Orlando Sentinel: Voters should make Utah the national champions

Editor's note: This story was written before the final AP Top 25 ranking was released.

MIAMI - At some point on Friday the crying shame will become official. Utah will not be crowned national champion.

It will go to Thursday night's winner unless the majority of AP voters suddenly come to their senses. Since they are media members, that's not very likely.

They will take the obvious way out and follow the BCS line. Many of them will actually believe Thursday's winner would beat Utah, mainly because that's the truth.

If either Florida or Oklahoma played Utah 10 times, I bet the Utes would lose eight. But the 65 AP pollsters should put that aside and strike a blow for justice, fairness and sticking it to the BCS.

Unlike the BCS voters (well, most of them), AP voters can vote for any team this side of Notre Dame. What would it really hurt if we had a split national title?

Most people would still recognize Thursday night's winner as the champ. They'll get the rings, the parade and the visit to the Oval Office. The AP has been devalued to the point of becoming Miss Congeniality, but it would still bring unrestrained joy to a state that deserves a break.

Be honest, what comes to mind when you hear "Utah?" Polygamy jokes, right? If not that, then it's Osmond jokes.

That's just not right. There is a lot more to Utah than being home to millions of Mormons and thousands of Osmonds.

In case you didn't hear, Utah thumped Alabama, 31-17, in the Sugar Bowl. I'll admit, I hadn't paid much attention to the Utes until that game. I figured they got there via a soft schedule and would be exposed as just another paper tiger from the Mountain West.

I'd tell you who the other paper tigers were, but my knowledge of Utah football could fit inside Marie Osmond's mascara tube. How can you not be impressed by 13-0?

And the Utes didn't just beat Alabama. They beat Oregon State a week after that team beat USC. Two other top-25 teams felt the wrath of mighty Utah. That's more than enough to justify pulling the lever for Utah.

"I'm voting us No. 1, end of story," Coach Kyle Whittingham said.

Unfortunately, he does not have an AP vote. He does vote in the coaches poll, but it is contractually bound to recognize the winner of the BCS game as the national champ.

Whittingham is bucking the rules, as is Mack Brown. He should vote for Utah, but Brown said he's going with Texas.

Maybe Utah boosters should have put Brown on their e-mail list. They've been bombarding AP voters to get out the Ute Vote.

"If I hear get one more e-mail, I'm going to erase every Osmond song from my iPod," said voter Brett McMurphy of the Tampa Tribune.

He didn't really say that, but you could tell he was tired of reading how great Utah is.