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Utes, Horns and No. 1

Submitted by jpg on 01/06/2009 - 00:29

Tags: ACC Now | JP Top 25 | Utah

Utah fans have been mass e-mailing AP voters, urging us to put the Utes, the nation's only unbeaten team, No. 1 in the final Top 25.

I've received no less than 100 e-mails from the Ute faithful, not to mention a Facebook wall post from a Ute alum.

According to Pollspeak, no one ranked the Utah higher than I did (No. 5) in the final regular-season poll. I was already a hero to Utes everywhere for having them in front of BYU in the preseason poll.

So of all voters, I'm aware of how good Utah is. Wins over Oregon State, Texas Christian and Alabama, give them three against Top 25 opponents. That's a strong resume, but not enough to put them No. 1.

Utah shares a top 10 win with Florida (Alabama) and Oklahoma (TCU), the only argument Utah can make the two BCS finalists can't is the Utes are unbeaten.

I understand how good the top of the Mountain West was in 2008 but would the Utes have run the table in the SEC or Big 12? Take a peek at the bottom of the MWC standings, not exactly the same test either Florida or Oklahoma navigated.

(GOOD UTAH FAN POINT: Wyoming, tied for last in the MWC at 1-7, beat Tennessee, 3-5 in the SEC, at Tennessee. Touche.)

After Texas' close call with Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, I'll vote the BCS title game winner No. 1. I had Florida at No. 1 in the final regular-season ballot, nothing Texas could have done would have knocked the Gators off the top spot but I would have considered Texas, my No. 2, over Oklahoma (3). Not after the Fiesta Bowl.

Yahoo's Dan Wetzel has a frightening look at the Harris Poll voters and their treatment of Utah that's worth reading, hopefully by the people who decided to use the Harris Poll as a part of the BCS criteria. The next time you want to question my Top 25, think about those Harris Poll voters who aren't even following the teams from outside the BCS conferences. At least there's a method to my madness.

Comments

Some observations and

Tue, 01/06/2009 - 22:42 — rbpiv

Some observations and comments: 1) This annual debate is tiresome. There is no true national champion in college football. There is an annual decision based on tremendous bias towards the power conferences which becomes a self-fulling prophecy ( no way Utah could ever beat one of the power conference champs, could they?) 2) The Univ. of Utah should proclaim to the world that its football team is the national champion. Who can prove their team is not the best? 3) When a coach or sportswriter can predict the winners of every BCS eligible team with even 75-80% accuracy on a weekly basis, then maybe it would be wise to let those chosen few decide for the rest of us. I think that would be a very small committee. 4) Most bowl games are MEANINGLESS to everyone except alumni and those cashing the checks that flow from them. Just look at the empty seats at most of the bowls. 5) Most bowls would not be affected by a playoff system. A playoff system would not likely decrease attendance. 6) A playoff involving the best teams would not devalue the regular season games, but in fact, increase their value. The current system places more value on recent losses and much less on the early season ones. 7) Sportswriters complain about the current system but could do much, much more to change it. Such as stop voting in a meaningless poll, stop blathering about the which team is better and why, stop embellishing the significance of most bowl games. I would prefer that the whole mess be ignored and not talked about. There is way too much discussion about all of this every year creating lots of publicity - mostly engendering anger, frustration and discontent (the opposite of what occurs in March). If the BCS defenders and leaders interpret all of the publicity as creating excitement, then they are deluded.

What's the point of even having a football program?

Tue, 01/06/2009 - 20:45 — mtber1975

What more can a team like Utah do to get a shot at winning a championship? If going undefeated and whipping Alabama in a bowl game is not enough, then what's the point of even having a football program? What do coaches at these schools tell their players each year? ... "oh, by the way, even if you guys work hard and win all your games, you still have a snowballs chance in hell of winning a national title...sorry!"

Bring on college basketball season...at least the small guy has a chance to compete for the prize.

Yo JP

Tue, 01/06/2009 - 17:58 — esteban1949

you did what you thought was the right thing...And for the other Ute fans out there, try playing teams from the next tier up and win 80% of them, and desimate everyone in your conference, then maybe...just maybe you will have something to really complain about ! Anybody know how many grads from Utah got Nobel nomonations in the last 15 years ? can we count them on one hand ?? i was just courious...:-O

Go Huskers !! maybe next year !!

serious JPG...

Tue, 01/06/2009 - 16:41 — izzykareem

this is why the BCS is such a croc and no i don't mean my lovable croc slippers. I know i didn't give Utah a snowballs chance against Alabama. And I really thought PSU was gonna beat USC like they got beat. It's why you play the game instead of pontificate about what conference is what. It's a valid argument that Utah didn't play the gauntlet of games that the SEC teams do, but Alabama also won the SEC regular season undefeated. And by reducing this nonsensical farse every year to essentially an argument you take out the element of coaching, injuries, matchups, weather etc. that is what football is. Bring on a playoff and i don't care who get's left out.