Utes must prepare for weekly Super Bowl


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SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah football team is off to the best start in school history.

At 5-0 and ranked No. 4, Kyle Whittingham's team has set itself up to make waves across the football landscape, potentially contending for a major bowl appearance just five years after leaving the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12.

With wins over now-No. 12 Michigan, whose loss to Utah marks the only blemish on its schedule to date, likewise with then 23rd-ranked Cal, the Utes' resume is as good as any team in college football.

The offense, led by quarterback Travis Wilson, moved the ball with relative ease through the first four weeks of the season, including a blowout win over then-No. 13 Oregon. Wilson is leading the country in ESPN's quarterback ranking system through the first month of the season.

Then the Utes ran into the Cal Bears.

Though the Utes escaped with a victory, they struggled to move the ball through the air, instead feeding star running back Devontae Booker to the tune of 222 yards on the ground. The Utes turned the ball over three times, and despite six turnovers, Cal had the ball with time running out and a chance to win the game.

What was the difference with Cal?

The Bears prepared for Utah like it was the biggest game of their season, and Utah better get used to it.

To this point in their Pac-12 lives, the Utes have been an always tough, occasionally dangerous afterthought in the eyes of conference foes. In Salt Lake City, they were a serious threat to compete, bolstered by thin air and a ruckus crowd. On the road, they were well-prepared, but occasionally disappointing, having won only five road games in the previous three seasons of conference play.

Now, the Utes have targets firmly on their backs, and the fight they got from Cal will increase with every game and every win.

The Arizona State Sun Devils, who the Utes face this weekend, have been mostly disappointing this season with the exception of a win over UCLA. The Bruins, at the time of their loss to ASU, were ranked seventh in the country, and like Utah now, had become a target for an opponent's season-defining win.

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With the USC Trojans firing head coach Steve Sarkisian on Monday, and the Oregon Ducks having lost three games in the weeks first six weeks of the season, wins over those marquee opponents will no longer define a season, and somebody has to take that role.

Enter Utah.

After ASU this Saturday, the Utes travel to USC where the Trojans will have an opportunity to earn a season-saving win under interim head coach Clay Helton. Gary Andersen's Oregon State Beavers might be the worst team in the Pac-12, but they will surely get up for a game against their head coach's former employer. Then a run of games against Washington, UCLA and Arizona will likely feature teams competing for bowl appearances and conference championships.

Whittingham has been able to play the underdog card for his team throughout his Pac-12 career, noting their past lives in the Mountain West Conference, with largely under-recruited athletes compared to their conference counterparts. But as the only remaining undefeated team in the conference, the Utes now bear the burden of the heaviest crown.

While it's nice for Utah to hang its hat on victories over Michigan, Cal and Oregon, how will they handle the pressure from opponents hoping to define their seasons with a win over the frontrunning Utes.


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About the Author: Ben Anderson ------------------------------

Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.

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