Utah vs. Auburn...Who would win?

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: MechJinx
/rant on
Just another reason why I hate the BCS, all these responses saying how Utah would get destroyed by any good team, but the Utes aren't even given a chance to prove whether they could hold their own because they play in a "mid-major" conference. How pathetic. And to make it worse, Utah can't even capitalize on the success of the last 2 seasons season because of the conference they play in. They have recruits that told Coach Meyer that they loved the program he had at Utah and would like to play for him, but since Utah doesn't play in a BCS conference they were going to go elsewhere. What garbage. Bash Utah all you want, but you can't prove that they wouldn't beat Auburn, OU, or USC if given a shot just as I can't prove that they would beat them. Call me a fanboy if you want, but what can you expect from someone born and raised in Utah? The BCS is the worst program in college sports.
/rant off

Oh, BTW, I'm a BYU fan, but let's NOT EVEN go there!

I agree that the BCS sucks, but Utah, based on their schedule, didn't deserve a BCS slot.
Yes, they're in a non-BCS conference, but that doesn't keep them from scheduling some top teams for their non-conference games.
Bottom line is, the BCS and other voters want to see them get challenged every weekend, like teams in the REAL conferences do.
Let's see them play a schedule like NC State did, or FSU, UNC, VT, or most any ACC team does, THEN if they go undefeated, they'll have some room to talk.
A team from a good conference's 9-2 or 10-1 record is better than Utah's 11-0 vs. a nobody conference schedule, plus a couple of decent teams OOC.
Same thing goes for Louisville, which I think was a better team than Utah. They played 1 really tough team all year, Miami, and lost. Yes, they gave them a good battle, but they lost.

If a team is able to play a pathetic conference schedule, and maybe 2-3 decent teams a year and make it to a BCS game, then maybe all the good teams should quit the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and ACC, and join little pissant conferences like the WAC, MAC, and Mountain West. Then they'd go undefeated nearly every year.

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: SofaKing

Originally posted by: arod
aubies.... and the aubies would beat ou or usc but not both.

um..wtf?

how was the holiday bowl? lol

 

[SofaKing]

Originally posted by: hdeck

Originally posted by: SofaKing

Originally posted by: arod
aubies.... and the aubies would beat ou or usc but not both.

um..wtf?

how was the holiday bowl? lol

don't remind me...

 

[TravisT]

Despite the fact being raised and currentyl still residing the Norman, OK (home of OU) I have to say that Utah is pretty tough. I think they would have a chance at beating Auburn. I doubt they'd be solid enough to beat OU or USC though. I'm not as high on Auburn, particularly after seeing them struggle against VT.

 

[TheAudit]

Originally posted by: shady06
auburn

 

[classy]

I'll take Utah. The Offense is difficult to stop. They man handled a pretty good Pitt team. That wasn't no slop they ran over.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: classy
I'll take Utah. The Offense is difficult to stop. They man handled a pretty good Pitt team. That wasn't no slop they ran over.

Pitt didn't belong in a BCS bowl game. A team with a decent DL and LBs with decent speed would end up putting Alex Smith in the hospital.

 

[shuan24]

Originally posted by: TravisT
Despite the fact being raised and currentyl still residing the Norman, OK (home of OU) I have to say that Utah is pretty tough. I think they would have a chance at beating Auburn. I doubt they'd be solid enough to beat OU or USC though. I'm not as high on Auburn, particularly after seeing them struggle against VT.

LMAO struggle with VT? Did you even watch the game? It wouldve been a complete shut out had the Auburn defense not celebrate too early. Auburn leads everybody in points held by defense, and as we've seen in the sugar bowl last year (OU vs LSU, #1 offense vs #1 defense), defense > offense.

 

[jjones]

Utah

 

[sciencewhiz]

I think the teams are close, and the game would be close. Utah hasn't played any close games this year, so Auburn pulls it out.

 

[NeoV]

Let me start by saying the current BCS system is terrible, and if Div III schools can have a playoff, where their 'student' athletes really are, then it could be done in D1, and it would be a huge moneymaking success...why they don't do it is beyond me.

On to Utah.

One thing you can't really do is say that "Team A beat Team B...Team B beat Team C.....so Team A would be Team C" - it just doesn't work. You can look at common opponents though, and you look at the conference as a whole.

I completely agree that the Mountain West Conference isn't the greatest....but...New Mexico is a pretty solid team - they lost a close bowl game to the Big 12 North Division champion, Colorado. Wyoming is a pretty solid team as well - they beat a PAC 10 team, UCLA, in a bowl game...and BYU is average, beating ND....Air Force is solid....Colorado St has had some decent teams.....

As for Utah, their two best non-conference wins, Texas A&M and North Carolina, were both home games, but it's not like those aren't impressive wins....A&M's coach said their offense was as talented as anyone he sees in the Big 12.....and Carolina was a very physical team this year, ask Miami....the Pitt win? Well, I think Pitt is about as good as you saw - fringe top 20 team, some decent players though..but Utah was clearly much, much better than Pitt.....they are extremely well coached, they do have some physically talented guys...

I think they are better than Cal - and Cal is one of those big conference, worse record teams some of you have talked about...Texas Tech is somewhat similar to Utah offensively, and Utah is much better than TT defensively...so I'd say Utah would beat Cal......and give Auburn, USC, or Oklahama a very good game....I think if they played all three teams they could beat one of them....they deserve to be ranked in the top 4.

A few other thoughts - The Big 12 is really 2 different conferences - Oklahoma and Texas are one part, the other teams are the other part, and none of them are very good. The PAC 10 is similar - USC and Cal are heads and shoulders above the other teams in the conference. Utah is better than any of the other teams in those 2 conferences - I think Utah in the Pac 10 doesn't lose more than 1 game...I would pick Texas or Oklahoma to beat Utah, but not by much...and I wouldn't pick any other team in the Big 12 to beat them.

I think the SEC, ACC, and Big 10 are the strongest conferences - LSU, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn are all very good....ACC has Miami, V.Tech, Fl. St...Big 10 has Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio St.......again, I'd say Utah is better than any other team in those three conferences, and the teams listed here would all be good matchups with Utah.

Louisville is very good as well, but not as good as Utah - defense isn't close...

Sorry to ramble...basically, I'm trying to say that Utah is legit - USC's schedule wasn't that tough either - V.Tech and Cal were really their only 2 good opponents, but that doesn't mean USC isn't tough...

I think they will beat OU if they can contain Peterson early and get a lead....OU's pass blocking isn't very good - and again, their cupcake conference allows them to get away with it, but they had some close games against average teams - A&M, OK.St, that were able to get to White....the K.St and LSU games last year come to mind as well.....but if Peterson has success early, and OU gets a lead and doesn't lose the turnover battle, they can win.....too bad there are 2 other very good undefeated teams, or this would be a nice ending to the season, like the OSU-Miami game 2 years ago.

 

[AU Tiger]

Originally posted by: Hammer

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: Hammer

Originally posted by: hdeck

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: hdeck
rofl, are you serious? auburn would destroy them, as would any other top 10 team.

No, Utah would beat Texas, Cal, and would destroy Louisville and Boise State

USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Georgia and VaTech would easily beat them.

Fvck the BCS for not allowing them to play one of those schools

lol, fanboy much? they couldn't touch any good team.

hahaha. nitemare must be either drunk or high. or hit in the head with a slegehammer as a child. :laugh:

Let's look at a common foe...
Utah waxed A&M 41-21 would have been 41-14 if the game was 11 seconds shorter.
This same A&M beat the team that waxed the almighty California Golden Bears
The same A&M that almost beat the mighty Boomer Sooners

Utah beat Arizona....well ok everyone beat Arizona except Arizona State...LOL..LMAO...Losers

Utah destroyed UNC who beat Miami

No one that Utah played ever had a chance of beating them. It was usually over by halftime or 3rd quarter at the latest. Can you say the same for any other team this year?

look at this schedule. they beat a bunch of crappy teams. big deal. did they beat any teams with less than 4 losses? (other than in the bowl game)
Link

oh and A&M lost to Baylor too. so you're saying Baylor would almost beat OU and Cal. :laugh:

Don't forget Tennessee beat A&M 38-7 in Dallas, which is is more impressive than a 41-21 victory in Utah.
Auburn beat Tennessee twice.

 

[MechJinx]

of course, you didn't look close enough at that game, the score was 34-7 at the end of the 3rd when Utah pulled its starters and A&M scored 14 garbage points.

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: SofaKing

Originally posted by: hdeck

Originally posted by: SofaKing

Originally posted by: arod
aubies.... and the aubies would beat ou or usc but not both.

um..wtf?

how was the holiday bowl? lol

don't remind me...

but i have to because you were so adament about cal being in the rose bowl it's all in good fun.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: Hammer

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: Hammer

Originally posted by: hdeck

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: hdeck
rofl, are you serious? auburn would destroy them, as would any other top 10 team.

No, Utah would beat Texas, Cal, and would destroy Louisville and Boise State

USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Georgia and VaTech would easily beat them.

Fvck the BCS for not allowing them to play one of those schools

lol, fanboy much? they couldn't touch any good team.

hahaha. nitemare must be either drunk or high. or hit in the head with a slegehammer as a child. :laugh:

Let's look at a common foe...
Utah waxed A&M 41-21 would have been 41-14 if the game was 11 seconds shorter.
This same A&M beat the team that waxed the almighty California Golden Bears
The same A&M that almost beat the mighty Boomer Sooners

Utah beat Arizona....well ok everyone beat Arizona except Arizona State...LOL..LMAO...Losers

Utah destroyed UNC who beat Miami

No one that Utah played ever had a chance of beating them. It was usually over by halftime or 3rd quarter at the latest. Can you say the same for any other team this year?

look at this schedule. they beat a bunch of crappy teams. big deal. did they beat any teams with less than 4 losses? (other than in the bowl game)
Link

oh and A&M lost to Baylor too. so you're saying Baylor would almost beat OU and Cal. :laugh:

Other than Oklahoma's bitch, who have the Sooners beaten that have fewer than 4 losses?
Other than the Bowl game who has Texas beaten that has less than 4 losses?

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: NeoV
Let me start by saying the current BCS system is terrible, and if Div III schools can have a playoff, where their 'student' athletes really are, then it could be done in D1, and it would be a huge moneymaking success...why they don't do it is beyond me.

On to Utah.

One thing you can't really do is say that "Team A beat Team B...Team B beat Team C.....so Team A would be Team C" - it just doesn't work. You can look at common opponents though, and you look at the conference as a whole.

I completely agree that the Mountain West Conference isn't the greatest....but...New Mexico is a pretty solid team - they lost a close bowl game to the Big 12 North Division champion, Colorado. Wyoming is a pretty solid team as well - they beat a PAC 10 team, UCLA, in a bowl game...and BYU is average, beating ND....Air Force is solid....Colorado St has had some decent teams.....

As for Utah, their two best non-conference wins, Texas A&M and North Carolina, were both home games, but it's not like those aren't impressive wins....A&M's coach said their offense was as talented as anyone he sees in the Big 12.....and Carolina was a very physical team this year, ask Miami....the Pitt win? Well, I think Pitt is about as good as you saw - fringe top 20 team, some decent players though..but Utah was clearly much, much better than Pitt.....they are extremely well coached, they do have some physically talented guys...

I think they are better than Cal - and Cal is one of those big conference, worse record teams some of you have talked about...Texas Tech is somewhat similar to Utah offensively, and Utah is much better than TT defensively...so I'd say Utah would beat Cal......and give Auburn, USC, or Oklahama a very good game....I think if they played all three teams they could beat one of them....they deserve to be ranked in the top 4.

A few other thoughts - The Big 12 is really 2 different conferences - Oklahoma and Texas are one part, the other teams are the other part, and none of them are very good. The PAC 10 is similar - USC and Cal are heads and shoulders above the other teams in the conference. Utah is better than any of the other teams in those 2 conferences - I think Utah in the Pac 10 doesn't lose more than 1 game...I would pick Texas or Oklahoma to beat Utah, but not by much...and I wouldn't pick any other team in the Big 12 to beat them.

I think the SEC, ACC, and Big 10 are the strongest conferences - LSU, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn are all very good....ACC has Miami, V.Tech, Fl. St...Big 10 has Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio St.......again, I'd say Utah is better than any other team in those three conferences, and the teams listed here would all be good matchups with Utah.

Louisville is very good as well, but not as good as Utah - defense isn't close...

Sorry to ramble...basically, I'm trying to say that Utah is legit - USC's schedule wasn't that tough either - V.Tech and Cal were really their only 2 good opponents, but that doesn't mean USC isn't tough...

I think they will beat OU if they can contain Peterson early and get a lead....OU's pass blocking isn't very good - and again, their cupcake conference allows them to get away with it, but they had some close games against average teams - A&M, OK.St, that were able to get to White....the K.St and LSU games last year come to mind as well.....but if Peterson has success early, and OU gets a lead and doesn't lose the turnover battle, they can win.....too bad there are 2 other very good undefeated teams, or this would be a nice ending to the season, like the OSU-Miami game 2 years ago.

Thank you. Good post.

For those that are bashing Utah's schedule, when was that schedule made? 3-5 years ago. How many out of conference games can they play? 3. You can't bash them for the conference they're in. They played...and dominated...every team in the conference and every team they played out of conference. What other choice do they have? They keep trying to ge into the PAC 10, but they can't force a conference to accept them.

Still, if the BCS wasn't run by money-grubbing colleges and corporations we'd actually be able to settle these kinds of arguments.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Here's one reason people say teams like Utah, Louisville, and Boise State don't play anyone, so they don't deserve BCS slots:
Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ranking:
USC 13
OU 31
Auburn 61
Utah 67
Louisville 82
Boise State 78
Texas 20


This is why Auburn, Utah, Louisville, and Boise don't get respect, even though Auburn plays in the SEC.
Utah played ONE team in Sagarin's top 30.
Auburn played 6.
THAT is why people say Auburn is better than Utah. Auburn feasted on a few very weak opponents, so their SOS is about the same as Utah, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
Pretty much most of Utah's schedule was low ranked teams. Auburn played half their games vs. the top 30, the other half with crappy teams.
But at least they were tested throughout the season. Utah wasn't. Therefore, Auburn's 13-0 > Utah's 12-0.
It's like having 2 boxers wanting to fight the champ: 1 fights a few fights vs. opponents ranked similar to him, and the other racks up a bunch of KO's against women.

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Here's one reason people say teams like Utah, Louisville, and Boise State don't play anyone, so they don't deserve BCS slots:
Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ranking:
USC 13
OU 31
Auburn 61
Utah 67
Louisville 82
Boise State 78
Texas 20


This is why Auburn, Utah, Louisville, and Boise don't get respect, even though Auburn plays in the SEC.
Utah played ONE team in Sagarin's top 30.
Auburn played 6.
THAT is why people say Auburn is better than Utah. Auburn feasted on a few very weak opponents, so their SOS is about the same as Utah, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
Pretty much most of Utah's schedule was low ranked teams. Auburn played half their games vs. the top 30, the other half with crappy teams.
But at least they were tested throughout the season. Utah wasn't. Therefore, Auburn's 13-0 > Utah's 12-0.
It's like having 2 boxers wanting to fight the champ: 1 fights a few fights vs. opponents ranked similar to him, and the other racks up a bunch of KO's against women.

Utah can only play 3 teams that aren't in their conference. You can't penalize Utah for having to play 8 in-conference games. It's not Utah's fault that the conference isn't as strong as others.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Utah can only play 3 teams that aren't in their conference. You can't penalize Utah for having to play 8 in-conference games. It's not Utah's fault that the conference isn't as strong as others.

Most other teams can only play 3 OOC games, too. And you most certainly CAN penalize Utah for being in a suckass conference.
Again, what's the point of playing in the ACC or SEC if it's not recognized that those teams, year in and out, have the toughest conference schedules?
If conference difficulty wasn't taken into account, then if I was Miami, Notre Dame, or any other traditional "big name" school, I'd be looking to get into the MAC or WAC, so I could wipe the field with those pansies, and then schedule 2-3 decent OOC opponents...then look forward to being in the BCS every year.
Utah can't help what conference they're in? Tough. If they'd have scheduled OOC a bit tougher, maybe we wouldn't have been having this conversation.
Replace UNC and Texas A&M on their schedule with say, Miami and FSU or VT. And don't tell me those teams wouldn't schedule them, either, because they most certainly would.

 

[95SS]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Utah can only play 3 teams that aren't in their conference. You can't penalize Utah for having to play 8 in-conference games. It's not Utah's fault that the conference isn't as strong as others.

Most other teams can only play 3 OOC games, too. And you most certainly CAN penalize Utah for being in a suckass conference.
Again, what's the point of playing in the ACC or SEC if it's not recognized that those teams, year in and out, have the toughest conference schedules?
If conference difficulty wasn't taken into account, then if I was Miami, Notre Dame, or any other traditional "big name" school, I'd be looking to get into the MAC or WAC, so I could wipe the field with those pansies, and then schedule 2-3 decent OOC opponents...then look forward to being in the BCS every year.
Utah can't help what conference they're in? Tough. If they'd have scheduled OOC a bit tougher, maybe we wouldn't have been having this conversation.
Replace UNC and Texas A&M on their schedule with say, Miami and FSU or VT. And don't tell me those teams wouldn't schedule them, either, because they most certainly would.

The top schools in the BCS conferences rarely schedule games with the top non BCS schools, since they have little to gain and everything to lose. If OU or AU were to schedule a home and home with Utah or Louisville, and lose, it would destroy their season before conference play even began. That's why you don't see those games. It's not the fault of the non BCS schools, but the top tier BCS programs. I commend Miami this year for playing Louisville, that was good scheduling.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: 95SSThe top schools in the BCS conferences rarely schedule games with the top non BCS schools, since they have little to gain and everything to lose. If OU or AU were to schedule a home and home with Utah or Louisville, and lose, it would destroy their season before conference play even began. That's why you don't see those games. It's not the fault of the non BCS schools, but the top tier BCS programs. I commend Miami this year for playing Louisville, that was good scheduling.

There's no reasong for OU or USC to schedule good, non-BCS teams. They already play a tough-enough schedule, so if they go undefeated they have an excellent shot at the title game.
Furthermore, many big teams do play these smaller schools. Miami played Louisville this year, FSU lost to Louisville a year or two ago, and Utah did play Texas A&M this year, but they unfortunately aren't the same team they used to be.

 

[95SS]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: 95SSThe top schools in the BCS conferences rarely schedule games with the top non BCS schools, since they have little to gain and everything to lose. If OU or AU were to schedule a home and home with Utah or Louisville, and lose, it would destroy their season before conference play even began. That's why you don't see those games. It's not the fault of the non BCS schools, but the top tier BCS programs. I commend Miami this year for playing Louisville, that was good scheduling.

There's no reasong for OU or USC to schedule good, non-BCS teams. They already play a tough-enough schedule, so if they go undefeated they have an excellent shot at the title game.
Furthermore, many big teams do play these smaller schools. Miami played Louisville this year, FSU lost to Louisville a year or two ago, and Utah did play Texas A&M this year, but they unfortunately aren't the same team they used to be.

Yet when the non BCS schools don't schedule OU or AU, people say they should schedule tougher OOC games. It can't be both ways.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: 95SSYet when the non BCS schools don't schedule OU or AU, people say they should schedule tougher OOC games. It can't be both ways.

They aren't the only BCS schools. There's always a good team that will schedule you, you just have to look. Maybe they needed to call VT , FSU, or UGA. How about Tennessee, or Virginia? Texas? USC?
There are plenty of BCS conference teams that at least go to bowls most every year, you don't have to schedule the defending BCS champs.

 

[NeoV]

Pac, come on....NCAA schedules are made 1-4 years in advance.....for a Mountain West team to schedule a Pac 10, Big 12, and ACC school for their out of conference games is nothing to be ashamed of at all. Was it a weaker schedule than Auburn's? Yes - doesn't mean they aren't a very good team.

You are out of your mind if you think a major program would schedule a game at Utah or Boise St for a pre-conference game - way too much to lose. Best chance is for Utah to get an invite to a kickoff classic game or something along those lines.

 

[Jhill]

Utah hangs with anyone.

No team even came close to them. Every team in the nation had a close game or 2 against teams worse than Utah has played and or beaten.

BTW I guarantee most ignorant people bashing Utah in this thread hasn't seen Utah play in more than 1 game this season.