Utah Gets Invited to the Big Boy Table

More stuff happened in the conference realignment saga. It was announced that Utah accepted an invitation to join the Pac-10 Conference (or whatever it will be called once Utah and fellow Pac-10 invitee Colorado begin conference play). Utah will begin conference play during the the 2011 season.

The Winners

Utah - This was a no-brainer for the school. Year after year, Utah has proven that they are a solid program good for a bowl game each year. Twice in the aughts, they grabbed an at-large BCS bid, winning both games and capping off undefeated seasons. However, since they played in the Mountain West, which does not have a seat at the big boy table, they were not voted "National Champions" after those undefeated seasons.

Utah will now have a chance to showcase their ability on a regular basis against BCS teams, which will also give Utah a chance to play for "The National Championship" in the current selection system. The team will also have a shot at landing elite talent from the recruiting trail. The roster is full of solid athletes now, but with an automatic BCS bid in their back pockets, the coaching staff can attract some more elite talent to campus. Business-wise, this gives Utah access to much more opportunities, such as nationally televised games, BCS payouts, and better conference payouts. It also gives the school a chance to market itself in California, which is a big market, and could help grab some fans while they participate in Pac-10 play.


The Pac-10 - Once again, the conference has grabbed another TV market. Similar to the acquisition of Colorado, this gives the Pac-10 exposure in another timezone. This will help when the time comes for BCS bids. As previously noted on this blog, due to the fact that all current Pac-10 teams play in the Pacific Time Zone, their games are usually played later in the day. If a big win happens, it usually plays second fiddle to anything that might have happened on the East Coast or in the Midwest. Having teams outside the timezone will help combat this issue of exposure.

Competition-wise, this adds a great program to the conference, As noted above, Utah has proved that they are legit. Thsi will make conference play much more exciting.


The Losers

Boise State - If the school had held out a little longer, we could be talking about them finally getting a chance to play for "The National Championship." Instead, they took a lateral step and joined a conference that will not help them get into the BCS every year.




We'll see what happens next.