Absol-UTE-ly dominating and 9-0

The University of Utah Utes are now 9-0 and running over opponents like a runaway train. In making a case for the Utes to make an appearance in a BCS bowl, I offer the following review. As of today, the Utes are only 7th in the BCS rankings and therefore not guaranteed a big bowl birth. (disclaimer: I apologize in advance if I missed any statistics and for any bias related to my Ute Alumni status)

First, Utah features a High-Octane offense that has burned every opponent. Examine the amazing numbers.

• The Utes have had only 6 scoreless quarters this season. That is in 9 full games. Keep in mind 3 of those scoreless quarters were the 4th quarters of games they had in hand. At this point, they have scored in 15 of the last 16 quarters.
• The Utes have 10 Quarters this season in which they have scored 20 or more points.
• The Utes average 45.8 points per game and have scored 41 or more in 7 of their 9 games. In addition, they have scored 63, 51, and 63 in their last three conference games.
• Though odds makers continue to throw large point spreads out there, the Utes have beaten the spread 7 of 8 weeks in which numbers were posted.
• How quick do they strike? Saturday against Colorado St., Utah had a scoring drive that lasted just over five minutes (I think 5:08). That was reported as their longest scoring drive of the season.

Second, arguing against their schedule. It's true the Utes don't play in a BCS conference and therefore don't play that type of opponent every week. However, they have played three BCS schools this year and beaten all three by a combined 110-43. Sure the schedule isn't the toughest, but they have controlled the only thing they can, and that is hammered each opponent. No off games for the Utes, no squeakers on a bad night. No overtime flukes. Average margin of victory is 25.5 points and the closest game was a 14 point margin. In fact, only twice have they not won their game by 20 or more points. Let's look at a few of their opponents and how the Utes have handled them....

• Texas A&M is the 22nd ranked team in the country. The Utes beat the Aggies by 20 points and the 41 points they scored are 2nd only to the 42 that Oklahoma scored on the Aggies. The Aggies challenged OU, led most of the game, and nearly won. In fact, not counting the blowout by the Utes, the Aggies other two losses were by a combined 8 points. More? The Aggies offense, led by Reggie McNeil, has scored 27 or more points in every game this year except one. The one? The Utes, of course, only allowed 21 pts.
• Arizona is the pansy of the Pac 10. However, keep in mind #4 Wisconsin only managed to beat the Wildcats 9-7. The Utes handled the Aggies 23-6, in game that wasn't that close. As far as the Pac 10 goes, the Utes have tried to challenge them every year. Last year the Utes beat both Cal and Oregon.
• New Mexico while not a great team, was predicted by many to beat the Utes. The score was 28-7 and while that doesn't seem overly impressive you must look further. The 28 points the Utes scored are the most given up by the Lobos this year. Also, the 5-4 Lobos may have lost to the Utes by 21 points, but they've only lost by a combined 19 points in their other 3 losses.
• North Carolina is a BCS school and was throttled by 30 points in Salt Lake City a few weeks back. Everyone said that while it was a impressive win by the Utes, it didn't mean much because North Carolina is awful. Maybe not. Since that beating, the Tar Heels have beat then #4 ranked Miami, and narrowly lost to #16 ranked Virginia Tech by 3 points.
• UNLV rec'd a 63-28 throttling by the Utes. Only noteworthy when you note that the #4 Wisconsin Badgers only beat the Rebels 18-3, and needed a late touchdown to do that. The Utes had their 63 points in only 3 quarters, which is also the most points given up by the Rebels this year.
• San Diego State was another team set to challenge the Utes with their strong defense. The Utes posted 51 points, which were the most points allowed by the Aztecs this year, and left me wondering how the Aztecs played #9 ranked Michigan to a near dead heat on the road in Ann Arbor. Michigan won 24-21, but the Aztecs led at half-time and missed two 4th quarter field goals.
• Colorado State claimed to be able to hang with the Utes. Stating last year's close game proved to them that the Utes weren't unbeatable. At the end of the game, the scoreboard showed 63-31 in a game that wasn't even that close. That is the most points by a Ram opponent this year, and only the 2nd opponent to score more than 34 points (USC scored 49).

In conclusion, the 9-0 Utes are not just another small conference team that is beating lesser opponents. The are running over everyone in their path. Are they due for a bad game that could cause them to stumble? Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. In the words of Urban Meyer, we'll just keep focusing on the next game. 9-0 only means that you get a chance to go to 10-0. Surely this week's opponent, Wyoming, wishes the Utes would focus on something else besides the next bump in the road. Chances are Urban's focus will mean steamrolling yet another bump.