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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utes just left their mark on the new generation of the "Holy War" and they are making their name in the new Pac-12. The country is starting to take notice of the Utes, but it's not all as positive as a 54-10 blowout would look.
Most of the coverage about the game with BYU has focused on an [Arby's sign.](http://www.ksl.com/?sid=17310653&nid=1017 target=>) This is the second week in row that off the field activity has overshadowed the play of the Utes. Last week a gambling problem with the changing final score lead headlines across the country. The Utes are getting respect around the country, just not around here.
ESPN Pac-12 blog has a lot of love for the Utes this week. Linebacker Trevor Reilly received kudos by being named the Pac-12 defensive player of the week. He had five tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles and three tackles for a loss. He was also the defensive standout and the Utes were the team of the week on the blog.
The Utes are getting respect inside the conference. Most power rankings from across the conference have the Utes at either four or five. ESPN's rankings said, "Got to like the killer instinct on both sides of the ball. The Utes played hard until the very end, even though the game was out of hand in the third quarter."
ESPN has the Utes ranked fifth, as does the Oregon State beat writer. The Autzen Zoo, Oregon's local blog, and the Husky Haul, Washington's blog, have the Utes at 4.
The Autzen Zoo said, "This was a rivalry game for the Utes and they dominated BYU. With a bye week coming up next the Utes may prove to be a stronger opponent than previously thought in the Pac-12 this year."
These rankings shows that most expect the Utes to compete for the Pac-12 South this year. There are some doubters; Athlon Sports has them at 7 in the conference, "The Utes are 0-1 in Pac-12 play, but with a favorable schedule, this team can't be counted out of the South Division race."
One reason why people may doubt the Utes is that they doubt the Cougars. Most articles about the game involve BYU's turnovers, not about the Utes ability to capitalize. Bleacher Report wrote at least three articles about BYU's faults and called Utah a "fraud" in one of them. It seems even when the Utes beat the Cougars they lose overall.
Rivals.com looked at the Utes in their team report. Surprisingly they picked the defense for the Utes to work on.
"It's hard to be picky on a unit that has 12 takeaways in only three games, but the Utes are giving up a few more yards than they would like to surrender."
If they face a team that doesn't turn the ball over a stout defense may give up more points than expected.
ESPN has Utah playing a Mountain West opponent in their bowl projection. They are projected to play either San Diego or TCU in the Poinsettia or Las Vegas bowl respectively.
The Utes should be the story around Utah, just like they are around the country. These Utes have played well enough to deserve to be the story and no longer the footnote.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
