It's a talent issue for Utah, plain and simple. Not even worth arguing. In the 2 years since leaving the MWC, Utah has not even come close to fielding a Pac 12 worthy O-line or QB. IMO, they match up pretty good everywhere else. I'm not saying they're on a level playing field at all of the other positions, but probably close enough to compete.
The thing is, if you can't put forward a Pac 12 O-line and QB, 5-and-7 is probably your ceiling. In fact, I think now that we've had 2 years to look at it, Utah's 9 win season last season was serious overachievement. The QBs that have taken meaningful snaps for Utah in the past 2 seasons are Wynn, Hayes, and Wilson. 1 was a walking M.A.S.H. unit who never had that great of an arm to begin with, one was a DII kid that was gritty, but had no business starting for Wyoming, let alone a Pac 12 school, and the other was a true freshman thrown into the fire. Add to that an O-line cobbled together due to injuries over the past 2 years and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why Utah has struggled.
Utah is fixing the QB issue, but it's not an overnight process. Having Travis Wilson coming back with starts under his belt is a step in the right direction. Utah also has 2 verbals from QB's who were sought after by other Pac 12 schools and Chase Hansen out on a mission. As these guys filter into the program, we'll finally see some stability in that area.
Recruiting capable defenders and players at the skill positions on offense doesn't seem to be the problem. Utah needs a few years of solid QB and Oline recruiting before we can even think about them being "contenders" in the Pac South. I'll be the first Ute fan to step up and admit that the transition was/is not as easy as I thought it was going to be.
