The Utes are in a Bowl Championship Series game, we know that much. As agonizing waits go, this is pretty enjoyable. The worst that can happen is a Sugar Bowl date with Alabama. Ohio State and Boise State are the ones sweating this week, hoping for the presumed last BCS slot.
So the anticipation of Sunday's bowl announcements is only about whether the Utes' destination is within driving distance, and then if the Subway in Kanab can stock enough bread to feed their fans, unlike four years ago.
Assuming everything plays out as expected Saturday - meaning USC defeats UCLA and goes to the Rose Bowl and Oklahoma tops Missouri and advances to the BCS title game - the Fiesta Bowl will have its choice of an opponent for Texas on Jan. 5.
Like everything else BCS-related, the Fiesta Bowl's three-team problem can be solved only via human judgment and artificial calculations. So let's add 'em up and pick somebody, using the exclusive Kragthorpe Accounting Objectively System (KAOS):
OHIO STATE
OK, we're talking about The Ohio State University (7), a name brand in the sport, not somebody outside college football's elite. The school's mascot, Brutus Buckeye (5), is more recognizable than any player for either Utah or Boise State, and fans who have never heard of Kyle Whittingham or Chris Petersen can tell you that OSU coach Jim Tressel (5) always wears a sweater vest. Tressel has taken his team to the last two BCS title games (4).
The Buckeyes feature Terrelle Pryor (4), a dynamic freshman quarterback, and have lost only to the likely Rose Bowl contestants (3). The Fiesta Bowl is played in suburban Phoenix, home to roughly half of the living Ohio natives (3) in America, so OSU would have plenty of support.
But ...
The Buckeyes have lost two games (-6). Sure, USC and Penn State were quality opponents, but what if the Rose Bowl is a dog and everybody remembers how OSU fell to both teams?
Those performances against Florida and LSU in national championship games (-4) are also tough to forget. And being ranked behind both Utah and Boise State (-3), do the Buckeyes really deserve a BCS bid?
Score: 18.
BOISE STATE This is about Ian & Chrissy (7), not just some random football team. No single moment of any BCS game could match Boise State running back Ian Johnson's end-zone proposal to the cutie-pie cheerleader. Johnson's winning two-point conversion (6) just before that was pretty cool, too. Can you imagine how Fox Sports (4) would treat the famous couple's return to the Valley of the Sun?
Judging by entertainment value and lasting impact (5), the Broncos' overtime victory did more for BCS outsiders than Utah's win over Pittsburgh. A matchup with Texas would bring back all those memories of two years ago (5) against Oklahoma. The Broncos also claim a win over Oregon (3), which crushed Oregon State's Rose Bowl hopes.
But ...
Boise State is ranked behind Utah (-5), and the system promises room for only one outsider per year for a reason. The one-time novelty of the Broncos was fine, but did anyone notice how Western Athletic Conference champ Hawaii (-5) performed in a BCS game last season? The WAC is even worse this year (-4), and Texas could do to Boise State what Georgia did to Hawaii.
Score: 16.
UTAH
The original BCS-busters (8) are back, and the credibility from their 35-7 pounding of Pittsburgh (6) four years ago is worth a lot. The Utes are unbeaten (4), and they have the best defense ever (4) among BCS outsiders.
And how could the Fiesta Bowl ignore the prospect of 50,000 fans (4) storming the Utah-Arizona border again? Fewer tickets will be available to Ute fans this time, and the demand might not be as high for a return visit, but the red-wearing folks would certainly outnumber the opponent's fans at University of Phoenix Stadium.
But ...
Can a BCS game really market a team whose best player is the punter/kicker (-4)? The Fiesta Bowl comes on a Monday night (-3) after the NFL playoffs have started, and Fox needs compelling reasons for viewership. Utah is very good, but is it a must-see team, after 32 other bowl games have been played?
Utah has lived off a victory over Oregon State for two months, but that win was devalued (-2) by Oregon's rout of the Beavers.
Score: 17.
Which means when you get to Phoenix, be prepared to keep driving.
