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It won't matter next year when the school makes the move to the Pac-10, but right now Utah finds itself in a very familiar position.
The No. 10 Utes will be looking to strengthen their BCS bowl resume once again when they visit Wyoming on Saturday.
It has become a big debate over the last few years — starting when an Utah squad, led by Urban Meyer and Alex Smith, went undefeated in 2004 — over whether a team from non-BCS conferences deserve a spot in the national championship game. Boise State and TCU have joined the discussion along with the Utes, and all three schools currently rank in the top 10 nationally.
 Utah |  Wyoming | Advantage | |
| Points (Per Game) | 49.00 | 12.50 | |
| Passing Yards (Per Game) | 249.40 | 171.50 | |
| Rushing Yards (Per Game) | 188.80 | 69.17 | |
| 3rd Down Conversions (Season) | 53% | 25% | |
| 4th Down Conversions (Season) | 100% | 44% | |
| Time of Possession (Per Game) | 28:36 | 27:17 | |
| Red Zone Scores (Season) | 92% | 62% | |
But those rankings tend to slip as the season wears on, due mostly to a schedule strength that just can't match an SEC or Big 12 slate. The Utes have gone undefeated twice in the last seven seasons and won a BCS bowl, but did not get a shot at the national title.
The way the system is currently set up, the only chance a non-BCS school has at a championship is to look so impressive against inferior competition that the voters just can't ignore them anymore. That is what Utah has done so far.
The Utes got an opportunity against a BCS school last week and ran up their highest point total in 27 years, blowing out Iowa State 68-27. They racked up 593 yards of total offense and put 31 points on the board in the second quarter alone. Jordan Wynn threw for 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns but the offensive star of the day was wide receiver Shaky Smithson, who caught a touchdown pass and threw for a score.
Utah has put at least 56 points on the board in each of its last three games and ranks third in the nation at 49 points per game — one spot ahead of Boise State. Part of that has been a strong offensive line which is tied for tops in the nation with only one sack allowed and 11 tackles for a loss.
But it has not been just shootout victories for the Utes this season. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has the defense in good form too, yielding only 15.6 points per contest.
Wyoming is not part of the BCS discussion but is certainly having an effect, having already played TCU, Boise State and Texas this season. The Cowboys lost all three of those games by a combined 130-13, including being held scoreless last week in a 45-0 loss at TCU.
Wyoming managed only eight first downs and 191 total yards in the loss. Quarterback Dax Crum accounted for 116 of those yards on 11 of 17 passing.
The Cowboys have dropped 13 straight games to ranked opponents, including a 22-10 loss to Utah last October.
Saturday's game marks the end of an era in the rivalry, as the schools will part ways when Utah moves on to the Pac-10. The two have been in the same conference with each other for the past 83 years, helping to found the Mountain West Conference in 1999.
