Was it really that bad of a sports day in Utah?

One tweet by a member of the sports staff at one of Salt Lake's prominent news stations tweeted on Saturday, "Utah State outlasts UNLV to salvage what was otherwise a bad sports Saturday in Utah."  I first have to ask anyone who thinks that way, what were you expectations.

Let's begin with the Utah Jazz.  To say that the Jazz had a fire sale over the summer is an understatement.  They did not let their best players go for very little in return.  They let them go for nothing.  The Utah Jazz let Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson leave the franchise without any compensation in return.  In other words, they unlocked the doors, turned off the cameras, sent the security guards home and allowed the neighbors to loot the store.  Is anyone really surprised that the team is still winless?

Next, let's talk about BYU.  In looking at the schedule before the season began, you knew the toughest game of the season for the Cougars was their November trip to Camp Randall Stadium to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.  Considering the way the season began, at respectable 10-point loss is a GOOD outcome, not a bad one.

As for the Utes, they have been outmatched in conference play all season.  The last time Utah beat the ASU Sun Devils was shortly after Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the election of 1976.  In the last 3 meetings with ASU, Utah has lost by an average score of 36 to 11.  Even though it will not get the Utes closer to a bowl game, they are showing improvement.

There are some bright spots for Utah's sports fans.  RSL is in the MLS final 4 with a pretty good chance of winning it all again.  BYU will likely win out.  So will Utah State.  The Jazz won't be this lousy next year nor ever again.  And the college basketball season is just under way with two and perhaps 3 or 4 Utah Teams will be in the round of 68.  Therefore, there is not that much to be gloomy about.

Wisconsin 27 BYU 17

BYU POW
WR Cody Hoffman
7 Receptions, 113 Yards and 2 Touchdowns

Arizona State 20 Utah 19

Utah POW
WR Dres Anderson
4 Receptions, 100 Yards and 1 Touchdown

Utah State 28 UNLV 24

Utah State POW
WR Travis Reynolds
7 Receptions, 129 Yards

Southern Utah 27 Weber State 21

SUU POW
RB/QB Mike Sharp
Lots of stats

WSU POW
QB Austin Chipowetti
29/46 263 Yards and 3TDs

Games of the Week

PAC-12

Arizona State 20 Utah 19

FBS Indy

Pittsburgh 28 Notre Dame 21

MW

Utah State 28 UNLV 24

Big Sky

Montana 31 South Dakota 27

Conference Players of the Week

PAC-12
Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey
149 yards and 1 TD vs UCLA

FBS Indy
Navy QB Keenan Reynolds
226 Yards Rushing vs Hawaii

MW
Colorado State RB Kapri Bibbs
312 Yards and 4 TD vs. Nevada

Big Sky
Idaho State QB Justin Arias
315 Yards, 4 TDs and 1 Int vs. Portland State

Power Rankings

PAC-12 (Post-Season Projection)

1. Stanford (Rose Bowl)
2. Oregon (Sugar Bowl)
3. UCLA (Alamo Bowl)
4. Arizona State (Holiday Bowl)
5. Washington (Sun Bowl)
6. USC (Las Vegas Bowl)
7. Oregon State (Fight Hunger Bowl)
8. Arizona (New Mexico Bowl)
9. Utah (Poinsettia Bowl)
10. Washington State
11. Colorado
12. California

FBS Indy

1. BYU (Fight Hunger Bowl)
2. Notre Dame (Pinstripe Bowl)
3. Navy (Armed Forced Bowl)
4. Old Dominion (Not bowl eligible due to transition)
5. Army
6. Idaho
7. New Mexico State

MW

1. Fresno State (Fiesta Bowl)
2. Utah State (Armed Forces Bowl)
3. Boise State (Las Vegas Bowl)
4. San Diego State (Hawaii Bowl)
5. San Jose State (Poinsettia Bowl)
6. UNLV (New Mexico Bowl)
7. Colorado State (Famous Potato Bowl)
8. Wyoming (Bowl Eligible but not invited)
9. Nevada
10. Air Force
11. New Mexico
12. Hawaii

Big Sky

1. Eastern Washington (FCS First Round Bye)
2. Montana (FCS First Round Home Game)
3. Montana State (FCS First Round Road Game)
4. Northern Arizona (FCS First Round Road Game)
5. Southern Utah
6. Cal Poly
7. Sacramento State
8. UC Davis
9. North Dakota
10. Northern Colorado
11. Portland State
12. Idaho State
13. Weber State

Projected Finish

Utah
Current Record: 4-5
Projected Wins: Washington State, Colorado, San Jose State (Poinsettia Bowl)
Projected Loss: Oregon
Projected Finish: 7-6

BYU
Current Record: 6-3
Projected Wins: Idaho State, Notre Dame, Nevada, Oregon State (Fight Hunger Bowl)
Projected Finish: 10-3

Utah State
Current Record: 6-4
Projected Wins: Colorado State, Wyoming, Navy (Armed Forces Bowl)
Projected Finish: 9-4

Southern Utah
Current Record: 7-3
Projected Losses: Montana State, Northern Arizona
Projected Finish: 7-5

Weber State
Current Record: 1-9
Projected Losses: Montana, Idaho State
Projected Finish: 1-11