To see the talent gap between Utah and BYU, watch last year's game. Utah had a DII QB, no OL, no LB'ers, and their best offensive player (White) didn't even play.
Nelson fumbled the ball at least 4 times, and was able to recover all but one of those. If those balls bounce any different, we have another 54-10 beat down...and that was against what might have been the worst Utah team since McBride was there. And BYU couldn't beat a depleted team. Every position for Utah should be better, with DL being the only exception, and there are three NFL potential guys starting.
I honestly believe this will be the last game Utah plays against BYU with Whitt as their coach, and I don't think it will be pretty for BYU. The only time BYU has beaten Utah recently has been with an upperclassmen NFL talent QB...and Utah had underclassmen, non-NFL QB's. BYU doesn't have that QB this year. Look at the last three (since Utah announced their PAC-12 membership) games:
17-16 - The savior Heaps vs Wynn with a blown out shoulder. Utah scores 17 in the fourth to win it.
54-10 - Not even close. BYU folded like a mid-major team
24-21 - Utah with no QB, no OL, no RB is up big in the fourth. BYU lucks out with 4 fumbles that they recovered and the worst officiating ever and still can't win. That game could have easily been another 54-10 game.
This year:
Utah has improved at every position.
BYU's QB is brand new, new OL, new OC, their starting DE is 215 lb's, and they lost a lot off their defensive front seven.
I don't get the BYU love at all. Not at all. But then again, I said that before 2011 and I was mocked (there is no way Wynn is better than Heaps, Apo is awesome, best WR in the state, everyone can see that, Juice is awesome as a RB, best BYU freshman RB ever!, we have all these defensive transfers from USC, so much better than Star, blah, blah, blah, BCS bowl, blah, blah, Heisman, blah. I'll get mocked for this, Utah will win, the series will end, BYU will fade as they struggle agains their new semi-tough schedule, and life will go on....and BYU fan will forever whine about Utah dropping them and call Utah little brother while doing so.
Good times.