utah or Arizona State the opportunity to win the conference championship and then to either play in the Rose Bowl or, if everything lined up, even play in the BCS National Championship Game.

This should be a very interesting game, as Utah will have the home-field advantage playing at Rice-Eccles, but Arizona State will certainly be ready and wanting to come in and show the new kids on the block their stuff.

1. USC Trojans

The most important game on the Utes' schedule this season is their conference opener and first-ever game as a Pac-12 member against USC on September 10 in Los Angeles. The whole nation will be watching to see how well the Utes stack up against USC.

This is much more than an important conference game. Utah will be vicariously representing all non-BCS, mid-major teams throughout the county that seek to compete more equally for a chance at the national championship.

This game marks the beginning of this representation and the BCS camp will either use the Utes' failure to compete with USC and fellow conference members or the non-BCS party will use it to support their argument that mid-majors deserve a more equal opportunity to play for a national title.

This season will most likely be evaluated with a microscope and will be viewed disproportionately by those BCS pundits and other so-called experts, as the Utes seek to show that they belong and by so doing, seek to show that other mid-majors like Boise State, TCU and BYU also belong.

Utah at USC in Coliseum is only the beginning, but the way the Utes perform against the Trojans will have a large influence and great impact on how the nation views the capability of mid-majors to compete with the automatic-qualifier BCS conference members.