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Las Vegas • For a decade, Utah won bowl games like no other.

The school's nine-game win streak from 1999 to 2009 was the second-longest in NCAA history.

Kyle Whittingham won his first seven postseason games as head coach, and probably tired of being asked about his secret.

Who would have thought in the five years after the Utes beat Cal in the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl, they'd have added just one bowl trophy to their mantle?

Now they return to the site of the first bowl victory in the illustrious streak, and the site of their last bowl loss — a 26-3 bashing by Boise State, in 2010.

And while finishing the regular season 8-4 and ranked No. 23 by the AP was enough to change the discussion about Utah's coaches from "hot seat" to "hot prospects," it goes without saying that they'd like to look the part one more time on national television.

Should they beat Colorado State, Utah will finish with nine wins, will almost certainly be ranked, and will benefit from the feeling that the program's trajectory points upward.

Colorado State has a noteworthy streak of its own, though: Three consecutive wins against schools from Power 5 conferences.

The Rams prevailed in last year's New Mexico Bowl over Washington State, which had beaten Utah. This year, they beat common opponent Colorado by 10 points more than the Utes did in their regular season finale.

Saturday, the burden remains on the Utes to show that they deserved to graduate into the upper reaches of Division I football. And the burden remains on the Rams to prove that, just as much, so do they.

Time, Place and [Radio Waves in] Space • Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. MT on the field turf of Sam Boyd Stadium, with a stated capacity of 40,000. The game will air nationally on ABC, called by Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor, and on radio dials in Utah at ESPN 700 and nationally at Sports USA. Utah's No. 14 basketball team plays UNLV at 9:30 p.m. MT later Saturday at the MGM Grand.

Opposing Coach • In the wake of Jim McElwain's departure, the head coaching duties have fallen to offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin while administrators in Fort Collins weigh possible McElwain replacements. Baldwin is thought to be on the list. Before he began calling plays for Colorado State — the nation's 12th-ranked offense by yards per game — he was offensive coordinator at Utah State, and he served two stints as a head coach at Cal State Northridge (1995-96) and San Jose State (1997-2000). Whittingham said this week that he knows the Jack Elway disciple to be a creative offensive coach who forces opposing defensive coordinators to make rapid-fire adjustments. Baldwin told The Tribune that his approach will not differ greatly from McElwain's at this point in the season, and Whittingham said he expects as much.

Utah Ties • Besides McElwain, whose son still works for Utah State's business school, the two schools have few connections to the other's state. Utah does have strong ties to Las Vegas, however: freshman cornerback Casey Hughes, junior running back Bubba Poole, junior left tackle Jeremiah Poutasi and sophomore linebacker Marcus Sanders-Williams all call Vegas home. Senior tight end Westlee Tonga served an LDS mission in the area, and senior wideout Kaelin Clay has a sister who lives in town.

Pregame Quotable • On needing 25 more sacks, despite leading the nation with 52, to tie the school's 1981 single-season record (a highly questionable mark), Kyle Whittingham: "I thought we were pretty good, but maybe not."

Media Guide Nugget • Colorado State's first December game was played at Hawaii in 1925. After riding three trains and a bus to the SS Manoa, they then became seasick on the nine-day boat ride and lost to the Rainbow Warriors 41-0.

Telling Stat • $8 million — the amount that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority figures was pumped into the local economy as a result of the "gaming impact" of the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl. Utah fans swept up the school's 7,500 allotted tickets in no time, so this could be a serious hit to the Beehive State's piggy bank. The Mountain West Conference will receive $1.4 million for playing in the game, and the Pac-12 Conference will receive $1.3 million. Most importantly, this Tribune sports writer will be reimbursed for his daily visits to the Mandalay Bay Subway.

Rams Offensive Outlook • Few schools throw the ball as well as the Rams. Senior quarterback Garrett Grayson snapped his own school record in throwing for 3,779 yards, including 32 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He's razor-sharp on third down, completing 63 percent of his passes, and leads an attack that is ranked third nationally in passing efficiency. Helping matters is the sophomore receiver and Biletnikoff Award finalist Rashard Higgins has been almost undefendable, totaling 98 or more yards in 10 straight games — 143 or more in nine of those. Grayson is protected by potential first-round draft choice Ty Sambrailo, and should a defensive coordinator opt to sell out against the pass, he benefits from the change-up of senior running back Dee Hart, a transfer from Alabama who has averaged 6.7 yards per carry and totaled 1,254 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. If the offense has an Achilles heel, it may be that, even with Sambrailo, they have been susceptible to the pass rush on a couple of occasions. In a 16-13 win against Utah State, Grayson was brought down by the Aggies eight times and CSU also totaled just 75 yards on the ground. That's music to the ears of Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake and defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki.

Rams Defensive Outlook • The over/under is 57 1/2, because as much as Colorado State's offense seems a challenge for Utah's defense, the Rams haven't been particularly stout defensively. CSU has conceded 414 yards per game, and 188 on the ground, where Utah is strong. But while they've bent frequently, they haven't broken often. Only once, in a 37-24 loss at Boise State in Week Two, did they allow more than 31 points. Leaders include linebacker Aaron Davis, who has 110 tackles, junior strong safety Trent Matthews, with three interceptions, and junior linebacker Cory James, with 6.5 sacks.

Rams Special Teams Outlook • Senior placekicker Jared Roberts has had a rough year, hitting just 11 of 18 field goal tries after being nominated as a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2014. Three of his misses have come within 39 yards, but he is a threat from long range, having drilled three-of-four from 50-plus, and with a long of 53. Punter Jared Hunt is 20th in the nation with an average of 43.8 yards, including 12 inside the 20-yard line, and the Ute kickoff coverage team will need to be wary of freshman returner Deionte Gaines, who has averaged 26.5 yards on 21 returns.

Required Reading

Injury Report • Whittingham has said that sophomore defensive end Hunter Dimick and junior linebacker Jared Norris — two key starters — will be good to go on Saturday, and no other new injuries were known about as of Friday morning. The Utes, of course, have shut down for the season senior wideout Dres Anderson, junior quarterback Kendal Thompson, junior wideout Tim Patrick, junior linebacker Gionni Paul, senior free safety Tevin Carter and sophomore cornerback Reginald Porter, among others. For Colorado State, redshirt junior Nu'uvali Fa'apito is thought to be questionable with an undisclosed ailment.

Three Big Questions

1. Will records fall? • Senior defensive end Nate Orchard is three sacks shy of John Frank's career school mark, 27, and junior running back Devontae Booker is 169 yards short of John White IV's single-season rushing record of 1,519. Senior wideout Kaelin Clay can also seize sole possession of Utah's single-season best for punt return touchdowns with one more, surpassing Baltimore Ravens receiver Steve Smith.

2. Which Travis Wilson will show up? • Given his performance early in conference play — averaging 93 yards per game while splitting duty with Kendal Thompson — Utah's junior quarterback had to do some work to regain the confidence of Utah fans. He may not be there yet, but with 232 yards per game since, with eight touchdowns against four interceptions, he's at least been more prolific. In Boulder, he was at his best, throwing for 311 yards — tying a career high — and three touchdowns.

3. Win or lose, what happens next? • Michigan still hasn't hired a coach, and Whittingham has been tied to the Wolverines' search by anonymous sources in media reports. Former Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen needs a DC of his own at Oregon State, and Sitake seems a likely candidate. Some have wondered if Utah athletic director Chris Hill will soon extend Whittingham and Utah's assistants, many of whom are on deals that expire this summer. It may not make a difference whether or not Utah beats Colorado State, but the time for the question is now, because the dominoes could begin to fall shortly after the players leave the field.

— Matthew Piper

Twitter: @matthew_piper