Utah 2014 Preview

What are your honest expectations of the Utah team in 2014?  Most people expect the Utes to get to a bowl game.  I hope that is more of a hope than an expectation.  But let's examine the schedule.  The Utes should beat Idaho State and Fresno State at home.  They should also beat Washington State at home and Colorado on the road.  In order for Utah to go to a bowl game in 2014, the Utes will have to win games that they are not expected to win.

Yes, they beat Stanford at home last year.  But if they had also beaten Washington State on the road, a game that they should have won, they would have gone bowling.  In addition to winning games that no one expects them to win, they should also win the games that they are supposed to win. 

Utah may end up with the toughest schedule in the country in 2014.  But if they do not win at least 6 games, they will be searching for a new coach in 2015?  Maybe.  Kyle Whittingham is the same guy who led the team to an undefeated 2008.  That will probably not go noticed.  This is a what have you done for me lately world.  And what has Coach Whit done lately?

But going back to 2008.  You looked at the schedule and thought that Utah was probably going to finish the regular season 9-3.  They were taking on Michigan in the Big House.  They had TCU and they had Max Hall and the same Cougars who beat them the two seasons prior.  Not only did Utah win these three games, but also surprised Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.  All that Utah needs to do in 2014 is find 2 more games they can win.

Thursday Aug. 28		Idaho State Bengals Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT	8:30 p.m. MT Pac-12 Networks	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sept. 6		Fresno State Bulldogs Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT	1:00 p.m. MT Pac-12 Networks	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sept. 13	---	Open Date	---	---
Saturday Sept. 20		at Michigan Wolverines Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sept. 27		Washington State Cougars (HC) Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 4		at UCLA Bruins Rose Bowl, Los Angeles, CA	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 11	---	Open Date	---	---
Thursday Oct. 16		at Oregon State Beavers Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR	8:00 p.m. MT FOX Sports 1	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 25		USC Trojans Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 1		at Arizona State Sun Devils Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 8		Oregon Ducks Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 15		at Stanford Cardinal Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 22		Arizona Wildcats Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 29		at Colorado Buffaloes Folsom Field, Boulder, CO	TBA	Buy Tickets