It’s hard to believe that one third of the 2010 college football season is in the record books. It blew by faster than a Shaky Smithson punt return, but it’s had less flair than Jordan Wynn’s mustache.
We know the Utes can score efficiently and quickly. We know who the starting quarterback is. We know that the backup is just as he is. We know that the goal line defense is nearly perfect. We know that the special teams play gets better every quarter of every game. We know that the coaches out-prep and out-scheme the opposing coaching staffs. However, what we don’t know is if the Utes are really any good this season.
The Utes have won their last three games by an average of 41 points. That grabs the attention of poll voters and bowl committees, but two of those victories were over New Mexico and UNLV, who were ranked No 3. and No. 9 in ESPN.com’s Bottom 10 of College Football. The two pitiful teams met Saturday in Las Vegas in what some national college football blogs labeled as the “Boredom Bowl.” The Utes’ dominance over one-win San Jose State, whose sole victory came against Division I-AA Southern Utah, was another yawner and by midway through the second quarter I was more interested in the other games around the country than the game being played in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Like a 100m race between Usain Bolt and I, it was over before it began.
The first half of the season has been a Sunday stroll around the neighborhood for the Utes. They are making the most of it by racking up style votes for big win margins, after all coach Kyle Whittingham has repeatedly said, you can only play your schedule and make the best of it. But didn’t we create the schedule? Granted nobody knew that the bottom teams of the Mountain West Conference were more like pee-wee football teams than collegiate squads.
Those anemic offenses and vulnerable defenses have made the Utes look as dominating as their BCS busting seasons, and maybe they are just as good, but they have yet to play any elite team that will test their skill and swagger. Nobody knew that preseason ranked No.15 Pittsburgh, who was picked by experts to dominate the rest of the Big East Conference and merit a BCS Bowl invitation, would fall off the map following their season opening loss to Utah on Sept. 9th either.
Following this week’s bye, Utah will be served up three more softballs to crush out of the ballpark. Iowa State has three wins to their record - against schools that have better agricultural programs than football teams. Utah should handily beat Iowa State, Colorado State (No. 8 ESPN.com Bottom 10), and Wyoming before the season really begins on Oct. 30th when the Utes will take on an impressive Air Force team in Colorado Springs. It should be noted that the Falcons are flying high this season and will more than likely be nationally ranked by the end of October. They not only throttled BYU but nearly upset the Oklahoma Sooners in a thrilling 27-24 loss in Norman.
The final weeks of this season, Utah will play TCU (AP No. 5), Notre Dame, San Diego State, and BYU. Considering what happened Saturday in Provo, BYU will be the easiest game during that stretch, especially since the Holy War game will be play at Rice-Eccles this year.
If the Utes deserve a Top 15 ranking they will earn it by winning against high caliber talent and elite coaching, like they will see the second half of the season. But the first half has been more like a casual stroll than an exciting race to the finish – which is why it has passed so quickly. There hasn’t been any opposition.
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