SALT LAKE CITY — If the oddsmakers are right, which they usually are, the Utah and BYU football teams will finish with identical regular-season records.

But that’s where the similarities end. Even with last week’s bitter loss to Oregon, the Utes are the envy of all teams in the state of Utah.

With a new coaching staff full of several first-timers, BYU wasn’t expected to be in a position to win eight games in the regular season. Yet, thanks to a softer schedule than expected and an excellent defense, beating 3-8 Utah State at home this week would put the Cougars at 8-4 heading into next month’s Poinsettia Bowl.

Not a bad way for Kalani Sitake to finish his first season as a head coach.

Already with eight wins, the Utes need to beat Colorado this week to reach nine regular-season wins for the second consecutive year. But the Buffaloes, who can clinch the Pac-12 South Division, are double-digit favorites for the game in Boulder.

Frustrated fans

Three years removed from consecutive 5-7 seasons, Utah has rebounded to become a perennial top 25 team. Now try selling it to a frustrated fan base.

“It’s hard to complain knowing where Utah has come (from) and their potential now in this league,” said former BYU quarterback and offensive coordinator Brandon Doman, who now is an analyst for 97.5-FM and 1280-AM Zone Sports Network. “They’ve proven to be clearly an elite team. I think that’s a pretty good place to be.”

In time, Ute fans may come around to Doman’s way of thinking. For now, they are steamed at the team for failing to accomplish coach Kyle Whittingham’s primary goal of winning the South Division.

This season, the frustration and anger have reached a fever pitch. Utah again was in strong contention to win the South only to lose a huge game in November.

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How’d your favorite college football team do in Week 11 of the regular season? For the Utes, it was a tough pill to swallow.

The Utes went into the last Saturday's game needing only to beat Oregon, which was 3-7, to set up a showdown with division-leading Colorado in a winner-take-all situation. Despite being more than a two-touchdown favorite at home, Utah lost in the final seconds.

Last year, in a similar situation in the 11th game, the Utes lost at home to UCLA. Two years ago, after starting conference play at 3-1, they lost three of the next four games.

Utah started 6-0 last season and was ranked as high as third before losing two of its final three conference games. The Utes need to win this week to avoid closing the regular season 1-3.

The big picture

Still, the Utes have a chance to combine for 29 wins over the last three seasons. Also, with one game to go, they have won 16 conference games the last three years.

“(Look) at the big picture of where the University of Utah is, and it’s a pretty coveted spot,” Doman said. “They’ve been in the top 25 almost all year; they’ve been in the top 15 now for a few weeks. This is a program that’s an elite program now.

“You ask any coach in the country that’s going to have to go up against the University of Utah and they know they’re going up against one heck of a football team. My hat’s off to Kyle and his staff, and for what they’ve created there. The Pac-12 now considers Utah an elite program, where they didn’t five, six years ago.”

All true, but it does seem like Utah blew a great chance to at least play for the division championship this week. There is no guarantee — especially with USC rounding into its traditional form after a shaky start to coach Clay Helton’s tenure — that Utah will contend next season.

To make matters worse, a Colorado win this week would leave Utah as the only South Division team over the last five years to not win the division.

“I do think they’re on the right path,” Doman said. “You look at some of the things that are happening, it’s pretty good to be a Utah fan, as far as I’m concerned.”

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