The University of Utah will induct two former Ute athletes and a pair of former coaches into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame on Monday, April 23 at Energy Solutions Arena. Honored at the 2012 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be Norma Carr (softball and volleyball coach/administrator), Bente Dahlum (skiing), Ron McBride (football coach) and Keith Van Horn (basketball). 

Ute senior student-athletes will also be honored. Tickets to the banquet, which starts with dinner at 7 p.m., are available to the public for $75. For more information and reservations, call Tracey in the Crimson Club office at 801-581-8519. 

Norma Carr

Instrumental in the implementation of the women’s varsity athletics at the University of Utah, Norma Carr was the school’s first head coach in both softball and volleyball. She was also an assistant women’s athletics director during her career at Utah from 1975-1989. 

The winningest softball coach in school history, Carr had a 372-244-3 (.603) record in 14 seasons. She led the Utes to the AIAW College World Series in 1976 and the NCAA College World Series in 1982 and 1985. The Utes were frequently ranked among the top 15 teams in the country from 1982-89, and won five High Country Athletic Conference titles. Carr was named the region coach of the year once and the conference coach of the year twice. 

As the women’s volleyball head coach from 1975-79, Carr led Utah to a 77-58 (.570) overall record—including a pair of 20-win seasons—and a 39-22 (.639) mark in conference play. She was a two-time conference coach of the year. 

Carr left the U. in 1989 to become the athletics director at Salt Lake Community College, becoming the first woman in the state to oversee both men’s and women’s programs. She was named NACWAA’s National Administrator of the Year in 2009. Among her other roles in athletics, Carr has officiated and supervised officials on the high school and college levels. 

Bente Dahlum

One of the most decorated skiers in Norweigan and University of Utah history, Bente Dahlum was a two-time individual NCAA champion and led the Utes to back-to-back national titles in 1983 and 1984. 

The Lillehammer, Norway, native earned All-America honors in the alpine events all three years of her Utah career from 1982-84. She captured a pair of individual national titles as a senior, sweeping the women’s slalom and giant slalom events in 1984. 

Before coming to the United States, Dahlum was a seven-time Norwegian national champion from 1975-81 and the overall winner of the 1979 Europa Cup. As a member of Norway’s national team from 1974-81, she helped lead Norway to a World Championship in 1978. She was also a member of Norway’s Olympic Training Squad in 1976 and 1980. 

Following her career at Utah, Dahlum returned to Europe and competed on the Women’s Professional Ski Racing Tour for three years. She earned Ski Racing Magazine Rookie of the Year honors in 1985. Dahlum coached club teams from 1996-2007. 

Ron McBride

As the Utes’ head football coach from 1990-2002, Ron McBride turned a program that had enjoyed only sporadic success during its history into a consistent postseason qualifier and a conference contender. In 13 seasons, McBride directed the Utes to 88 wins—the second-most in school history—six bowl appearances and a pair of conference championships. 

After working at Utah twice as an assistant coach in the late ‘70s to mid ‘80s, McBride was hired as Utah’s head coach in 1989. He was charged with revitalizing a program that had played in just two bowl games in 97 years. 

In his third season in 1992, McBride led the Utes to their first bowl appearance since 1964. His 1994 team was one of the best in school history, finishing with a 10-2 record and a No. 8 ranking in the coaches poll following a Freedom Bowl win over Arizona. McBride led the Utes to a share of the WAC championship in 1995—the school’s first league title in 31 years—a piece of the Mountain West Conference title in 1999, and Las Vegas Bowl victories in 1999 and 2001. 

Most recently, McBride served as the head coach at Weber State from 2005-11, leading the Wildcats to the 2008 Big Sky Conference title and a pair of appearances in the NCAA FCS Playoffs, before retiring at the end of this past season. His career record in 20 years as a Division I head coach was 131-101. 

Keith Van Horn

A runner-up for National Player of the Year honors in 1996-97 and a two-time All-American, Keith Van Horn finished his career as the all-time leading scorer and second-leading rebounder in Utah basketball history. 

Van Horn scored 2,542 points and grabbed 1,074 rebounds from 1993-97. He led the Utes to 98 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Sweet 16 in 1996 and the Elite Eight in 1997. Utah won Western Athletic Conference regular-season titles in 1995, ’96 and ’97, and captured league tournament crowns behind MVP performances from Van Horn in 1995 and 1997. 

Van Horn became the first player in WAC history to be named player of the year three times in 1995, ’96 and ’97. He was one of only two four-time first team all-WAC selections in league history. As a senior, Van Horn was named a consensus All-Americans and was the runner-up to Tim Duncan for the Wooden, Naismith and RCA National Player of the Year awards. 

Van Horn was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and was traded immediately to the New Jersey Nets. He played five seasons with New Jersey and spent three more years in the NBA with Philadelphia, New York, Milwaukee and Dallas. Van Horn averaged 16.0 points and 6.8 rebounds over the course of his career, and played in the NBA Finals with New Jersey in 2002 Dallas in 2006.

“Audentes fortuna juvat” — Fortune Favors the Bold

In my other play by play job I work with a Head Coach who lives and coaches by that Latin phrase. It was one of the first things that came to mind late Wednesday night when I confirmed that Utah Head Football Coach Kyle Whittingham named his 24 year old Quarterbacks Coach his new Offensive Coordinator. Brian Johnson is barely old enough to rent a car when he goes on recruiting trips, but he is now in charge of the Utah Offense as it heads into its second season in the Pac 12 Conference.

In the need for full disclosure, I consider Brian Johnson a friend. Not the kind that hangs out or spends holidays together, but still a friend. I first met Johnson when he was just 17 years old and a freshman on the Utah Football team. In the year, where everyone was talking about Alex Smith, Brian Johnson already stood out. He was one of the brightest and most articulate young men I’d come across in my years of coverage collegiate athletics. I knew immediately that the Utes had a good one and so did his Head Coach Urban Meyer and QB Coach Dan Mullen. On their way out of the program and off to Florida both raved about what great hands the Utah Offense was in for the next 3 years. I don’t need to recount the rest of the Brian Johnson story, because anyone reading or caring about this story knows the rest.

I use that example to illustrate that Johnson has always been just a little ahead of his years. So as the debate rages on sports radio and in the Twitter-sphere about whether Whittingham made the correct choice or not, I would simply tell you that nobody will know if this is going to work until Johnson puts on the headset on August 30th against Northern Colorado. One thing I will say is that Kyle Whittingham knows a thing or two about game planning against clever offensive minds and has spoken effusively about Johnson’s feel for the game.

Is there risk with this selection? There’s no doubt about it. Johnson has just 2 years coaching experience and has never been a Coordinator before. While he has played the game at a high level and has become an excellent recruiter in just two years on the job, he’s never called plays or run an offensive staff.

Kyle Whittingham has been around football and coaching his entire life. He is the son of a coach and has forgotten more football than most of us will ever know. This is the biggest hire of his 7 plus season Head Coaching tenure at Utah. He saw in his first go-around in the Pac 12 exactly what it takes to compete offensively with the “big boys”. When Norm Chow left for Hawaii, Whittingham had more than 50 potential candidates for the vacancy. He spent more than a month vetting candidates and after the process was complete his decision was just three offices down the hall.

As with any hire there will be risks, but often times the higher the risk the higher the reward. If you are going to take a risk then it might as well be on a guy that knows something about winning and even more about leading. In hiring Brian Johnson, Kyle Whittingham gets both. This would certainly be categorized as a bold move, now we’ll see if indeed fortune favors the Utes.

Brian Johnson, Utah’s quarterbacks coach for the past two years, has been elevated to offensive coordinator, head coach Kyle Whittingham announced today amid a staff restructure.

“After spending the past month conducting a national search for an offensive coordinator, it became very apparent that we had the best candidate for the job right here on our own staff,” said Whittingham of his decision to promote Johnson, who turns 25 on Feb. 16. “Brian is a leader and a special coaching talent, just as he was a special player, and he is the right person to lead our offense,” said Whittingham, who in 1995 became Utah’s defensive coordinator after just one year as an assistant coach.

Johnson, the winningest quarterback in Utah history during his career (he was 26-7 as the starter in 2005, 2007 and 2008) and the MVP of the 2009 Sugar Bowl, will continue to coach the quarterbacks in his new position.

“I am excited that Coach Whittingham has given me this opportunity and I am prepared for the challenge,” said Johnson. “I’m looking forward to working with a great coaching staff and putting together a productive offense that will help us win a conference championship. I’ve had many good mentors as a player and a coach, including Dan Mullen, Andy Ludwig, Aaron Roderick and Norm Chow.”

Johnson’s promotion was part of a staff restructure that includes promotions for Kalani Sitake and Aaron Roderick. Sitake has assumed the title of assistant head coach and will continue his role as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Roderick, in his eighth year coaching the receivers, will also serve as the passing game coordinator.

In other staff moves, Dan Finn, a Utah graduate assistant from 2004-06, has been hired to coach the centers and guards. Finn spent last season as the offensive line coach at San Diego State and the previous four years as the offensive line coach at Idaho (2007-10). Tim Davis, Utah’s offensive line coach in 2011, will now concentrate on coaching the tackles and tight ends.

Jay Hill, in his eighth season as a full-time assistant, takes over the running backs. Hill has served two different stints as the cornerbacks coach, most recently in 2010 and 2011, and oversaw the tight ends from 2007-09. He remains Utah’s special teams coordinator.

Sharrieff Shah, a starting safety for the Utes from 1990-93 and a three-year team captain, returns to his alma mater to coach the cornerbacks. Shah, a Salt Lake City attorney since 2001, was a certified NFL agent from 1996-2002, representing players in the NFL, CFL and NFL-Europe. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and law degrees from the University of Utah. Shah has also served as the team’s sideline reporter for ESPN 700 radio for the past 12 years.

ESPN 700 Radio has confirmed with a source close to the situation tonight that Utah Quarterbacks Coach Brian Johnson has been named Offensive Coordinator. The former Sugar Bowl MVP has coached Quarterbacks for the last 2 seasons at the University of Utah. Johnson, who is 24 years old, is expected to be formally introduced in as Offensive Coordinator in a Press Conference on Thursday.

Johnson led Utah to a 26-7 record as a Quarterback from 2004-2008 and graduated as the school’s winningest quarterback. Johnson’s offensive influences include: Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer, Mississippi State Head Coach Dan Mullen, San Diego State Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig and Hawaii Head Coach Norm Chow.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.—The Pac-12 Conference office released the 2012 football schedule today and Utah will be the first Pac-12 team in action, hosting Northern Colorado on Thursday, Aug. 30. With the new ESPN and FOX media rights agreement, and the August 2012 launch of the Pac-12 Networks, every Pac-12 football game will be available on national television.

There will be 44 games on the combination of ESPN’s family of networks, Fox Broadcast and FX, while 34 games are scheduled to air on the Pac-12 Networks. Exact broadcast schedules will be determined at a later date.

“The one thing we heard loud and clear from fans across the conference is they want to see their teams play every week,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. “Starting in 2012 fans can see all games throughout the country.”

For the first time since 1994, Utah will complete its non-conference slate in the first three weeks of the season, playing in-state foes Utah State on Sept. 8 in Logan and Brigham Young on Sept. 15 in Salt Lake City. The BYU game is homecoming, marking just the second time the two rivals have met in a homecoming game in Salt Lake City (Utah won 30-21 in 1968).

Utah’s Pac-12 opener is on Sept. 22 at Arizona State and its first conference visitor is USC on Thursday, Oct. 4. Both Utah and USC have a bye the week prior in accordance with a Pac-12 policy on Thursday games.

Utah’s other Southern division games are against UCLA (Oct. 13 in Los Angeles), Arizona (Nov. 17 in Salt Lake City) and Colorado (Nov. 23 in Boulder).

Utah’s crossover games against Northern division foes begin with a road game against Oregon State on Oct. 20. The Utes will host back-to-back games against the north on Oct. 27 (California) and Nov. 3 (Washington State) and play at Washington on Nov. 10.

The Pac-12 Championship game will be played on Friday, Nov. 30 at the home field of the team with the best overall conference record.

2012 Utah Football Schedule

Aug. 30 (Thu.) – Northern Colorado – Salt Lake City
Sept. 8 – at Utah State – Logan, Utah
Sept. 15 – Brigham Young – Salt Lake City
Sept. 22 – at Arizona State* – Tempe, Ariz.
Sept. 29 – open
Oct. 4 (Thu.) – USC* – Salt Lake City
Oct. 13 – at UCLA* – Los Angeles
Oct. 20 – at Oregon State* – Corvallis, Ore.
Oct. 27 – California* – Salt Lake City
Nov. 3 – Washington State* – Salt Lake City
Nov. 10 – at Washington* – Seattle
Nov. 17 – Arizona* – Salt Lake City
Nov. 23 (Fri.) – at Colorado* – Boulder, Colo.

*Pac-12 game

After tonight’s Utah win in the Hyundai Sun Bowl, I spoke with Utah Running Backs Coach Dave Schramm who told me that he has been offered the Offensive Coordinator’s Position at Fresno State University. Schramm tells me that he will accept the position on Tim DeRuyter’s staff.

Schramm doesn’t have a previous coaching relationship or tie with DeRuyter, but coached against the Bulldog’s new Head Coach when he was the Defensive Coordinator at Air Force. DeRuyter, who just completed his tenure as interim Head Coach with Texas A&M, reached out to Schramm about the position.

Schramm has spent the last seven seasons on Kyle Whittingham’s staff at Utah. He has coached running backs, tight ends, quarterbacks and spent time as Offensive Coordinator. Schramm told me he alerted his players Saturday night after the Utes 30-27 overtime win against Georgia Tech.

Schramm’s departure marks the 2nd offensive coach to leave the Utah staff this postseason. Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow was recently named Head Coach at Hawaii.

John White plowed into the end zone from 8 yards out to give Utah a 30-27 overtime victory against Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl on Saturday.

Justin Moore kicked a 34-yard field goal in Georgia Tech’s overtime possession to take a three-point lead, but White finished a 115-yard rushing day with the game-winning score on his 26th carry.

The Utes (8-5) tied it in regulation when Jon Hays hit DeVonte Christopher with a 28-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-14 with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter.

The Yellow Jackets (8-5) drove to the Utah 31 with 2 seconds left, but David Scully missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt as time expired. Justin Moore had earlier missed two 42-yard tries for Tech.

Georgia Tech lost its seventh straight bowl appearance and Utah improved to 7-1 in bowls under coach Kyle Whittingham.

Georgia Tech’s Preston Lyons, who came in with only 39 carries, rushed for a career-best 140 yards on 18 carries and Tevin Washington passed for 137 yards and ran for 97.

Utah grabbed a 7-0 lead on Shawn Asiata capped the game-opening drive with a 1-yard run.

With David Sims out of with an injury and Orwin Smith also ailing, Georgia Tech relied heavily on Lyons, who put the Yellow Jackets on the board with a 36-yard run up the middle tie the game at 7.

Lyons finished the first half with 129 yards on 12 carries.

Coleman Peterson banked in a 25-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the first half to give the Utes a 10-7 lead.

A 27-yard punt by Utah set up Moore’s 32-yard field goal to tie it in the third quarter.

The Yellow Jackets scored again on their next possession. Washington hit Embry Peeples with a 58-yard pass, then found Stephen Hill for a 31-yard touchdown to make it 17-10.

Moments later, Quayshawn Nealy picked off a pass by Hays and returned it down the sideline 74 yards for a touchdown with 4:14 left in the third quarter

Hays hit Kendrick Moeai with a 3-yard touchdown pass with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter to make it 24-17.

Hays went 15 for 31 for 193 yards.

The Norm Chow Era at the University of Utah is over. After just one full season on the job Chow is leaving for his first and likely last Head Coaching position. The Hawaiian native his heading back home to run the Warrior Football program and after 41 years of coaching High School, College and Pro Football he gets his chance to make a program his own.

I’ve been lucky this season to have a weekly audience with Chow in his office on Wednesday mornings. He has given me great insights to his philosophies and college football. Most of all he has been generous with his time and opinions. I asked him on several occasions about why he hadn’t gotten a Head Coaching job with all his success. Despite the many rumors I’ve heard over the years about what was or wasn’t promised in Provo, Chow always took the high road and said nothing but positive things about his previous employers or possibilities. I couldn’t be happier for Norm and his opportunity at Hawaii. Good things come to those who wait and those who work hard. Chow has done both and now has his own program.

So what happens now at with the Utah Offensive Coordinators job? I think I’ve been asked this question about a thousand times this week. My simple answer for now has been I don’t have a clue. Here’s what I am pretty sure about: Kyle Whittingham will take his time and do his due diligence on this hire. A year ago after the loss to Boise State in the Vegas Bowl, Whittingham made it very clear to me and others that he wanted to change his teams’ offensive look. He talked repeatedly about wanting a “downhill running game” to compliment his team’s defensive toughness. He got the offensive style he wanted this year with Norm Chow calling the shots and John White rushing for more than 1400 yards. Unfortunately the passing game wasn’t there to compliment the rushing attack.

My guess is that Whittingham will want to stay with the Pro-Style or West Coast Offense moving forward. But the question is who does he tab to run that offense? If he stays in house there are a couple of options currently on staff. If he goes outside the program, look for the choice to be someone that Kyle knows well and is comfortable with. Just for fun let’s throw out some possibilities.

• Aaron Roderick – Currently coaching Wide Receivers at Utah. Roderick was the Co-Offensive Coordinator and play caller for a season before Chow’s arrival. Advantage: Knows the personnel and is familiar with what Whittingham wants, worked closely with Norm Chow this season. Disadvantage: Was replaced a year ago in the same position.
• Dave Schramm – Currently coaching Running Backs at Utah. Schramm was the Co-Offensive Coordinator with Roderick for a season before Chow’s arrival. Advantage: Helped to coordinate and develop running game which was the cornerstone of Utah’s offense this season. Disadvantage: Was replaced a year ago in the same position.
• Dirk Koetter – Currently the Offensive Coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Helped build the Boise State Football program from 1998-2000. Has been an Offensive Coordinator at UTEP, Missouri, Boston College and Oregon. Advantage: Knows the region growing up in Pocatello, ID. Has run successful offenses just about everywhere he’s been in college. Disadvantage: Currently in the NFL and might not want to return to College as an Offensive Coordinator.
• Seth Littrell – Currently un-employed and former Offensive Coordinator at Arizona. Was on Mike Stoops staff at Arizona for 3 seasons, before that he was on Mike Leach’s staff at Texas Tech. Advantage: Helped to coordinate one of the top offensive attacks in the Pac 12 last season at Arizona. Tight with Mike Leach, who is good friends with Kyle Whittingham. Disadvantage: Littrell is a spread offensive guy, if Utah plans to stay with the Pro-Style offense he may not fit.

These are just some names and food for thought. I have no hard fast information from Kyle Whittingham and certainly haven’t been given a look at the list that’s probably sitting in his desk drawer. Remember a year ago, he played the Norm Chow hire extremely close to the vest, to the point that members of his own staff had no idea the hire was coming. What I do know is that this might be the biggest hire that Whittingham has made in his 7 seasons on the job. We saw how important a diverse and potent offense is to success in the Pac 12 this past season and with the hires of Rich Rodriguez and Mike Leach in the Pac 12 South, the stakes have been raised even that much hire.

Georgia Tech and the University of Utah have both accepted invitations to participate in the 78th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl, announced Sun Bowl Association football selection committee chairman John H. Folmer. The game will pit the Yellow Jackets and Utes on Saturday, Dec. 31 at noon (MST) at Sun Bowl Stadium. The game will be broadcast for the 44th consecutive year on CBS.

“We’re tremendously excited about a great matchup between two great programs from outstanding conferences,” said Mike Rogers, Sun Bowl Association president. “Georgia Tech defeated ACC champion Clemson earlier this season while Utah comes to El Paso having won five of their last seven games.”

The 2011 Hyundai Sun Bowl will mark the second meeting between these two teams. The only other meeting was in the 2005 Emerald Bowl when Utah defeated a 13^th-ranked Georgia Tech, 38-10.

“This matchup provides El Paso the opportunity to see two great scoring offenses with very contrasting styles of play,” Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas said. “This game has a potential to be a high-scoring affair.

Georgia Tech (8-4, 5-3 ACC) finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division and is making its second appearance in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. The Yellow Jackets defeated Texas Tech, 17-9, on Dec. 19, 1970.

“Our team is excited for the opportunity to play in the Hyundai Sun Bowl,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said. “Our players worked hard this season and we’re excited to have another game to play.

“We will face a very good Utah team that played its best football down the stretch. Coach (Kyle) Whittingham and his staff do a very good job and they will be very prepared.”

This is the Yellow Jackets’ 15^th consecutive bowl appearance, tied for the fourth-longest active streak among FBS schools, and will play in their 40^th bowl game overall (22-17) tying for the 12^th most nationally.

Utah (7-5, 4-5 Pac-12), is also making their second appearance in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. The Utes shut out New Mexico, 26-0, on New Year’s Day in 1939. It marks the 10^th bowl in 11 years for the Utes and the seventh under head coach Kyle Whittingham and the program’s 17^th appearance in a bowl game.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to represent the Pac-12 Conference in the Sun Bowl,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “This is a longstanding and prestigious bowl game and we are looking forward to playing in El Paso. A Utah team has not played in this bowl in over 70 years so there should be a lot of intrigue and interest from our fan base and around the country.

“We’re proud that yet another Utah senior class will be playing in its fourth postseason game and that is a testament to the commitment our players bring to the program year in and year out.”

The 78th Annual Hyundai Sun Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 31 at noon (MST). CBS Sports will broadcast the game for the 44th consecutive year, which is the longest running partnership between a network and a bowl game. Tickets may be purchased at UtahUtes.com and 801-581-UTIX.

It’s hard to believe that the College Football regular season is over for the University of Utah. Honestly, where does time go? It seems like just the other day we were discussing the Montana State Bobcats. Is there a most anticipated, yet far too short time of the year than Football Season? We build it up for eight and a half months every year and it’s over before you know it.

Utah has completed its first season in the Pac 12 and BCS/”Big Boy” football. I think it would be fair to say that the season didn’t exactly play out the way many of us thought it might and I’m not talking about strictly wins and losses. It was a rollercoaster like season for Utah Football, but one that likely taught a
number of lessons. I’m going to use this space today to outline three key lessons learned after the first year of Pac 12 Football play.

Lesson Number One: You better have a quarterback or two ready to play if you want to compete in the Pac 12. We knew heading into the season that Jordan Wynn was plan A, B and C this season for the Utes. Keeping Wynn healthy was the key for any big success in their first Pac 12 season. After an injury scare in the BYU game, Utes fans worst fears were realized late in the first half against Washington. At that moment everything changed for the Utah Season, because they simply didn’t have a competent backup in the program ready to go. Look around the league, just about every school in the Pac 12 has multiple options ready to go if their starter goes down. Look for better options next season with Jordan Wynn hopeful for a return an healthy senior season, plus highly touted recruit Travis Wilson, Tyler Shreve and Jon Hays all in the mix at the QB spot for Utah.

Lesson Number Two: Utah needs more and better athletes. As I called games week in and week out with Frank Dolce and Sharrieff Shah, what became apparent week after week was the high level of athletes and skill guys and number of them at every school. Whether it was a Wide Receiver, Offensive Line or just about any other position on the field, Utah had good players, but not always elite players. With the exception of Defensive Line or Secondary, the Utes will need a talent and depth upgrade across the board moving forward. The good news is that Utah has a good start on the recruiting front already. The staff knows the challenge that lies in front of them and is up for the task of what needs to be done. In addition, the turnover on multiple coaching staffs in the Pac 12 combined with the stability at Utah, should help a great deal in recruiting right now.

Lesson Number Three: There are no off weeks in the Pac 12. We need to look no further than last Friday afternoon. The worst road team in college football over the last four years walked into Rice-Eccles Stadium and outplayed a Utah team with everything to play for. The week before it took Utah overtime to beat one of the worst programs over the last 5 years in the Pac 12. Bottom line you have to bring it every week when you play with the big boys. The Utes learned that lesson the hard way, by missing out on playing in the Pac 12 Title Game tomorrow against Oregon.

I thought before the season began that the Utes had a reasonable shot at a 9-3 season with the major sticking point being a HEALTHY Jordan Wynn. Clearly Wynn wasn’t able to stay healthy and the Utes finished at 7-5. Consider this an educational season in Pac 12 football. Let’s hope the lessons were well learned and applied moving forward.

We should find out this weekend where Kyle Whittingham’s guys are playing this postseason. Most projections have the Utes in El Paso on New Year’s Eve against either Georgia Tech or Virginia. The Sun Bowl certainly isn’t San Diego or San Antonio, but the money and exposure will be better than anything that Utah would have had prior to the Pac 12.

I always welcome your comments on-line or feel free to email me at bill@espn700sports.com.