The one thing that is for certain about college sports is that change often takes time. The NCAA’s Bowl Championship Series is one example of that. Since the founding of the BCSA system, preference in postseason BCS match ups had initially been given to what were (and still are) considered the major Conferences in college football – the SEC, Big Eight, Big Ten, Pac-10, and so on. As most fans of the game know, however, recent years have seen several teams from smaller conferences finally being given the attention they deserve by the BCS, with last year’s Texas Christian and Boise State teams being the best example of that trend. The true breakthrough for the BCS, however, began years before, beginning with the Utah Utes’ hiring of Urban Meyer for two seasons as Head Coach. Utah, a Mountain West Conference member, was not eligible for an automatic selection in a BCS game, and like other teams from the smaller conferences, had never been invited to play in one. Breaking that BCS wall would be one of Urban Meyer’s greatest accomplishments as coach.

Ready to Go

Upon taking the job at Utah, Meyer had little to do to get his team ready to play. The Utes were an established team with a history of success. Over the last 118 years, the Utes have won twenty-four conference championships wherever they have been, and had compiled a 617-421 record overall. In addition, their postseason record was the best of any team with at least ten appearances: 12-3. Meyer knew that he was joining a program with the potential for great things, and immediately set out to provide his team with the motivation to reach that potential. In one of his first public statements, he let it be known that his team’s goal would be to focus on playing hard in an up-tempo style, and ensure that their fans were given the show they deserved.

The Wall Comes Down

Meyer’s first campaign with the Utes demonstrated that his style of play would reap huge rewards for his team. After using Meyer’s spread offense to win 10 of the 12 games they played and their conference crown, there was no doubt that the Utes were a real power. Their bowl game that year was a complete shutout of a quality Southern Miss. Team. Not content to rest on their laurels, the following year’s team repeated as conference winners while establishing a new Utes’ scoring record – all while going undefeated. The BCS was eventually forced to acknowledge the Utes’ dominance, and gave them a slot in the Fiesta Bowl of 2005 against Pittsburgh. The Utes won that contest going away. Their season results earned them a number four ranking in the Associated Press’s final season poll.

Though his tenure at the University of Utah was a mere two years, Urban Meyer had managed to break through the BCS wall that separated the mid-level conferences from the so-called majors. The BCS – and the rest of the college football world – at last realized that those major conferences were not the sole repository of quality football in the country. As for the Utes, they were provided another opportunity to show their mettle in a BCS match up when they faced the Crimson Tide of Alabama in 2009. The Utes soundly beat them as well.

Author Bio: Ivan Jamison is a big sports fan. You can check out his Utah Utes Watch or his Texas Rangers Watch or his Boston Red Sox Watch

Category: Sports
Keywords: Utah Utes