SALT LAKE CITY — My what a difference a couple of weeks can make in the sports world.
With apologies to the musical group Earth, Wind & Fire, do you remember the 21st night of September? Well, actually the first few hours of that day after Utah lost to USC 30-23 in the Coliseum in a mistake-filled game the night before, which put a dent in its South Division title hopes.
For about 12 hours or so, you could forgive BYU fans for thinking that despite that season-opening loss to Utah, the two teams were not so far apart. After all, the Cougars had defeated USC the week before, the same Trojan team the Utes had just lost to the night before.
But we all know that comparing results and scores of common opponents can be misleading. Every week college football gives you strange results such as this past week when unranked South Carolina went on the road and knocked off No. 3 Georgia.
Even so, after defeating the Trojans, a win by the Cougars against Washington the following week could have sent them on their way to a special season, perhaps 10-2 or even 11-1. Meanwhile, the Utes were facing a pass-happy Washington State team after their loss to USC, followed by a gauntlet of tough Pac-12 opponents.
But on that 21st day of September, BYU was brought back to earth in a blowout loss at home, the second straight year the Huskies had crushed the Cougars.
The following week, the gap between the two programs began to widen when the Cougars blew a late lead and lost to Toledo and later in the evening, Utah took care of Washington State with a comfortable 25-point victory.
Fast forward to this past Saturday after both teams had bye weeks, when BYU blew another late lead and lost to a so-so South Florida team and later in the evening, Utah demolished Oregon State, 52-7.
Now the gap between the two programs has turned into a chasm with Utah looking like a well-oiled machine and the Cougars more like a dumpster fire, to use a couple of well-worn cliches. But in reality, the difference between the two programs goes well beyond what happened on that fateful day in mid-September — and even beyond Utah’s nine-game winning streak against the Cougars.
Utah, which enjoys its Pac-12 membership and the built-in revenues it provides, is better positioned to compete on the national stage long term than the independent Cougars. And if recruiting classes are any indication, Utah has been widening the talent gap there, as well.
Looking ahead, BYU suddenly looks like it may not even qualify for a bowl game, when just a couple of weeks ago, an 8-4 or 9-3 season seemed probable. The next two weeks are critical as the Cougars take on 14th-ranked Boise State, followed by a game against in-state rival Utah State, which has beaten the Cougars two years in a row.
If the Cougars lose those two, it would mean they’d have to run the table to get to 6-6 and become bowl-eligible. It’s certainly doable with games against Liberty, Idaho State and UMass, although the season-ender at San Diego State will be a challenge.
The Cougars have certainly been snakebit this season, losing their top running back, Ty’Son Williams against Washington and starting quarterback Zach Wilson the following week at Toledo. Now backup quarterback Jaren Hall is injured and may miss Saturday night’s game. If that happens, it will be up to another freshman, Baylor Romney, to try to get the Cougars back on the victory track.
With each successive loss, the job status of BYU coach Kalani Sitake becomes more tenuous. Before the season, the consensus was that Sitake would need to have a winning record at the very least to keep his job after not receiving an extension from his BYU bosses in the offseason. Now getting to seven wins looks like a challenge.
Meanwhile, Utah doesn’t have an easy task ahead, but anyone who watched its performance Saturday night in Corvallis where the Utes absolutely dominated a decent Oregon State team, nearly shutting out a team averaging 37 points per game, should feel confident about the Utes’ chances the rest of the season. The Ute offense was sharp in gaining 503 yards on just 60 plays, while the defense completely shut down the Beavers’ running game (48 yards) and allowed just 217 total yards.
Next up is No. 17 Arizona State, which has given the Utes fits over the years (Utah is 2-6 against the Sun Devils in Pac-12 play) and then a better-than-expected Cal team visits Rice-Eccles Stadium. Then comes the hardest game left on the schedule, at Washington, which after an upset loss to Stanford last week, bounced back with a 51-27 win at Arizona late Saturday night.
The Utes still have a lot of work to do, but it’s clear, for now, anyway, that they are miles ahead of a beleaguered BYU team that is just trying to stay above water.