This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
My lasting impressions of Utah's entry into the Pac-12 include the appearance by Tournament of Roses organizers at the news conference, followed a few months later by the release of the 2011 football schedule. The biggest takeaway was that in the rotation, the Utes wouldn't have to play Stanford or Oregon in their first two seasons as conference members.
That response reflected the aura those programs had in the league at the time, and deservedly so.
As it turned out, the Utes beat Stanford in both 2013 and '14 when they finally met the Cardinal. And while they lost convincingly to Oregon in each of those seasons, the Utes responded with a 62-20 demolition of the Ducks in Eugene in September 2015. And Saturday's score at Rice-Eccles Stadium might be similar, with a Rose Bowl trip potentially in Utah's future.
Ute coach Kyle Whittingham has done his best this week to endorse the Ducks' offense — "I mean, they're Oregon," he said — and deflect questions about their defense. But if Oregon's program had a mythical quality and seemed untouchable for Utah earlier in this decade, that's all gone now.
Some accounts of Oregon's games this season have suggested how much their opponents enjoyed beating them badly, making up for losses of the past (including Washington's scoring 70 points against the Ducks). No such avenging angle is in play for the Utes, after what they did in Eugene last year. If anything, Saturday's visit will be sobering, underscoring just how far the Ducks have fallen.
Only two years ago, when quarterback Marcus Mariota was on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy, Oregon's coming to town was cool. Everyone remembers how Utah's Kaelin Clay dropped the ball just outside the end zone and Oregon took it the other way for a touchdown and a 14-point swing in the first quarter.
My strongest recollection of that night is how Mariota took over the game in the fourth quarter, when the Utes were still in it. It was a joy to watch him play in person.
As for Saturday, I'm just curious about what the Ducks will be wearing.
Something else to watch: If Colorado (6-1) loses at home to Washington State and USC (6-2) beats UCLA, Colorado will be eliminated from the Pac-12 championship game, because USC would own a tiebreaker over the Buffaloes in the South.
Would that development give Colorado any less incentive against Utah next week? I wouldn't count on it. The Buffaloes have come too far to stop battling now, regardless of what they do against the Cougars. In any case, Ute fans should be hoping for a Colorado victory Saturday, because that would give more weight to a potential Utah win over the Buffs. Such value could become important, in various postseason scenarios.
Twitter: @tribkurt