This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Now that Utah's football season is reduced to a fight for bowl eligibility, how likely are the Utes to succeed in that quest?
Or, phrased another way, how bad could this season get?
The Utes (2-3) must win four of their remaining seven games to qualify for a ninth consecutive bowl game. Failing to do so in this first Pac-12 season would hurt the program's credibility, especially considering Utah was given a very favorable opportunity with five (of nine) conference games at home and Stanford and Oregon missing from the schedule.
After a 35-14 loss to Arizona State, receiver Reggie Dunn said the Utes can go 7-0 the rest of the way. Coach Kyle Whittingham said a two-game losing streak already feels like a 10-game skid.
Whittingham has proven his ability to salvage seasons. But even a 6-6 record is no guarantee at this point, with the Utes having lost all three league games (including two at home) and quarterback Jordan Wynn out indefinitely with a shoulder injury.
Breaking down the schedule, the Utes logically should beat Oregon State, UCLA and Colorado at home. They should pick off at least one road win against Pittsburgh, California, Arizona and Washington State, giving them the required six victories.
Yet all seven of those games appear tougher for Utah than they did a month ago, don't they? The Pac-12's downtrodden teams are improving and nobody's sure what to think of the Utes.
Five turnovers in each game doomed Utah against Washington and ASU. Otherwise, the Utes matched up adequately with those opponents. What we'll never know, however, is whether the Utes would have made clutch plays in the fourth quarter to actually win those games, and that's the issue going forward.
Any evaluation of the Ute offense is colored by Wynn's absence in the second half against Washington and the whole game against ASU. Still, the biggest concern has to be Utah's inability to run the ball consistently. That was supposed to be the staple of the Norm Chow offense, which ranks 92nd in the country (BYU moved up to 93rd, in case you're wondering). The Utes had 121 net rushing yards Saturday, but subtracting John White's 30-yard touchdown and punter Nick Marsh's 15-yard run, that becomes 76 yards. Fill-in quarterback Jon Hays needs more help. If the running game improves, Hays can move the team, as he's shown in stretches.
The Utes have no overwhelming opponents remaining, and they still could get on a roll. More likely, they will be battling just to get into a lower-tier Pac-12 bowl game, possibly against a Mountain West Conference opponent in Las Vegas or Albuquerque, N.M.
That may sound humbling enough, but believe me, it's better than the alternative of sitting at home.
One other possibility: How about Utah vs. Utah State in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco? Army is not going to qualify for its slot against a Pac-12 team. Even if USU (2-3) becomes bowl-eligible, the Aggies may need an at-large invitation, because the Western Athletic Conference has only three bowl tie-ins.
Twitter: @tribkurt