Utah Utes football: Team back to work, sans opponent

It's now a waiting game for the Bowl Championship Series-bound Utah Utes.

They won't learn their bowl destination or opponent until Sunday night when the BCS pairings are unveiled on Fox (6 p.m. Ch. 13).

Speculation has the seventh-ranked Utes (12-0) headed to the Sugar Bowl to face the loser of Saturday's SEC title game between Alabama and Florida, or the Fiesta Bowl for an encounter with Texas or Oklahoma from the Big 12.

After taking last week off to get rejuvenated over the Thanksgiving holiday, the team got back to work Monday afternoon at the Smith Center.

"We're back in the weight room and getting some conditioning done until we know who we're playing and where we're playing," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "We won't get on the practice field until next week when we have that knowledge."

The Utes, he added, will follow a practice model similar to what they used prior to their 35-7 win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl in January of 2005.

"We've still got plenty of time. You don't want to start practicing too soon. You get stale," Whittingham said. "I think even if we knew our opponent at this point and time — with the bowl dates the way they are — we would wait until next week to get started."

Though eager to learn their bowl situation, defensive end Paul Kruger said the players understand there's a gap in the schedule. The Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl are set for Jan. 2 and Jan. 5, respectively.

"I think everybody realizes we have a month or so to play another game," Kruger noted. "So we're just kind of hanging out, working hard and staying in shape — let the good times roll, be able to take some time off and just relax."

The Utes, he continued, don't have any inside information on what bowl they'll be invited to.

"We hear the same thing everybody else does," Kruger said. "You can speculate all you want, but the bottom line is we'll find out (on Sunday). So it'll be an exciting day."

Defensive coordinator Gary Andersen pointed out that the Utes are in a good spot right now. They're able to enjoy some down time and return to the weight room to get their strength back.

"We all know whoever we're going to play in that game is going to be a good football team," he said.

As such, Andersen joked that he's told Utah's graduate assistants to break down game films of possible opponents real quick so they can be watched.

"We have no clue at this point," Andersen said. "We're going to roll with it."

Whittingham noted that a film exchange will take place as soon as the bowl announcements are made.