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Utah @ USC, Sat. 10/26 2:00pm MT, PAC-12 Networks

YB85 said:
Agreed. I like Whit and think he's a good coach, but there comes a time when the results need to be there. A lot of Ute fans are happy with them winning games against teams they should beat every time (Utah State, BYU, etc.) but the conference is where it's at. I'm not delusional enough to think they will be a contender each year, but I'd like to see them get to the point where they're comparable to UCLA, Arizona State, and Washington instead of Washington State and Colorado. If they get blown out by ASU (again) and lose to either Wazzu or CU, then it's time to really evaluate whether Whit is the guy for this team.
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Not that I don't think you have a valid point... but... isn't it a little too soon?

We're 3 years into the 5 year reload for PAC-12 recruiting. We have shown progress. This year we did beat Stanford, after all.

Just playing devil's advocate. If after the 5th season in the PAC we're still struggling and are less than middle-of-the-PAC, I agree that it's time to re-evaluate.
 
leftyjace said:
This year we did beat Stanford, after all.
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Appalachian state beat michigan..... utah needs to do more than win one game (though it was a great win)

I think that YB has a good point, but you do as well.
Which is why his seat should be getting hot, but he still has a little bit of time before he is in serious trouble imo.
 
fishonjazz said:
Y? beat Texas..... The U needs to do more than win one game (though it was a great win)

I think that YB has a good point, but you do as well.
Which is why his seat should be getting hot, but he still has a little bit of time before he is in serious trouble imo.
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Fixed for accuracy
 
Seriously, I want to know how one can declare this season as "progress" if Utah doesn't make a bowl game.

The Stanford upset was really cool. But one game doesn't define a season. The overall season record should be that indicator. Utah was already beating up on Utah St. and BYU. So beating them this year isn't necessarily an "improvement." The season hinges on their success in their own conference. Furthermore, they've continued to lose to the exact same teams in their conference as before as before. If anything, there's been some regression in that they lost to Oregon St. and didn't even compete against a dumpster fire USC (as they had in previous years) playing without Marquis Lee. So what happens in the remaining games should determine Whit's future as Head Football Coach at Utah.

Just how many more years must we change O coordinators, blame offensive injuries, and give Whit another chance in hopes that he'll turn things around?

No one is blaming him for not beating Oregon and winning the Rose Bowl. But where is the progress? What is progress in the first place?

Wasn't the sign of progress this year based on whether Utah made a bowl game (not on how many games they kept close or how many upsets they had)? Pretty sure I heard/read this prior to the beginning of the season.

If you cannot even be bowl eligible how can one make a case for this program "progressing?"
 
leftyjace said:
Not that I don't think you have a valid point... but... isn't it a little too soon?

We're 3 years into the 5 year reload for PAC-12 recruiting. We have shown progress. This year we did beat Stanford, after all.

Just playing devil's advocate. If after the 5th season in the PAC we're still struggling and are less than middle-of-the-PAC, I agree that it's time to re-evaluate.
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I don't think I can sit through 2 more years of this. If somehow Utah gets to 6 wins and wins their bowl game, I feel like you have to give Whit another year. That's 2 more wins than last year with a schedule that is pretty brutal.

However, I think the only win left on the schedule is Colorado. I might be wrong, and I hope I am because I love Whit, but 5 wins after starting off winning 4 outta your first 6 is a huge collapse and there needs to be some accountability for that.
 
I'm so freaking torn on Whitt. I listen to some people, and I feel like he is Mac. I listen to others and I feel like he just needs another year or so. I'm torn.

This is what I have come to think:

If we make a bowl, Whitt is given another year. That was the goal before the year started, and if he gets it, he should be ok. BUT, there had better be changes to the OL coaching staff and I'd even strongly consider the WR spot. Our WR's are TERRIBLE. Dres included. Dres has likely single hand-idly (pun intended) lost us at least 2-3 games.

If we do make a bowl, Whitt is given another year, but with the stipulation that Utah had better win 9 games in 2014.

We have the talent to beat anyone. We were in it with UCLA and OSU, two top 15 teams. We beat Stanford. Once Wilson got hurt, we got screwed. BUT, you would think by now, NINE years in, Whitt would realize that having a backup QB is a priority, and no, a walkon isn't good enough.

Three things have to happen: 1 - Erickson has to stay. We can't have another OC next year. 2 - We have got to develop a backup QB. 3 - We have go to improve the WR's.

We are so freaking close. We need a little more depth, and a little luck.

I say keep him if we make a bowl, but we have to have 9 wins next year.
 
Utah should not be the Arizona or WSU of the PAC-12. We pay our HC. We pay our coordinators. We have top of the line facilities. The only states that produces more college football players and NFL players than Utah is Arizona and California in the west. We have talent in the state. We should be a Washington level team (in the last 20-ish years, Washington goes to the Rose Bowl once every 5 years). We have the facilities, the money to spend, the athletes.

We do need depth on the team. Desperately. That is coming. The thing that worries me about Whitt is what worried me about the Kodiak before this year: The guy is a great coach, can help kids develop, character guy, runs a good program, but can they get that "guy" to come to the program? Can they get a top WR? RB? Someone that is a threat to score every time they touch the ball. A Cooks/Lee/Evans type player? I dunno if Whitt can. Kodiak has shown he can. Can Whitt?
 
Re: Whitt being gone. What would the Ute fan expectation level for the next guy in line? Do you expect Utah to really open up the wallet and try to take shots at the Jon Grudens of the world? Do you expect to try and find a new up and coming Urban Meyer type and be in a better position to be able to keep him now that a little more $$$ is on the table? Something inbetween like a Rich Rod whose value drops because of a few mediocre years, but had some hot spurts in his coaching career here and there?
 
Duck Rodgers said:
Re: Whitt being gone. What would the Ute fan expectation level for the next guy in line? Do you expect Utah to really open up the wallet and try to take shots at the Jon Grudens of the world? Do you expect to try and find a new up and coming Urban Meyer type and be in a better position to be able to keep him now that a little more $$$ is on the table? Something inbetween like a Rich Rod whose value drops because of a few mediocre years, but had some hot spurts in his coaching career here and there?
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Before I answer the question, I would like to mention how much I love the fact of just how much Utah's basketball scheduling seems to really bother you. I don't know if you've ever been tasked with bringing a once major college basketball program back from the abyss, but it seems you know how to do it better than Krysko. Good for you.

On to the coaching question: Utah will never be in play for the Grudens of the world, so it's important that they know their limitations. I think the Urban Meyer example is probably their preferred method. A guy like the Northern Illinois coach (his name escapes me) is a great example. He's on the brink of getting NIU to its 2nd straight BCS appearance and obviously has some good buzz. If Utah got a guy like that and it was a success, they would now also have a better chance of keeping him long term considering their new conference affiliation, the fact that they now have a bigger checkbook to pay the HC as well as assistants, and the fact that Utah gives a good recruiter great chances of landing California and Texas talent.

I could see Utah being in play for a Rich Rod/Mike Leech type of guy as well.
 
jazzman12 said:
Before I answer the question, I would like to mention how much I love the fact of just how much Utah's basketball scheduling seems to really bother you. I don't know if you've ever been tasked with bringing a once major college basketball program back from the abyss, but it seems you know how to do it better than Krysko. Good for you.

On to the coaching question: Utah will never be in play for the Grudens of the world, so it's important that they know their limitations. I think the Urban Meyer example is probably their preferred method. A guy like the Northern Illinois coach (his name escapes me) is a great example. He's on the brink of getting NIU to its 2nd straight BCS appearance and obviously has some good buzz. If Utah got a guy like that and it was a success, they would now also have a better chance of keeping him long term considering their new conference affiliation, the fact that they now have a bigger checkbook to pay the HC as well as assistants, and the fact that Utah gives a good recruiter great chances of landing California and Texas talent.

I could see Utah being in play for a Rich Rod/Mike Leech type of guy as well.
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How about the boise state coach..... I think he would be a great hire and is an amazing coach
 
fishonjazz said:
How about the boise state coach..... I think he would be a great hire and is an amazing coach
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I might get flamed for it, but I think Chris Peterson would be in play. I think this year has shown him how hard it's going to be to constantly reload at Boise. If the USC job goes to somebody else, I think there would be mutual interest if Utah is looking for a new HC.
 
jazzman12 said:
I might get flamed for it, but I think Chris Peterson would be in play. I think this year has shown him how hard it's going to be to constantly reload at Boise. If the USC job goes to somebody else, I think there would be mutual interest if Utah is looking for a new HC.
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That would definitely be a great hire if you guys were able to get Peterson. I wonder how much interest gauging universities do behind coaches' backs while they are still in the position. Because if I were Utah, and somehow Peterson could be had right now, I would make the Whitt exchange in a second. And you could probably get away with it without too much fan backlash at this point. But I don't necessarily think Whit should be gone yet either.

I hope USC gives Peterson a more serious look than it sounds like they are giving him. They need an offensive boost. And Jack Del Rio and Sarkisian seem like the top 2 guys right now. Although, I hope Jon Gruden ultimately has an USC epiphany soon too because I don't think he is available to anyone. That guy is mentioned for every job, and I'm sure boatloads of $$$$ are being offered to him, but he hasn't bit yet on anything.
 
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Would love Peterson at the utes from a ute perspective
Ute fans would love it too cause it would really piss off byu fans I think
 
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