This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
No illustration of Utah's football season could top the image of the Ute equipment semi-truck driving down I-15 toward the Rose Bowl and suddenly taking Exit 42 in Nevada toward Sam Boyd Stadium, 275 miles short of Pasadena.
The Las Vegas Bowl with BYU as the opponent hardly seems like a worthy destination for the No. 22 team in the final College Football Playoff rankings — third among Pac-12 schools. The Utes were treated as the No. 6 team by the league's affiliated bowls. Those choices are defensible, although I understand why Utah fans might be upset with the pairing.
Las Vegas represents a repeat trip from 2014, the Utes will meet BYU in the second game of 2016 and Utah has not faced a Power 5 bowl opponent since 2011. Even the convenient location is mitigated by BYU's advance notice for ticket sales. As of the second quarter vs. USC when the Utes held a 14-7 lead and seemingly were about to seize control of the game in late October, any suggestion of them landing in Vegas would have seemed silly.
Here's the thing, though: The Las Vegas Bowl will be a good football game. And what could be more fun for the Utes than denying BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall his 100th career victory, in his final appearance with the Cougars?
Ute players interviewed Sunday generally embraced the matchup, although linebacker Gionni Paul hoped for a bowl meeting with Miami, his former school. Paul has never faced BYU; teammates have "told me that it's one to remember," he said, smiling.
"We always talk about leaving our legacy," Paul added, and he knows this bowl game will help define his senior class. "What could be better?"
Similarly, quarterback Travis Wilson is anticipating the unique opportunity of ending his career as a Ute quarterback in a rivalry game, wanting to "leave a good lasting impression," he said.
Kicker Andy Phillips said he was among a group of players who wanted a different bowl experience and a ranked opponent, after beating Colorado State in Las Vegas last December. Yet as the Utah-BYU possibility emerged, "The feeling that I got from the locker room this past week was positive," Phillips said.
Certainly, there's something weird about Oregon's playing in the Alamo Bowl, the Pac-12's top affiliate next to the Rose Bowl — after losing by 42 points to Utah in September. Yet the Ducks' ranking justifies that pick, and explanations exist for all of the selections that snubbed the Utes.
Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl or Miami in the Sun Bowl would have been good opponents, especially considering Utah is not scheduled to play a Power 5 team in a nonconference game until Baylor in 2023. USC deserved the Holiday bid, though. The Utes obviously would have made that argument if they had lost in the Pac-12 championship game, as the Trojans did. Washington State also went 6-3 in conference play and is attractive because of its entertaining offense and a fan base that's eager to travel. How many Ute fans would have flown to El Paso on Christmas Day, as required by the noon kickoff time Dec. 26?
The Foster Farms Bowl chose UCLA over Utah, with a worse record. But the Bruins beat the Utes. Besides, what's so great about facing a 5-7 Nebraska team that lost to BYU? The Big Ten's sending three teams to New Year's Six games obviously altered the matchups with Pac-12 schools. So being ranked just outside of the AP Top 25 places BYU in the top tier of Pac-12 bowl opponents this year.
My advice — even though I know better — is for everyone to treat the Las Vegas Bowl not as some kind of referendum about the programs, but just as a very interesting ending of the 2015 season. The winner will finish with 10 victories, and that will be a nice achievement for either program. And the loser can look forward to Sept. 10 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
One more disclaimer: As much as some fans like to believe the rivalry is a media-driven phenomenon, the Utah-BYU convergence in Las Vegas hurts me. Thanks to her LSU and Georgia ties, my mother now will be able to attend more college football games in 2015 than I will.
Twitter: @tribkurt