Looking at the remaining schedule 5-7 looks like our ceiling.

I like the optimism! 😉 I see some winnable “L’s” on your list; don’t give up yet!

WSU – toss up

USC – loss

ASU – loss

OSU – slight edge to OSU

UCLA – loss

Stanford – loss

Arizona – win

Oregon – blow out loss

Colorado – win, to end the season with a win.

First win in the last game of a 12 game season since 2017. Those bowl losses still haunt me.

I certainly understand the pessimism, but I believe we’re heading into this week with essentially a new team. Plenty of changes on the depth chart and a supposed cultural reset happened during the players meeting. So I think it’s hard to say for sure that facing a team like Arizona will be a “toss up” and not a game we are favored in.

Unfortunately I don’t expect us to win the South, but I think 8-4 is our ceiling at least, with a bowl game being more likley than not. This team truly has talent, it just depends on how things shake out. 

Besides, every team outside the tippy top blue bloods have seaons like this. It sucks we have stumbled heavily out of the gate and our goals seem increasingly unreachable, but remember–football is a team sport more than practically any other. Unless you’re loaded with 5* talent like Alabama or Ohio St, letdown seasons happen, even when you have a talented team who should be competing. Injuries, lack of chemistry, etc… all these things can throw things out of whack. I for one am not ready to phone it in just yet. 

I’ll say this again of myself. I may just be naive and overly optimistic but I’m feeling this:

vs. WSU – W

@ USC – L

ASU – Toss up (They DIDNT look that much better than our boys against the same BYU team who this time wasn’t jacked up to play a rival they’d lost to 9 straight times)

@ OSU – W

vs UCLA – Toss up (If you can stop Charbonnet) I think they are very beatable

Stanford – Toss up (Still not sure who they are but Whitt seems to have Shaw’s number even with a less talented team but we shall see)

@ Arizona – W

vs Oregon – L

vs Colorado – W

So I’ll say 7 wins is our ceiling but my mindset has totally changed on this season. For me it’s now about rebuilding. So any wins are gravy and losses are learning opportunities for the team and its coaches. It’s also funny how when I lower my expectations the Utes surprise me by pulling off a win against an SC or Oregon so who knows. It’s fun, LOVE that college football is back for us. I severely needed it for a mental break from the real world.

It’s almost like you have only watched the Utes this season and no one else. Every team in the south is a giant question mark just like Utah. ASU lost to BYU by a bit more than Utah did. UCLA lost to Fresno. USC is vulnerable, we should handle CU and Zona just fine. The reality is the only game on the schedule that is an almost certain loss is Oregon. Every other is winnable. That doesn’t mean we’ll win them all, but we also won’t lose them all.

So while I understand the irrational fan reaction of the sky falling, but in reality that just isn’t the case. Could we go 4-7? Sure, but to me that’s the same likelihood as 10-2. Most likely the Utes end up 8-4 or 7-5.

Also, it’s utterly ridiculous that you put us on the same level as Arizona and Colorado.

I am more optimistic, but then I am an optimist.
WSU is a win that will help us feel better.
USC is a better team, however, I don’t feel they play every game clean due to their issues. Now both QBs on tape. They absolutely have a WTF loss coming, hope it can be us.
ASU, nothing about their game with the Y makes me feel they are going to finish ahead of us.
OSU will be one we get. Their bye the week before will not matter.
UCLA is a toss up, we may end up favored if we win 3 of the next 4. UCLA will be coming off a beating.
Stanford is a toss up, even with the win over USC they may turn out to be ordinary.
Az is an easy win.
Oregon is the only clear loss.
Colo is up and down, we will not need this for 6 wins and win anyway.
Should have 7 wins.

man if arizona is a toss up we are f**ked.

If you honestly think WSU is a “toss-up” I guess you’re right.   WSU’s defense sucks, however, Utes should be invigorated with the clarity on Rising as starting QB and they should roll!