Utah Utes football: U. setting sights on MWC championship

HENDERSON, Nev. — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham wasn't surprised by the results.

"I think it's what I expected," Whittingham said after the Mountain West Conference's annual media poll and preseason all-conference football team were released at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa.

The Utes were picked to finish second, netting the five first-place votes that BYU didn't receive from the panel of 34 media members predicting the outcome.

"How could you not pick them as No. 1?" he said while noting that the Cougars have gone undefeated in conference play the past two seasons.

That, however, doesn't mean Utah is content to settle into the second position.

"We want a Mountain West Conference championship. It's eluded us for the last three years. That's what we have our sights set on," Whittingham said. "I don't think anybody is playing for second."

The poll results, thus, aren't being taken too seriously.

"We try to take in all that stuff with a grain of salt and focus on our team goals and our personal goals," said Utah punter/kicker Louie Sakoda. "Coach Whit does a pretty good job of keeping us focused. He deals with the media and makes it so it's not really on our shoulders."

Quarterback Brian Johnson isn't worried about the poll, either. "I don't really have a reaction. I mean, it is what it is," he said.

"(BYU) is the two-time champion of our league. Obviously, they'll be picked to be the favorite. All we can do is control what we control and just let our play speak for itself."

The Utes, who open the season Aug. 30 at Michigan, were represented on the all-conference team by five players. Sakoda headlined the list. Besides earning Special Teams Player of the Year recognition, he was named the league's top punter and place-kicker.

"To me that's another obvious selection," Whittingham said. "Louie Sakoda is an All-American punter and kicker. He's been a great weapon for us for three years and we're fortunate to have him back for one more year."

Sakoda's growing list of accolades hasn't altered the senior's approach. "Like I always say, you've got to stay modest," he said. "Otherwise you start to leave the ground; think you've arrived and all that stuff. Then all of a sudden your play goes downhill. (I'm) just trying to stay grounded."