Utes Are A…?

I have heard some people ask some form of this question.  What in the hell is a Ute?  What are the Utes?  First, for those that don’t know, if you didn’t use deductive reasoning, you can at least tell that by their helmets.  The helmet resembles the Redskins logo, and thus a Ute is a Native American tribe, well sort of.  What is more odd is when I traversed through the internet I found an interesting description in Wikipedia which kinda goes with where this article goes.  “The Utes were never a unified group within historic times; instead, they consisted of nomadic bands that maintained close associations with other neighboring groups.”  How does this translate into the football team?

Well consider the Utah Utes and my segment of the Alabama Crimson Tide fans as a “close association” with the goal of trying to give them a shot at the AP National Championship.  Before you make a decision, let’s go through the traditional arguments.

1. Utah couldn’t play in a BCS conference (or any little BCS guy for that matter).  Last time I checked, they went to the “Big House” and knocked off #24 Michigan (at the time).  They beat Oregon St. who beat USC.  They trounced Wyoming who knocked off Tennessee.  Beat top 10 ranked TCU in a great game. They defeated BYU, who was a top 15 team, and concluded with a resounding win over my alma mater in the Sugar Bowl.  To me it seems they can play with the big boys.

2. Utah’s players aren’t the ones that the big boys wouldn’t recruit.  After this year, I think it would be wise for the “real” BCS teams to go hunting for that type of talent.

3. After so and so coach leaves Utah, they will exit the national stage.  I think that Utah has held its own, don’t you?

To me it seems like trying to find a reason why Utah shouldn’t get a share of the national title is grasping at straws.  In many ways this season kind of looks like the 1984 college football season, when BYU won the National Championship.  If the power brokers gave the Cougars a national title for beating a 6-5 Michigan team, and of consequence going 13-0, shouldn’t Utah be afforded the same gratitude?  What message will we be sending to Utah, sorry um…beating four ranked teams, going undefeated, and winning the Sugar Bowl, isn’t enough.

I’m not saying this to kiss up to the people that whipped Alabama’s rear end.  Believe me I didn’t think Utah had enough fire power to beat Alabama.  Then someone will say, but Alabama overachieved and they couldn’t beat USC or Florida, but, we didn’t think the Beavers or the Rebels could either.  The unknown factor hurt Utah in 2004, because they were heading into foreign territory and they beat a bad Big East Champion in Pitt.  This time I think it helps, because Utah is a known quantity.  They have a Fiesta and Sugar Bowl trophy in their trophy case.  It is time to for us to stop answering the questions for Utah, they have answered the questions.  They are the last man standing without a blemish.  This time, let’s not look at the battle scars of the teams; let’s look at the team with no scars.  For 2008, the Utes are not only a tribe of Native Americans and a great football team; they are to me, champions.

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