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Kyle Whittingham wanted a graveyard.

Each time the Utes beat a BCS opponent at Rice-Eccles Stadium, he would add a tombstone, or so he pitched to Crimson Club donors at an October 2008 luncheon.

They didn't go for it.

It might have been a touch too morbid, or too proud.

But he had good reason, at least, to be proud.

By the time Utah joined the Pac-12 in 2011, the Utes had gone 21-12 against BCS automatic qualifiers. Most famously, they'd trounced Pitt in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl and Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, and also claimed bowl wins against USC, California and Georgia Tech.

Now Utah has earned itself a different type of undertaking: burying the would-be Utahs.

Said Colorado State interim head coach Dave Baldwin in a phone interview with The Tribune on Monday: "If we could have Kyle Whittingham's run in bowls, this program would be incredible."

Among the nation's non-automatic qualifiers, Utah's Las Vegas Bowl opponents own the nation's longest active winning streak against teams from the so-called Power 5 conferences — beating Washington State in last season's New Mexico Bowl, and Colorado and Boston College this year.

Senior quarterback Garrett Grayson said part of what drives him and his teammate is their gaudy stats — Grayson has 3,779 passing yards and 32 touchdowns and has thrown for 19 scores against just one pick in his last seven games — are pish-poshed by Power 5 types. As in: He couldn't do that in the Pac-12, surely.

"Honestly, that's always in the back of my mind, because I know people are saying that about me," he told The Tribune by phone Monday.

Utah fans have had their share of heroes like Grayson — guys who felt unwanted and proved they belonged.

Hailing from Vancouver, Wash., he received only minor interest from bigger schools. Utah sent him letters, but "they send out thousands of letters every day," he said. Washington passed. So did Washington State, whom he threw for 369 yards against last December.

And his story is pretty typical of the Rams, he said.

"There's a lot of kids that feel like they got snubbed."

So for Colorado State, there is much to prove in beating 8-4 Utah, which itself knocked off the likes of UCLA, USC and Stanford.

And for the Utes, 3 1/2-point favorites, there is the burden of a fairly evident local expectation that they should win.

It's a credit to Utah's players that upon the reveal of their bowl opponent, they were respectful. Mountain West or not, it's never easy to go 10-2, they said. Whittingham pointed to the Rams' superior margin of victory (14 points) against Colorado, the teams' common opponent.

"Colorado State's got all our respect," he said. "We don't talk in terms of lower-tier conferences."

But senior tight end Westlee Tonga couldn't lie. All he knew at the time of the announcement is that Colorado State wears green.

Back in Fort Collins, Grayson admitted he'd heard there were some Utah fans who were underwhelmed by the prospect of rekindling a Mountain West series. He shuts that out, though. He's excited by accounts from his former teammates who played Utah and tell him to expect one of the most physically tough opponents he'll ever face.

And, no doubt, to play confident.

The Pac-12, at 6-7 in the Vegas Bowl, is hardly Goliath in this game. The Mountain West is 9-6, and has, in fact, won ESPN's Bowl Challenge Cup for most bowls won by a conference in a record four seasons.

Of course, Utah gets credit for some of that success.

And Whittingham will tell you that his current team is one of the most talented he's ever had.

"It's the best football team we've seen to date, there's no doubt about that," Baldwin said.

But does Colorado State have more to gain, and less to lose?

"To win a bowl game like this and knock off a big five team and end on a positive note, that would be huge for the program," Baldwin said, sounding like the guy who once wanted to commit the BCS to the earth.

Plot twist. —

Las Vegas Bowl

O Utah vs. Colorado State Saturday, 1:30 p.m. TV • Ch. 4 —

Bowling with Kyle

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham's record in bowl games:

Year Bowl Opponent. Score

2004 Fiesta Pittsburgh W, 35-7*

2005 Emerald Georgia Tech W, 38-10

2006 Armed Forces Tulsa W, 25-13

2007 Pointsettia Navy W, 35-32

2008 Sugar Alabama W, 31-17

2009 Pointsettia California W, 37-27

2010 Las Vegas Boise St. L, 26-3

2011 Sun Georgia Tech W, 30-27

*Listed as co-coach with Urban Meyer —

Hackett, Orchard named AP All-Americans

Utah went 8-4 this season on the strength of special teams and defense. On Tuesday, leaders from each of those units were honored as AP All Americans.

Junior Tom Hackett, winner of this year's Ray Guy Award for the nation's top punter, is a first-team honoree, and senior Nate Orchard, who won the Ted Hendricks award for top defensive end, was a second-teamer.

Hackett led the nation with 35 punts inside the opposing 20 yard line and 19 punts inside the 10 yard line. His 47.0 yards-per-punt average was second nationally. The Australian was also the first Utah player and Pac-12 player to win the Ray Guy Award.

Orchard had 17.5 sacks, No. 2 in the country and settling Utah's single-season school record. He was the second-leading tackler on the team with 81 and forced two fumbles while recovering another. He's been invited to the Senior Bowl next month in Alabama.