SALT LAKE CITY — There they are, residing in a familiar location, one spot ahead of perpetually downtrodden Colorado. But the Utah Utes insist they are a better football team than last season.

The Utes will take that improvement one step further, saying they have narrowed the gap between them and the other good Pac-12 teams. The problem is, at 4-5 for the second consecutive season, Utah needs to finish 2-1 to meet the minimum requirements to make a bowl game.

“We know we’re close,” said coach Kyle Whittingham.

Unfortunately, close often can lead to sweeping changes in the high stakes world of big-time college football.

Since switching conferences three years ago, the Utes usually have been overmatched in the Pac-12. For the third consecutive season, they will finish with a losing record in conference play.

Just keeping pace has been a challenge. In the span of three years, Arizona State, UCLA and Arizona have made significant improvements as all three changed coaches after Utah’s first season in the South Division.

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The University of Utah is once again staring a losing season in the face, with the likelihood of missing the postseason for the second year in a row growing stronger. And while the season was expected to be a difficult one based on its schedule, the close losses don't sting any less.

Since the coaching changes, Utah has gone 0-6 against the aforementioned programs. The Utes have yet to beat South Division foe USC since joining the conference and have split the two games against division opponent Colorado, with the third game to come in three weeks.

But it’s not hopeless.

Even in defeat, Utah has established a certain level of difficulty for visiting teams coming into Rice-Eccles Stadium. In addition to stunning No. 5 Stanford, the Utes lost at home to nationally ranked UCLA and Arizona State by a total of eight points. They also lost in overtime to Oregon State, which started the season ranked.

“We’re standing toe to toe with the best the conference has to offer,” Whittingham said.

Yes — for home games, anyway — they are. That’s a fact.

But the more pertinent fact is they’re still losing games at the same rate as last season.

“We’re very frustrated. It’s been a very frustrating season overall,” Whittingham said. “We’ve closed the gap so significantly, but you are what and who your record says you are. And our record is the same as last year, so in that respect the bottom line hasn’t changed.”

So who’s buying it? Are the Utes making competitive advancements or only playing good enough to lose?

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Playing what some computers list as the nation’s toughest schedule, Utah has improved over last season — to an extent. For much of last season, the Utes had little to no chance of beating quality teams.

The story has been much different this season. Until quarterback Travis Wilson injured his hand last month, the offense was significantly improved.

Now Utah has to work on putting together a complete game. The offense rolled early in the season at the same time the defense struggled. At this point in the season, the roles have reversed.

“We’ve arrived in no area of our team,” Whittingham said.

The good news is there’s still time.

While it’s doubtful Utah will go on the road and beat No. 6 Oregon in the next game, the final two games — at Washington State and at home against Colorado — are winnable. Washington State’s defense, which has yielded an average of 56.3 points over the last three games, is the perfect remedy for what has been ailing Utah’s anemic offense. Colorado, which hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 2005, is on target for an eighth consecutive losing season.

Most every team goes into any season thinking big. And the Utes were no exception, with many in the program believing they could win the South Division and earn the right to play in the Pac-12 championship game.

But, realistically, the best Utah could hope for was to go 7-5 or 6-6. While the winning record in the regular season is probably beyond reach, the Utes are right on target to finish at .500 and land the accompanying bowl bid.

For now, 7-6 is good enough.

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