Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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After a 2-5 start, including 0-4 so far in Pac-12 play, Utah's season hasn't gone the way many had hoped. But the Utes got off to a similarly disappointing start last year, before righting the ship and going on to beat Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.
Utah beat four of its final five opponents last year to qualify for that bowl game, and this season may be lining up for a similar possible finish. Four of the Utes' final five opponents currently suffer from losing records, and the lone winning team (Arizona) will be making the trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium.
It should be noted that Utah's strength of schedule through its first seven games is No. 2 in the nation— that's right, the Utes have played the second-most difficult schedule of any team in the country to this point in the season, according to Jeff Sagarin's USA Today rating system.
So it's no wonder why Utah head coach Kyle Wittingham told ESPN's Kevin Gemmell that his Utes aren't giving in just yet. They've been competetive in four out of five losses, and seem to be improving in most phases of the game — if they can take better care of the ball.
Cal finds itself in a similar boat to Utah, needing to win three of its last four games to qualify for a bowl game. But with Washington and the Oregon teams on the schedule after Utah, the Bears will be desperate for victory this Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
What else do the national headlines have in store for the Utes?
— The Examiner provides a detailed look at just what went wrong against the Beavers.
— Yahoo Sports also offers a post-game reaction.
— Ted Miller of ESPN presents his Pac-12 rewind, with multiple references to Utah's loss at Oregon State.
— CBS and ESPN both list Utah at No. 10 in this week's version of their Pac-12 power rankings.
— SB Nation Bay Area points out that Cal is also looking to turn its season around, especially after getting throttled at home by long-time arch-rival Stanford.
— Miller also takes a quick look at the Pac-12's week nine slate.
— Maddux Sports previews the match-up, showing Utah as the 1-point favorite.
