The Utah sports scene in 2008 was unpredictable, unbelievable and unforgettable (as much as some might try). Here are 10 local stories — OK, 11 — our staff thinks stood out the most:

1. Utah football: Pour some Sugar Bowl on me

From the Big House to the Bayou — with a bashing of BYU and a whole lotta wins in between — now that, sir, is a football season a Utah man can be proud of. No ifs ands or fuss in the muss about it.

While many people call the 12-0 Utes "BCS Busters" for earning a Sugar Bowl invitation to play Alabama on Jan. 2, that's kind of a misnomer. After all, Utah — the Gonzaga of the gridiron — has now earned two BCS bowl berths in five seasons, which is more than the vast majority of teams in the six supposedly super-duper conferences can claim. Right, Miami? Indiana? Baylor?

To sum up the season, the Utes were clutch when they needed to be and downright dominant when other teams tried/failed to be clutch; unanimous All-American Louie Sakoda and the stingy U. defense kicked some serious behind; Brian Johnson did more winning and grinning than running and gunning in his, what?, ninth season as the Utah quarterback; Coach Kyle Whittingham put on a dang good Urban Meyer impersonation while losing and getting flipped off an equal number of times; and the Utes avoided the seemingly annual "What-the-heck-happened-at-New-Mexico-or-UNLV-or-Air-Force?" letdown losses.

Keeping Paul Kruger and other defensive players open in the regular-season finale was helpful, too.

And to think it all started with that down-to-the-wire win at Ann Arbor, which wasn't the first time in this state's football history an undefeated Beehive State squad was thrust into the national spotlight after eking by a subpar Michigan team. Right, 1984 BYU Cougars?

The exciting thing for the jolliest of Utah fans is that the best part of this dream-come-true-again story may still be yet to come.

Winning the Sugar Bowl would certainly be a sweet way to end this year and kick off a new one.

2. Utah Jazz: Where stars sizzle, fizzle and get raises while going similar yet so-separate ways

It was quite a year for the Jazz's talented point guard/power forward combination — and just to make sure we're on the same page, we're talking about Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer here, not D-Will and Paul Millsap.

Though their paths were similar for the basketball stars, they were often oh-so-far apart, too. Consider:

Boozer was named an All-Star sub again; Williams made a statement by winning the Skills Challenge after being snubbed again.