SALT LAKE CITY — BYU and the University of Utah wrapped up their 2016 college football regular seasons Saturday. The Cougars beat the Utah State Aggies, ending the season on a four-game winning streak. The Utes fell to Colorado, allowing the Buffaloes to win the Pac-12 South title and completing another November let down, dropping 3 of 4 games to close the season.

The final stretches of the schedule left the two teams with 8-4 records but entirely different feelings heading into the bowl season.

BYU becoming bowl eligible was enough to make this season a success, which the Cougars accomplished after beating Southern Utah at home in Week 10. Additional wins over Massachusetts and Utah State were added bonuses to an impressive start to the Kalani Sitake era.

Losses to Oregon at home and Colorado on the road were painful shortcomings to another promising start to a season, leaving Utah fans wanting more. Like each of the previous three seasons, the Utes began the year with a 6-1 record, and a top 25 ranking, only to fall short of the Pac-12 Championship game.

Making matters worse, the Buffaloes climbed from their position of perennial basement-dwellers to win the South. Six seasons into their Pac-12 membership, the Utes have achieved seemingly every goal in the league outside of a conference championship game.

Looking beyond the records, and the momentum carrying forward into the coming offseason, there’s future evidence that not all 8-4 seasons are created equally.

According to teamrankings.com, the University of Utah played the 30th-toughest schedule in college football, while BYU played the 56th-toughest. Jeff Sagarin ranks Utah as having the 35th-toughest schedule, with BYU faced the 67th-toughest.

While it appeared before the season that BYU would compete in one of the toughest schedules its ever faced, down seasons from Arizona, UCLA, Michigan State, Mississippi State and Utah State dinged the Cougars' strength of schedule.

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Depending on results from each team's final game, BYU and Utah could finish with identical 8-4 records. But even with a disappointing end to its season, Utah is still the envy of the state when it comes to football.

Utah also benefited from opponents having below-average seasons, with California, San Jose State, Arizona State, and the previously mentioned Arizona and UCLA, having worse records than in 2015.

Both teams accomplished only two wins over bowl-eligible teams, with Utah knocking off BYU and USC, while the Cougars defeated Toledo and Mississippi State, who will likely be selected for a bowl game despite falling short of six wins, due to a lack of bowl-eligible teams.

Adding insult to Utah’s seemingly disappointing season is the number of players Utah might be losing in the offseason. In addition to starting seniors JJ Dielman, Isaac Asiata, Tim Patrick, Hunter Dimick, Corey Butler-Byrd, Andy Phillips, Reggie Porter, Justin Thomas and Dominique Hatfield, the Utes could also lose underclassmen Marcus Williams, Lowell Lotulelei and Garrett Bolles to the NFL if any of the three decided to leave early. Losing that much talent would likely imply Utah is due for a step backward next season after winning 10 games in 2015.

While BYU loses a slew of talent themselves, including starters Taysom Hill, Jamaal Williams, Nick Kurtz, Travis Tuiloma, Sae Tautu, Harvey Langi and Kai Nacua, the move to quarterback Tanner Mangum has been long awaited by BYU fans, while Sitake, Ty Detmer and Ilaisa Tuiaki ought to be able to better recruit players to fit their schemes.

Make no mistake, BYU and Utah accomplished successful seasons. While BYU may have surprised more critics, Utah further established that it is a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12, and a program with staying power.

The Utes have qualified for bowl eligibility in four of their six Pac-12 seasons so far, with a senior quarterback, a talented group of running backs, and improving wide receivers due back next season. Utah’s identity as a defense-first team isn’t going to change next season, with names like Bradlee Anae, Leki Fotu and Max Tupai returning on the defensive line, and what should be an improved linebacker corp with Kavika Luafatasaga and Donavan Thompson returning for their second seasons at Utah.

While Utah’s season may have been more impressive from a strength of schedule perspective, BYU’s finish has it’s fan base more fired up for the future, while some Utes fans are left wondering whether good, but not great seasons, are the team’s ceiling. Though both seasons should be considered a success, preseason expectations have left BYU fans feeling optimistic, and Utah fans wanting more.

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