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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utes have two wins in Pac-12 play. UCLA has four wins. There is a chance that the Utes can actually get back into the Pac-12 race with a victory this week. It needs to be taken one game at a time, but the scenario is there. It would take some bad games from Arizona State, but there is still a chance.
Utah beat Arizona last week and has a favorable schedule after this week with two games against teams with one combined Pac-12 victory in Washington State and Colorado. UCLA beat Arizona State to take control of the division race. Each is 4-2 in division. UCLA plays USC who would be the top team in the South division if not for sanctions. Arizona State would have to lose to twice in a schedule that is worse than Utah's remaining schedule, including Washington State, Arizona and Cal. Utah would have to win this week and hope for a miracle, but the scenario is still there.
ESPN's Ted Miller looked at the scenario in his Pac-12 blog, "While there are plenty of nutty scenarios -- what if there is a three-way tie in the South among UCLA, Arizona State and Utah, with each stuck with four conference defeats?" He acknowledges that it probably won't happen, but just the thought that Utah would even be close after a disastrous start in the conference speaks to their strength or the division's weaknesses. If by chance the three-way tie happens here is the tie breaking procedure.
If the Utes have a chance they will have to win and if they play like they did last week they have a chance. They played a physical game behind the running of John White IV. His offensive line opened up big holes and he capitalized. Jon Hays threw two touchdowns, but more importantly he didn't turn the ball over. In two recaps of the game against the Wildcats there were two key phrases for any football team. KVOA in Arizona called the Utes, especially Hays, "sharp" and the Tucson Citizen called Arizona "sloppy"
White has played big and Hays played well enough for the win, but national recognition went to punter Sean Sellwood. This is what the Pac-12 said about Sellwood's performance, (via ESPN) "Sellwood, a junior from Salt Lake City, Utah, averaged 50.5 yards on four punts in the Utes' 34-21 win at Arizona. He tied his career-long with a 67-yard punt in the first quarter. Sellwood dropped two of his punts inside the 20-yard line in the fourth quarter with Utah nursing a 27-14 lead. The Utes came up with take-aways after both of those punts, the latter of which led to a Utah touchdown with 2:50 remaining to seal the win." If Utah runs the ball well on offense, forces turnovers on defense and wins the special teams battle they have a considerable edge in any game they play.
The Utes won handily over Arizona, but didn't impress anyone. They either remained the same in the Pac-12 power rankings, or actually moved down. Miller has them at number eightCliff Kirkpatrick of "Corvallis-Gazette Times" also has the Utes ranked eighth this week. "The Husky Haul" has them at six saying, " Utah is slowly starting to look like the team many expected them to be this year."
