Utes Pac it up, Pac it in

It was a seminal day for Utah athletics. Or was it? Here is reaction to the big news about Utah making a jump to the Pac-10.

Jer
Way to go Utes!

Or fuck you Utes.

So all that time all you annoying Utah fans talked shit about breaking up the system, busting up the BCS, you were full of shit. All along you just wanted to be part of that system. So now you are one of the monsters. Congratulations. Have fun going 4-8 every season!

I'm half-kidding. Of course you have to accept that bid. But all that expansion talk has got me thinking. The conferences may have started the move toward four mega-leagues, with four conference title games. That way, with the plus-one structure, you have a pseudo-playoff. Think about it, four 16-team groups with any stragglers who don't want in (ND?), or aren't good enough (Utah State, Wyoming) go back to a suddenly strong 1-AA. This shit could work.

On another level, I'd really like to see BYU (and somebody else) go to the Big 12. Those Texas bastards aren't really going without a conf. title game, are they?

Rorbag
Happy day!

The Utes can play for a national title, they get paid and they don't have to play Wyoming anymore -- wonderful success.

Not that they will play for a title anytime soon. But what do I know? I thought Whittingham was gonna run the program back into mediocrity, which he would have if BJ wasn't so clutch.

But back to the matter at hand. It'll take the Utes some years to catch up. Think about it. In the past, the Utes would get up for a one-game showdown with Oregon State, UCLA or Arizona -- middle of the road Pac-10 teams -- and then they'd move on to a few freebies with Colorado State, San Diego State and Wyoming.

The move means better recruits, right? Coaches can pitch a sexier conference, more eyes and lots of PT on the West Coast, but when it comes down to it, will that take a recruit away from Oregon, Washington or Arizona State? Prolly not. More than likely, it'll steal the recruits that were maybe considering BYU or other mid-majors. It's still Utah, and USC is still USC and Oregon is still Oregon. But at least they have a couple years to get a head start on recruiting.

Kyle
I couldn't care less. Who gives a shit.

Codpiece
Moving to the Pac-10 is an enormous step up for what we affectionately refer to as 'The Real U'. Even during the height of its success, the Mountain West Conference still paled in comparison to their neighbors to the west. Speaking in terms of football only (since the cash money made from football is the reason this is happening), the quality of teams top to bottom will be a true test for the Utes. Utah has proven they can play with some of the best teams in the nation, rolling through teams like Cal, Oregon State, Michigan, and nobody in the state or nation will soon forget the shellacking they put on Alabama in the Sugar Bowl during the 2008-09 season. Coach Kyle Whittingham and Co. have also racked up a 6-3 record against the Pac-10 over the past seven years.

So the question isn't whether or not they can compete against Pac-10 competition. My question is whether they have the depth to compete there on a week-by-week basis against that kind of competition. That's why I’m withholding optimism. I know the Jordan Wynn's (from Oceanside, California) and Eddie Wide's (Las Vegas, Nev.) of the team can compete, but what happens when they get hurt? Will we go to corn-fed Utah boy #1 or #2? Will an ailing Ute team plummet with perennial cellar-dwellar Washington State? Or can Whittingham, who has proven he can pull out-of-state talent like Vince Vaughn ala Swingers, use the new conference affiliation to grab fresh talent from Cali to give them a few insurance policy players?

I think he can and will do the latter, but it may be a rough couple years until that talent develops.

From a Pac-10 perspective, I'm imagining the Utes will be accepted the same way as generic medication. Commish Larry Scott and Co. wanted the good stuff (Texas, Oklahoma, etc.) but just couldn't afford it so they will have to settle on a lesser alternative. It does the trick, but it’s just not the same.

My prediction for Utah's first college football season in the Pac-10: 7-4.