College Football Playoff What If: The 2008 Utah Utes
Editors Note: With the announcement of a deal on the college football playoff, we’re going back and looking at all of the BCS Busters and seeing which of them would have made the Playoffs.
Previous What If’s:
Playoff Contenders For The 2008 Season:
Utah 12-0 MWC Champion
Oklahoma 12-1 Big 12 Champion
Florida 12-1 SEC Champion
Penn St. 11-1 Big 10 Champion
USC 11-1 Pac-12 Champion
Texas 11-1
Alabama 11-1
How It Likely Would Have Shaken Out: I think everyone can see this one could go several ways. Because everyone loves to caress the inner thigh of the SEC, Florida is likely in as the #1 Seed. Oklahoma would get credit for the Big 12 Championship and its one loss was to Texas giving it an advantage over Penn St., who lost to Iowa and USC who loses out on another title game because of a loss at Oregon St. Who’d have thought of a Beaver as a Trojan Killer. Oklahoma is the #2 Seed.
So right now this is happening, USC, Penn St., Texas and Alabama are all screaming for one of two slots and on the other hand people are screaming lawsuits if Utah doesn’t get a slot. But this was a different Utah team. It had a solid SOS, the computers loved that Utah team with a majority naming them national champions. I think not only does Utah make the playoffs, they’re named the #3 seed. Texas is named the 4th seed and the state of Alabama secedes from the Union.
Florida beats Texas and Utah really takes Oklahoma to the woodshed. This sets up one of the most intriguing National Title games maybe ever. Urban Meyer, who put Utah on the map against his DC Kyle Whittingham.
And you can call me crazy, but I think Utah wins that game. The one guy who knows what Urban is trying to do on offense is Kyle. Utah would understand Mr. Tebow’s limitations and strengths. And we saw what Utah did to an SEC defense. Maybe I’m wearing crimson glasses on that one, but I don’t know how you argue that this isn’t how it shakes out.
What If Utah Doesn’t Make The Playoffs: If the committee is going to exclude Utah this year, it would still be entertaining watching the campaigning going on. We have 4 of the biggest names in college football fighting over two slots. How much will that SOS be weighed vs bad losses. No matter what watching Nick Saban and Mack Brown try and whine and squirm their way into the playoffs would be special.
I think the committee splits the difference and takes USC and Alabama. They love the SEC but they need to be seen rewarding conference champions. They make Alabama the #3 seed and USC the #4 seed. USC has the team speed to beat Florida. Alabama beats Oklahoma. And USC is your national champions. Provided of course that they would have been included in the playoffs.
Honestly I think USC and Utah might have been the best two teams. USC’s hangover loss at Oregon St., after crushing Ohio St., has to haunt them.
Tomorrow: 2009 Boise St. and 2009 TCU