YOU'VE HEARD THE talk at the water cooler and the bank and the mall.

Think the Utes can keep it close?

The Sugar Bowl: It's got University of Utah fans understandably worried and wary.

How do you think the Utes will do?

Those BCS-crashing Utes face football royalty in New Orleans in the form of the University of Alabama, home of Bear Bryant, Forrest Gump, Joe Namath, Bart Starr, Don Hutson, 12 national championships and 95 All-Americans.

The Utes are 10-point underdogs in Friday's big game against a team whose only loss occurred in the Southeastern Conference championship game against Florida. Until then, they were ranked No. 1 in the nation.

You can see how doubts might creep in.

Think the Utes can stay with 'em?

Some just hope the game is close — a moral victory of sorts.

What Ute fans need is a dose of hope, a reason to believe that the dream season won't end ignominiously.

For the record, only five times in the 10-year history of the snooty BCS system have the unwashed of college football's lower class, non-BCS schools wormed their way into a BCS bowl, and the Utes have done it twice — same as 'Bama.

It's also worth noting that the Utes have won six straight bowl games, which includes wins over Pittsburgh and USC.

But what really will serve the Utes is this: This season they grew to believe they're as good as their record. They developed a little swagger. Anyone who has pulled off as many miracles as they have should believe they can find some way to win, and if they don't then fate will lend a hand and bounce a field goal their way or send an opposing field goal attempt wide right. They haven't played well every week, they just won.

Remember that Ute team that blitzed through the 2004 season unbeaten and won the Fiesta Bowl? They won by an average score of 45-19. Their closest game was decided by two touchdowns. Their next closest game was decided by three touchdowns.

This year's Ute team is not that team.

The current Utes have won five games by a touchdown or less, including three that were decided by 2 or 3 points. They could have easily lost five games. Just eight points meant the difference between 12-0 and 9-3 records.