More about Utah

Sometimes I love Rick Reilly. Sometimes I hate Rick Reilly. How I feel about him is quite uncertain, but one thing is certain, he is Rick Reilly, and his opinion matters. He is known as "the back page columnist" for Sports Illustrated. In the most popular sports magazine of all time, he was it's most permanent (23 years) and visible (back page) fixture . He has won the national "Sportswriter of the Year" award 11 times. He has 6 articles in the Best American Sports Writing anthology.

The man knows sports.

I remember when Rick Majerus and the Utah basketball program was fined and put on probation by the NCAA. Majerus admitted to taking Keith Van Horn out to dinner...to tell him his father had died. He once bought Andre Miller $30 worth of groceries...because he hadn't eaten for days. What a rule-breaking heathen of a coach. Good thing the NCAA brought justice to the criminal by smacking him with a "year without pay" and taking away "3 scholarships for the next 7 years." The story didn't get much publicity, but someone had our backs. That man was Rick Reilly.

His satirical article, Corrupting Our Utes, brought to light just how ridiculous the NCAA had become, all-the-while backing the quality and integrity of the University of Utah. I remember exactly where I was when I read that masterpiece (The laundry room in our Sandy, Utah house). Someone from Sports Illustrated actually cared about the Utes? And Rick Reilly wrote about them? Awesome.

Well guess who's back? Read it and weep, BCS!

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Life of Reilly

Oklahoma and Florida can battle for the BCS. But we've already crowned the true national champ.

by Rick Reilly

The Utes trampled Alabama to complete a perfect season. How are they not national champions?

Some gifts people give are pointless: Styling mousse to Dick Vitale. An all-you-can-eat card to Kate Moss. The BCS Championship given to Oklahoma or Florida.

It means nothing because the BCS has no credibility. Florida? Oklahoma? Who cares? Utah is the national champion.

The End. Roll credits.

Argue with this, please. I beg you. Find me anybody else that went undefeated. Thirteen-and-zero. Beat four ranked teams. Went to the Deep South and seal-clubbed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The same Alabama that was ranked No. 1 for five weeks. The same Alabama that went undefeated in the regular season. The same Alabama that Florida beat in order to get INTO the BCS Championship game in the first place.

FIND ME ANYBODY ELSE THAT WENT UNDEFEATED. THIRTEEN-AND-ZERO. BEAT FOUR RANKED TEAMS. WENT TO THE DEEP SOUTH AND SEAL-CLUBBED ALABAMA IN THE SUGAR BOWL.

Yeah, that's how it is now in the shameful, money-grubbing world of college football. If you're Florida and you beat Alabama, you get a seat in the title game. If you're Utah, you get a seat on your sofa.

Hey, remind me: What do they give out for one of those BCS things anyway? It's been so long since I cared. Something from Sears? This is the sixth year in the past 10 that the title has been in dispute under this cash-grab, fan-dis, monopoly that the BCS has created. Which is why the title game just doesn't matter anymore. It's like being named Miss Ogallala. Or Best Amish Electrician.

Just take a look at the teams that think they're worthy of being called national champs:

USC? Great year. Wonderful. Let's all go to SkyBar and celebrate. But it lost to Oregon State, a team Utah beat.

Texas? You think beating Ohio State by a nubby three points gets you the title? The Big Ten was 1-6 in bowl games! That's like pinning David Spade!

Florida and Oklahoma? They lost. Utah never did.

So that's it. Utah is the national champion. The Utes should probably have two now, actually. They went undefeated in 2004, too, and their coach still thinks they were the best team in the land. Smart fella named Urban Meyer. Coaches Florida now.

By the way, we're calling our title the "national" championship because it actually includes the whole nation­—all 119 Division I schools—unlike the BCS, which includes 66. Yeah, the BCS somehow eliminated the middleman—the NCAA. The conferences these schools play in take their dump trucks full of cash straight from the TV networks and fairness can go suck a lemon.

The Utes won't get the trophy they really deserve, so we gave them one of our own design.

Do me a favor. Call Ohio State president Gordon Gee and ask him why he won't support a playoff. He's one of the most powerful presidents in the NCAA. He could get it done. If he says anything other than, "We don't want to share the loot" then you know he's lying his bow tie off.

"This is not how we normally do things in America," says Utah president Michael Young. "In America, quality usually wins, not conspiracy. And there's a reason people usually enter into a conspiracy. It's money. You make money doing it. And those that are in on the conspiracy want to stay in and keep everybody else out."

Sure, BCS blowhards will hand you schlock about how the college football season is like a playoff, how it's an elimination tournament every week. Really? Well, how come Florida and Oklahoma weren't eliminated with their losses? Utah ran the table, beat everybody set in front of them, including Ala-damn-bama in no less than the Sugar Bowl, and gets the bagel.

Oh, by the way? It was Utah's eighth straight bowl win, the nation's longest streak. Among the losers during that run? Let's see USC, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and now the legendary Houndstooth Hats.

"What else do we have to prove?" asks Utah's magical quarterback, Brian Johnson. Good question. He and the Utes essentially whipped Alabama at home. Handed Nick Saban a garlic necklace to wear the entire offseason. Stepped on his team's neck 21-0 in the first three possessions and never looked back. Let's see. Who was it that was losing to Alabama until nearly six minutes into the fourth quarter? Oh, yeah. Florida.

What, you want the Utes to win a spelling bee? Make a prize-winning souffle? Knock up Angelina Jolie? What?

It just slays me. It really does.

Call Myles Brand, president of the asleep-at-the-wheel NCAA, and ask him if he and his greedy presidents are going to stand in defiance of president-elect Barack Obama, who wants a playoff and wants it yesterday.

Ask Brand what he's going to do if Obama starts asking the Justice Department to look into anti-trust hearings against the BCS. The Utah attorney general has already launched an investigation into that very thing. Or ask him what he'll do if Obama asks the Department of Education to consider withholding federal funds from these schools that have entered into this secret club called the BCS. You don't think playing in the title game means millions in general-fund donations for a school? That's as unfair as anything Title IX fought against.

Until all these people do the right thing, I'll be celebrating with the true national champions — the undefeated, untied Utah Utes. (Our new slogan: Utahk about a team!)

Lemonades for everybody!

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No question, Utah is the national champion

Reasons The Utes Are #1

"While watching the Sugar Bowl the other night, I found myself wondering what a Ute was. Now I know. A Ute is a member of the No. 1 college football team in the nation."
-David Climer • THE TENNESSEAN

"I am writing to urge you -- no, implore you -- to cast your final ballot of the season with one team and one only team ranked No. 1: the University of Utah."
-John Feinstein • WASHINGTON POST

"I can’t see myself putting anyone other than Utah at the top of my final ballot."
-Tom Keegan • LAWRENCE JOURNAL

"If I were the king of college football, I would decree Utah the national champion and declare Thursday's supposed championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma to be moot."
- Mike Bianchi • ORLANDO SENTINEL

Utah is the only undefeated team in the country


This should be reason enough. I mean come on, out of 119 teams, only 1 went undefeated. Sure there are several teams that only lost one game that are being considered, but they lost. Utah didn't.

"All are fine teams (Oklahoma, Florida, USC, Texas) that have had outstanding seasons. They have, however, one thing that Utah does not have. A loss. All of us know that in competition anyone -- whether an individual or a team -- who does not lose once is the champion. It's really pretty simple: If no one beats you, then you are the winner. You are No. 1. You go home with the first-place trophy. " -JF

"All the Utes did was line up and beat every team on their schedule, including ranked opponents TCU, BYU and Alabama." -DC

"Utah is the only undefeated team in the country. Period. Case closed. Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Southern Cal all have one loss. They have no argument." -MB

They played a quality schedule, and the MWC had a strong year

You know it's coming, the strength of schedule argument. Many will say that if a team like Utah played in a BCS conference, there is no way they go undefeated. While BCS conferences typically are superior top to bottom most years, this year has been an exception. In fact the Big (L)East and ACC were so horrid, they don't even get consideration here.

The SEC was tough at times, but definitely vulnerable. Just look what Utah did to Alabama. They were ranked #1 longer than any other team this season (5 weeks) and were half a quarter from the title game. Utah didn't just beat them, they completely overpowered them. Wyoming even beet Tennessee in Knoxville. Wyoming.

USC lost to Oregon State. Utah beat Oregon State. The Mountain West had a great out-of-conference record and had 3 teams finish in the Top 16 of the final BCS standings. Of all the BCS conferences, only the PAC-10 had a remarkably good bowl record (5-0). The Mountain West went 6-1 against the PAC-10 during the regular season.

The Big Ten went 1-6 in bowl games. We all know how Big Ten champ Penn State looked against USC in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State took Texas to the end, but that doesn't mean anything. Ohio State always loses bowl games. All that game did was validate the weakness of Texas.

Ah the Big 12. Ohio "BCS game loser extraordinaire" State took Texas to the final 16 seconds. The same Texas that beat Okla- "Championship Game" -homa had to squeak out a win over a team that finished 2nd in a 1-6 bowl conference. Texas lost to Texas Tech. But TT lost to Ole Miss...who lost to Alabama, but beat Florida. What a mess. In a season where everyone seems to beat everyone, how could one ever decide who the best team is? (See Reason #1)


"The Utes went 4-0 against teams that finished the regular season in the AP Top 25. The victories came against No. 4 Alabama, No. 11 TCU, No. 17 Brigham Young and No. 24 Oregon State." -TK

"The Utes have beaten four top 25 teams this season; Florida has beaten two." -MB

"The MWC was 25-11 in all games against non-conference opponents and 6-1 against teams from the Pac-10" -Josh Peter • YAHOO SPORTS

Common Sense

Just look at it this way. Let's say for example, TEAM ANONYMOUS, is being considered for the championship. Let's check their credentials:


a) Out of 119 teams, they were the only one that didn't lose. Everyone else lost. They didn't. Got it?

b) They beat 4 teams in the Top 25 (5 if you count rankings at the time the game was played)

c) They beat 2 Top 10 teams

d) They dominated the team which held the #1 spot longer than anyone else all season, in a location where the other team held a dominant home-field advantage.

e) Their conference, which they obviously won, was arguably the 3rd best in the country, going 25-11 in all out-of-conference games. 2-0 against the SEC. 7-2 against the Pac-10.

If TEAM ANONYMOUS' name had been revealed to be USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, or Florida...or even Baylor, Iowa State, or Duke (Yes, they all play in BCS conferences), this team would be the undisputed, no questions asked, absolute National Champion.

But it's not.

This team is Utah. Utah. The only team since the BCS's inception to have gone undefeated twice. Winners of the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls. Winners of 8 straight bowls for that matter. Owners of the nation's longest active winning streak. Holders of the best record against non-conference BCS opponents (17-10). No matter what any computer, coach, or media member has to offer, here's to the real 2009 National Champions: The Utah Utes.

This shouldn't be the only trophy being hoisted this year to say "2009 Champions"

New Uniforms

So the Utes have new uniforms for the upcoming season. One thing that has always frustrated me, or should I say confused me, is that the football and basketball teams seem to switch the uniforms every couple of years. It's not unusual for teams, especially in college sports, to always be changing things up. But the big time programs like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida State, USC, and several others have kept the same uniform design for years, with the exception of a wrinkle here or there. I believe this just adds to the tradition and aura of these programs...it's why they remain elite year after year. For example, check Notre Dame:


<--- Here is the uniform worn by Notre Dame's Joe Montana in the mid 70's

And here is the current Notre Dame uniform worn by Brady Quinn --->

You see, hardly any difference. I love it. But, to say that the Utes have a tradition as rich as any of those major college football teams would be wishful thinking. So for now, I figure we look for a uniform that works and when we do get one, stick with it. After all, I guess some pretty big names in college football also change it up quite a bit, such as Miami and Oregon.

So, I figured to celebrate the history and tradition of Utah football, we would take a look at some of the uniforms the team has sported over the years.

The year: 1930








Leather helmets with long knit sweaters. Wish it wasn't in black and white so we could see the sweater design in color. Nonetheless...classic old-school.


The year: 1939




















The Utes (white sweaters and dark pants) defeated New Mexico 26-0 in the '39 Sun Bowl, their first bowl game victory. Note the use of block numbers on the sweaters instead of the fancy design used 9 years previous.


The year: 1964

















The Utes, pictured here in their 1964, 32-6 Liberty Bowl defeat of West Virginia, are wearing the dark jerseys with gray pants. Instead of leather, the use of a hard football helmet which appears to be white, is worn by the Utes. Most visible is the snazzy block U cheerleader outfits.

The year: 1973


Arizona State, riding a 12 game winning streak and ranked 8th in the country, was defeated in Salt Lake City 36-31 by the Utes in these uniforms. White helmets with double stripes, dark tops, and white bottoms with double stripes are featured here. (This must be where BYU got the idea for their uniforms, thiefs)

The year: 1978

















Finally a colored picture! The uniforms worn during this 23-22 victory over BYU in 1978 feature a red top with white bottoms. The now red helmet featured double white stripes, white facemask, and the classic drum and feather U logo on each side. White pants with red stripes are also featured atop red socks. Simple white block numbers adorn the chest, back, and lower sleeve.

History lesson: The year previous this picture, which was 1977, BYU beat a clearly over-matched Utah team handily. Marc Wilson, BYU's quarterback, was left in the entire game in order to run up the score and attempt an NCAA record. After the game had finished, the coaches met midfield and a BYU coach voiced some racially-disparaging comments to coach Wayne Howard about the Utes' team. Wayne Howard comments following the game:

"This today will be inspiring. The hatred between BYU and Utah is nothing compared to what it will be. It will be a crusade to beat BYU from now on. This is a prediction. Utah will drill BYU someday, but we won’t run up the score even if we could set an NCAA record against them."

One year later, coming into the Holy War with a 6 game losing streak, the Utes rallied from 16 points down to knock off the more-talented Cougars. Perhaps they were inspired from the year before? You be the judge.

The year: 1988























After a period known as the "Dark Ages" of Utah football, otherwise known as the 1980's, these uniforms, worn on the cover of this game program, were featured. BYU was favored by 11 points coming in to this episode of the Holy War, only to leave Cougar Stadium with a 29 point blowout loss to the U (57-28), despite the Utes subbing in backups and attempting to avoid classlessly "running up the score" (a la the 1977 Cougars).

When I think of the "Classic Ute Look," I think of these. The uniforms pictured here are the away uniforms (white top, red bottom). The Utes stayed consistent, wearing dark tops and light bottoms for home games, light tops and dark bottoms for away games. The red helmets featured the same double white stripe, logo, and white facemask. Double stripes down the side of the pants remained. Last names appear on the backs of the jerseys. The numbers feature an outline. A wide stripe surrounded by two thin stripes replace the number on the lower sleeve while the number finds its way to the top of the shoulder pad.

The year: 1996


















Future Pittsburgh Steeler Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala helped the Utes to a 45-42 victory over the #20 Kansas Jayhawks wearing this Utah uniform. The double white stripe has been removed from the helmet, but the rest of the helmet remains the same. The white stripes have also been removed from the lower sleeve and replaced with the drum and feather logo; the numbers remain on the shoulder pad. The pants are now red, ushering in the era of the all-red home uniform (the away uniform rotates between all white, and white top-red bottom). The stripes are also removed from the pants as well. Possibly we were trying to distance our uniforms as far from BYU as possible, even though they stole their "classic" design from us.

The year: 2004























During the Utes perfect 12-0, BCS busting season in 2004, the Utes sported these jerseys worn here by Alex Smith. Black trim made a big debut on these Nike designed models. The home uniforms were all red and the away were all white, both featuring a thick, solid black stripe up the sides and curving around the armpit. The helmet design stayed the same but the crimson red took on a deeper, darker color, despite the jersey and pant colors remaining traditional crimson. The numbers were outlined in black and a small print "UTAH" appeared above the chest numbers. Numbers were also located on the lower sleeve. A drum and feather was located on the upper left leg. Other teams such as Cal and West Virginia wore uniforms along the lines of this template.

The year: 2007


















The most recent Ute uniforms are pictured here. Adopting the "Miami design," the Utes were one of several teams to wear this style. Awarded #10 in "College Football's Worst Uniforms" by Sports Illustrated, the death of this design was in the making last year. The uniforms are very busy, to the point I don't even want to describe them. Several elements from previous uniforms remained, but the addition of a few new lines and curves, such as the ugly line going beneath the back numbers, made this uniform one to forget. In fact, they were so forgettable that Utah dropped Nike in favor of UnderArmour, the designer of this year's new uniform, pictured here:

So this is what we will look like next year. Personally I think they are pretty classy, but still a little busy like the last design. At least the back stripe is gone, I hope. (Can't see the back, but doesn't appear to have anything going back there) UnderArmour has been an up and coming brand that prides itself on innovative and revolutionary design/fabric. They have made a splash in the NFL and several other college teams such as Auburn, South Carolina, and Hawaii have UnderArmour gear. One thing that has become popular over the past few years is the "all-black" uniform, used on special occasions such as rivalry games. It has been rumored that an all-black uniform is in the works for the Utes, but no confirmation or images have been release. Using my modest photoshop skills, I have come up with this possibility:

This is pure speculation, and I know the art is pretty choppy, but you get the idea. I think they would be awesome, especially against BYU, and especially since this year's game is at night! Most traditionalists are opposed to this, and don't even like black trim, but I'm all for it. Let the players have a little fun.

So there you have it, a little history of the Utah football uniform and a sneak peek to next year!

Football Season

The U. announced the 2008 Football schedule today. It's just about five months away, but I am already excited. I'm feeling a good season this year with an experienced offense and defense coming back. Most of the tough games, excluding game 1 at Michigan, are at home, which is a huge advantage. Another thing I love, and this might just be me, is that all but one of the home games are night games. What's better than watching Utah football under the Autumn lights? Watching the Utes win under the Autumn lights, which I think we will be seeing a lot of this year. As the season gets a little closer I will post some more in depth coverage. For now, just check out this blog here to get some good info. Go Utes!

Note: The schedule is a little small but if you click the picture it will enlarge.