Bold Predictions for Utah and the Rest of the Season in the Pac-12

The University of Utah football team has had an auspicious start as one of the two new members of the Pac-12. They beat BYU 54-10, aided by BYU handing them the ball seven times during the game, and beat Montana State 27-10 at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Both of those games were exactly what the Pac-12 wanted. Beat up on an FCS team, and beat up on a rival from a lessor conference, even though BYU is now an independent. Great.

Utah even gave depleted and penalized USC a run for the money before giving away a last minute touchdown to hand USC a 23-14 win. That's OK; it's USC after all, and it made good drama the first week of conference play.

Then came Washington, a game everyone just "knew" Utah would win. After all, it was against Steve Sarkisian and, well, you know the story. However, Sarkisian had seen that offense, he played it with Norm Chow. He knew it, and knew how to defeat it. Uh oh, things weren't going quite as expected in Ute land as the Utes got their feathers trimmed and heads handed to them. Now what?

Let's look ahead and forecast what will happen to Utah in the coming weeks.

Is Utah That Good or That Bad?

Next up on Utah's schedule is Arizona State. The Sun Devils gave USC all they could handle and a lot they couldn't. If USC and Utah, by the score, were in the realm of parity, then Utah is going to be in for a very bad afternoon, much like it was with Washington; only it might be worse. Arizona State beat a very good Missouri team and fought to the last moment with an undefeated Illinois.

Illinois is no BYU or Montana State. As for Missouri, well, they took the No. 1 team in the country to the final minutes of the game before bowing 38-28.

Arizona State is going to have a field day in Salt Lake; the word "patsy" comes to mind. 

Panthers on the Prowl Will Devour the Utes

Pitt will welcome the Utes to Heinz field a projected 4-2 after beating Rutgers, they hope. In any case, win or lose that game, it won't look pretty for the Utes. If you are a Ute fan, you might hope they beat Rutgers badly. Hope for a score of 44-17 like they beat a very good USF Bulls team. 

That hope might also include the idea that Pitt will over look the Utes and think so little of them as to over look them. 

Not so fast, my friend...

It won't happen. Pitt is well coached and there is a lot of pride running deep right now in the Big East, a Big East that is trying to prove something, like they are a viable AQ conference. The Utes will not be treated well at Heinz field as Pitt takes the win in Piscataway going away.

Cal Bears Prove Too Much for Utes to Hunt Down

For Week 7, the Utes head out to AT&T Park in breezy wet San Francisco. The weather won't be the only thing shocking to the Utes. There could be fog on the field, and not only the kind that comes from the weather. 

The Utes at this point, if these predictions are right, will be 2-4, and any hope of a bowl game is quickly evaporating. The hope of the Rose Bowl; well, that was gone on a blocked field goal at USC; just no one was willing to admit it.

Cal is in the league with Washington, having lost just 31-23. The score, though won't be indicative of the Bears at the time the Utes go hunting the bear in the woods of California. No, no, my friend; they will be hunting an wiser tougher Bear than the Huskies tracked down.

The Utes will be inaugurated to the Pac-12 North and West Coast football played by the big boys. All memories of victories against FCS Montana State and BYU will be wiped away as the Bears claw the Utes and send them home bloody, broken and bruised.

The Utes will now be 2-5 and hoping for a winning season. Not to be, not to be. The planning for next year will begin on the plane ride home by Whittingham and company.

Next up? Oregon State Beavers.

Beavers May Bow to the Utes, but Only Slightly

This is it, the come back opportunity. The chance to get back on the winning track, the headlines in the local press will be whether the Utes can still get a bowl bid starting with a win against the Beavers.

The Beavers are struggling this year and may come into Eccles Stadium 0-7. Ouch in anyone's wide world of sports. However, they may have pulled themselves together for BYU and Washington State.

If they are 0-7, the Utes have a chance to get a beaver skin here. However, if Oregon State has pulled themselves together, the Utes will find no glory at home except in the local prejudiced press who knows no bounds of praise for a mediocre team. There will be blame a plenty, but not for the Utes playing in an over matched football conference.

The specter is real for two 2-5 teams to meet up for Halloween and slug through a wet soggy field in the rain or snow. In which case as we all know, Beavers do quiet well in the wetlands of America. 

Sorry, Utes; the Beavers will pull one out on the road for redemption of their own.

Next up? Arizona Wildcats in sunny, warm Tucson.

Wildcats Looking for a Win to Make a Bowl Game

Arizona is in trouble. The Utes will glory in that. They have lost to Oklahoma State, Stanford and Oregon. By the time the Utes come to the sun drenched desert of Arizona, they could be 3-5 or 4-4 if they are lucky. Games against Washington and USC will be pivotal.

A winning season may be in reach with a win against the visiting Utes, or just out of reach. The good news is they did score 31 points against a good Oregon team. The bad news is they are porous, giving up 130 points in three games.

But the Utes aren't Oregon or Oklahoma State or Stanford. If Arizona can pull this win out, along with a win over Oregon State, UCLA and Colorado, then they would only have to beat Louisiana at home to get a bowl game. 

It will be imperative to beat Utah or start looking ahead to next year. The AD will tell the travel department to look for accommodations at one of the bowl venues; things are looking better.

Next up for the Utes? UCLA. 

A Bear Is a Bear Here or There Not to Be Triffled with

UCLA is another team having a tough year. This could be the Utes' chance to actually beat a Pac-12 team before they get all the way to Colorado. But a bear is a bear and the Utes better beware. UCLA has been known to be very good in a clutch, and if UCLA is able to win against Washington State, they will be 3-3 for the first half of the season.

At that point, all they need is one win against their traditional foes and wins against Utah and Colorado, the new boys, and they will save Rick Neuheisel's job and go to a bowl game. 

A lot will be on the line for UCLA, and by this time, Utah could well be 2-8 with all of their hopes and dreams brought to a crushing reality of just how tough the Pac-10 is, even now that it is the Pac-12.

UCLA will be on fire for Coach Rick and will surprise the hapless Utes. It could be close, but not as close as the score will appear.

Next up? Washington State.

Washington State Cougars Will Claw the Utes in Pullman

At this point, it is hard to say what kind of season the Cougars are going to end up with. A win over Colorado surprised some folks. Others it was, well, welcome to the Pac-12. 

The Utes may get a similar reception. No one in the Pac-10 wants to welcome Utah to town and let them beat them, at least not in the first year. To let Utah come into the Pac-12 is almost insulting to some of the teams.

The Cougars played San Diego State and lost, and Sacramento State, an FCS team. But going from the basement of the Pac-10 to garage by letting Utah beat you is not on Washington State's agenda.

This may be the game that the Utes can actually pull out and win over a Pac-10 team and earn at least first year rights to say they weren't the worst team in the  Pac-12. But I doubt it.

Washington will claw its way to a win over Utah just like it did over Colorado. The welcome mat for the Utes will just plain not be as friendly of hunting ground as they thought, and that will be a hard fact to realize.

OK. Then there's the last game of the year, Colorado. At least they can beat them, right?

The Buffaloes, Who Are Really Bison, Come to Eccles

Colorado beat Colorado State. Good news. Utah regularly beat Colorado State. Some close, some not so close, but from 2008 to 2010, the Utes prevailed.

The Buffs started out with a loss to Hawaii, 34-17 and lost a close one to California 36-33. From there, it went downhill, and projected, they may at the point they face the Utes be 1-10.

The fight will be on to see who will own the cellar and who will be sent out to the woodshed. At home, the Utes will put up a fierce fight, their last stand. They are better than their record will show, so the press will chime on Thanksgiving weekend.

And in the end, if all are healthy and if Jordan Wynn is still the quarterback, and if he is well, and if...Well let's cut this short. If all the ifs line up, Wynn pulls them trough and gets the win. No pun intended.

Utah will end the season 3-9 and reminisce that at least they beat both their new rival Colorado, and their old one, BYU. "Next year, Utes, next year" will be their war cry.

There you have it. My predictions on how the Utes will finish the rest of the season. From one BYU fan to another, I root for anyone playing against Utah.