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SALT LAKE CITY -- This may seem like a blasphemous question to University of Utah football fans, but would you be OK if the Utes lost this one? (No, we're not suggesting that the U of U should take a dive.)
One U of U student said what many other are fans would probably say (possibly while thinking, "What a dumb question.") He said, "For me, no, because I'm a Utah fan. I want them to win every game, of course."
But think about it. The Horned Frogs are a top five team and, if they stay unbeaten, they'll likely get a BCS bowl game, possibly even the championship game. The Utes might not have as good of a chance for a similar bowl bid with a loss on their record.
Any bowl game would be profitable for the Mountain West Conference. One man recognized that the additional funding would be nice, although a TCU win wouldn't make him happy. He said, "It's great for the conference and that money goes to all the other teams that aren't necessarily as successful as TCU is."
Potential money would serve as little comfort for some Ute fans. One optimistic U of U student said, "If Utah wins, that's also good for the conference. They could go to a BCS game, too." Another fan said, "I don't want to see my favorite team lose." Another admitted that he cares about Utah's reputation more than the rest of the Mountain West Conference.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
