The Wiz of Odds

Feeling It

Check this fan getting into the Star-Spangled Banner before Saturday's Wyoming-Utah game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. He saves his best for last. Thanks to Adam!

Utah

You know the story. One of only six Division I-A teams to have completed an undefeated season since 2004. Winners of 14 in a row and 21 of 22. Utah 31, Alabama 17. ... What do the Utes have to show for all this winning? Because they play in a non-Bowl Championship Series Conference, not much, but we shall crown them The People's Champion and urge Orrin Hatch and Mark Shurtleff to continue to fight the good fight. Here's the bigger question: Can they go undefeated again? It's not out of the question. The Sept. 19 game at Oregon could be tricky, as could the Nov. 14 game at Texas Christian. Then there is the Nov. 28 Holy War against Brigham Young, the last team to beat Utah way back in 2007. Thanks to Ann and Adam!

Utah: The People's Champion

Utah, the only undefeated team in the land, was honored Friday with a parade in Salt Lake City. In case you haven't heard, something called the Bowl Championship Series prohibits certain teams from competing for the national championship and Utah, which finished 13-0, happens to be one of those teams.

Making the Case for Utah

Utah fans have been on an Internet rampage since the team's Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama, emailing voters in the Associated Press poll in hopes of earning the Utes a share of the national championship.

But with form letter after form letter landing in the inboxes of voters, the move has generally backfired. Many voters are so turned off by the volume of the Utah response that they plan to vote Florida or Oklahoma No. 1 regardless of what happens in Thursday night's Bowl Championship Series title game.

Considering that the AP decided get out of the BCS business in 2004, saying its participation hurt the integrity of the poll, this is an interesting development. Yes, we've come full circle now, and the AP voters are set to join the rest of the lemmings and jump off the fraudulent BCS cliff for fear of standing out in the crowd. What has happened to independent thinking in this country?

No. 1? There's Only One Undefeated Team — It's Utah

How quickly it falls apart. Last month, Alabama was the No. 1 team in the land, then came a 31-20 loss to Florida in the Southeastern Conference title game. The Crimson Tide's hopes for a national title were dashed, but coach of the year Nick Saban would guide his team through the disappointment.

Yes, Alabama was set to rebound in a big way against Utah of the lowly Mountain West Conference. Everybody east of the Wasatch Range put their chips on the Crimson Tide, making them a double-digit underdog in what was basically an Alabama home game. But the Utes won, 31-17, to complete a 13-0 season. So we ask, is Utah — undefeated Utah — not the No. 1 team? It answered every challenge. No other team can make that claim.

And Now It Can Be Told

More expert analysis leading to Friday night's Sugar Bowl. Alabama "is bigger, faster, stronger and better."