Comments about ‘Utah Utes have their backs against the wall going into game against UCLA’

The Ute Offensive Line was the best it has been all season last week vs. USC. If they keep progressing, Utah will win 5 of their last 7 and be 7-5. I predict a trip to the Alamo vs. a good opponent. being bowl eligible in the PAC 12 still results in a good bowl game. I will take that.

Plus in the PAC 12, I can dream of a miracle trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl (next week that is/UCLA). The one in January is possible though, but not really realistic.

The Utes should win easily over a reeling UCLA team. Cal exposed UCLA as weak and I expect the Utes to win by at least 3 touchdowns.

MacMasty, although I am somewhat optimistic Utah can beat UCLA, thinking the Utes will win by three TDs is over the top. Check the Vegas point spread before you stand on an island. Utah's offense has a hard time scoring three TDs (let alone winning by 3 TDs). They got 28 points on USC ( but the defense scored one TD, they scored 20 points on USU, 24 points on BYU but again the defense scored a TD as well. Utah got 7 points against ASU.

Utah will have to win a tough game but go Utes nonetheless.

Travis Wilson needs to get playing time now. Sure, he's going to make mistakes, but that's the only way he can develop for the future. Hopefully Coach Whitt will at least split time with him and Hays.

Go Utes!!

Let's go bowling! (PAC-12 projections, at this time, do NOT have us going to a bowl game. However, last year we lost the first four conference games and still played in a very respectable Sun Bowl - against Georgia Tech.

This year the conference is much tougher. Both UCLA and Arizona are picked to go to bowls. We must start our move now. If we win our remaining home games - Arizona, Washington State, and California. Then win at UCLA and Colorado (Y fans take your shot now.) Oregon State and Washington, away, will be very challenging. But if we are able to do the above we will end 7-5; 5-4 in conference and will go to a bowl.

Build on the USC game and let's do it, Utah.

Go Utes.

I don't think any of the scenarios you guys have put forward are outrageous, they could happen. I personally doubt they will but none of them is delusional like the pre-season pac12 championship, undefeated, rose bowl, predictions.

Bottom line - Utah has to go 5-2 to finish the season to become bowl eligible. It won't be easy.

Go Utes! There is no margin for error.

Wilson at QB is the only shot we have at scoring more than 2 offensive TD's per game. Bench Hays now!

@Utah'95

Actually Utah needs to go 4-3 to be bowl eligible, not 5-2.

Three wins that "should" happen are 1) WSU (road), 2) Colorado (road) and 3) Cal (home).

Winning either the UCLA game this week or the home game against Arizona will be critical in getting bowl eligible in my opinion. I'm not too hopeful when it comes to Washington and OSU. If either of them were at home I'd feel a little differently.

Prediction ... Utes end the year 6-6 and squeeze into a bowl game.

sammy

It has been and always will be the 'normal' for the cougars.

motorbike

WSU is home game; Washington is a road game

If the Utes can pull off a win at UCLA, they have a chance to finish 7-5.

If the Utes lose badly at UCLA and then again versus Oregon State to go 2-5, it wouldn't be surprising to see them completely implode the rest of the season.

Duckhunter

'delusional like the pre-season pac12 championship, undefeated, rose bowl, predictions.'

I guess we should be 'normal' and predict the Poinsettia Bowl every year, that's all you guys GOT. Win your 10 games get ranked #25 and play in the Poinsettia Bowl, WOW that's gotta be fun to look forward too.

MLH

Except for the Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, and Rose Bowls (usually), bowl destination has little to do with actual accomplishment.

I'll take a Top 25 ranking and the Poinsettia Bowl over being unranked and undeservedly playing in supposedly "better" bowl.

Armed Forces Bowl opponents #34 BYU and #35 Tulsa
were both ranked higher in the final Sagarin ratings, than
Sun Bowl opponents #39 Utah and #56 Georgia Tech.

Frankly, I'll take San Diego over El Paso ANY DAY!

Gotta agree with sammyg. Those bowls have always been maligned by utah "fans" even htough utah has played in most of them. Funny how things work out sometimes. Of course utah is going to have a heckuva hard time even getting to one of those "lousy bowls".

@Uteanymous

You may personally be happy to head to San Diego over El Paso, and I don't blame you, but that doesn't mean BYUs athletic department would feel the same. There's a nice bit of difference in the payout between the two bowl games.

@mlh

More delusion on your part to think utah will regularly (if ever) play in any better bowl than the Poinsettia. No the sun bowl is not better, it is in el paso, the armpit of America, the Poinsettia is in San Diego and for me, the fan, destination is what matters most. utah may occasionally rise up to the Holiday Bowl, although I doubt that would be more than maybe once per decade, but your standard destinations, when utah even qualifies, will be the new mexico bowl, armed forces bowl, etc. This year utah's, and conversely your, most likely destination is home. Just accept reality and release the delusions.

LOL!

All UCLA needs is for Chris B. to predict Utah will win and then state "Mark it Down." Haven't seen it yet, though, so maybe the Utes will have a chance.

You can say you've played in the Rose Bowl after this next game. When Steve Young was the QB BYU won that game in Pasedena, so it is possible.

I'd be careful about automatically putting Colorado in the win column. You play them in Boulder and last year when all the marbles were on the table and the Buff's came to SLC you promptly folded. And thery were the worst road team in America at the time and you had Norm Chow as OC. So nothing is automatic....that's why you play them.

@toosmartforyou

chris b became utah 27 usc 21. After that didn't happen chris b became violently ill and disappeared. Don't worry as he/she will eventually re-appear and the laughs will be back.

LOL!

@motorbike

Actually yes BYU's athletic department does prefer to go to San Diego. Anytime BYU can play in San Diego in front of a huge volume of its fans there they prefer it. While BYU always likes a bit more revenue it is not the main factor for BYU, remember BYU runs an 5 million dollar surplus almost every year in its athletic department. The biggest deal for BYU is exposure to its fans. It does not have to scrounge every dollar it can like utah does to try and close a basicly insurmountable gap in funding between itself and the schools it tries to compete with. That is the utah reality.

The BYU reality is of plentiful and surplus funds, fans all over the nation, national tv coverage almost every week, a long and storied legacy. Playing in San Diego is better for BYU than playing in the armpit of America el paso. The extra million bucks means little to nothing to them.

@ DuckHunter

Posting with an opinion, and no facts to back it up again. Let's review, shall we?
Poinsettia Bowl ($500,000 payout) vs. MWC #2
Sun Bowl ($2,000,000 payout vs. ACC #4.
Pretty easy to see which bowl is better.
Class is in session, again.