By Robert Weiler
It”s time to give Utah credit where credit is due and congratulate them for a 6-0 start, revitalizing the buzz around the state for college football.
The Runnin” Utes are riding high, more than ever this week as the first BCS rankings emerged with the Utes sitting at No. 7, only .0001 away from moving another spot and a more than likely candidate for the Fiesta Bowl.
It”s also time to end the 15 minutes (or seven weeks) of fame. Will someone pretty, pretty please beat Utah?
In the event that Utah or Boise State continues to win and receive an invitation to one of the four major bowl games, the BCS will get exactly what it wants. Officials will have proof that their system works and there is no need for a change, the Utes and the Broncos will have nothing to show for their undefeated seasons but a pile of money and the ultimate goal of an undisputed national champion will fade farther and farther away from becoming a reality.
Now don”t just write me off as another BYU die-hard who owns the “I root for BYU and anyone that plays Utah” bumper sticker just yet.
Truth be told, I am that BYU die-hard – without the bumper sticker. My heart pumps blue blood. But it hasn”t diluted my brain from seeing the bigger picture.
I doubt either Utah or Boise State”s motivation behind running the table is a big bowl of Tostitos cash and the claim to fame of being the school that “beat the BCS.” Weighing the positives and negatives, beating the BCS is the worst thing any team can do.
Yes, getting a Mountain West Conference team into a New Year”s Day bowl game looks awfully good and will go a long way in the fight for respect across the nation, and a $14 million payout is nothing to take lightly.
Same thing goes for Boise State and the WAC.
But does anyone really want to watch Urban Meyer and the MUSS or Dan Hawkes and the buckin” Broncos from Boise storm into Sun Devil Stadium, beat Florida State and say, “Thanks for a fun week and a fat check. Hope you guys will take our conference more seriously.”
Will either school be truly happy with a 12-0 season and No. 3 final ranking? Even if one of those teams could repeat one perfect season with another, they would likely remain a far cry from playing in the National Championship game.
Utah bias aside, the college football fan in me is rooting for a fair playing field and equal opportunity to determine a national champion, no matter how long it takes. Beating the BCS only prolongs what college coaches and fans, BSC conference or not, have been calling for since 2001: a playoff.
Not convinced yet Ute fan? Try this one.
Remember the glory days of Utah basketball in 1998. I do. I had to be something I never even conceived in my darkest nightmares. After Rick Majerus” squad defeated North Carolina in the Final Four semifinal, I was forced to be a Kentucky Wildcats fan for a night as Andre Miller, Mike Doleac and Co. played in the NCAA basketball national championship game. Do you think the No. 3-seeded Utes would have had a shot at becoming a March Madness Cinderella story if college basketball had a similar postseason system?
Boise State will lose to Hawaii, and nothing would give me more pleasure than to see BYU ruin Utah”s season and save a difficult year and save the fight against the BCS. But don”t leave it up to the Cougars.
