It’s always fun to “what if”. BUT, I think the worst thing to happen to Utah in the PAC-12 was Hawaii hiring Chow instead of Sitake. Had they hired Sitake, we get a better defense sooner with Pease (and longer) AND we keep Chow.
Travis Wilson was always raw, but he was Chow’s guy. Throwing wise, he was a raw Phillip Rivers. Had he had Chow his whole career, a coach who can actually coach a kid how to be a QB, I think he could have been great. Wilson had everything except that top line throwing ability.
I think if Chow stays, we beat Utah State, UCLA and maybe Arizona. We don’t finish 5-7 but with 7-8 wins. Then in 2013, instead of being 5-7 again, we have a better throwing Wilson, we transition to a more RPO offense with a better emphasis on throwing the ball and we beat Oregon State, Arizona State and WSU, if not USC as well. And if we had Chow, who knows if we get a better transfer RB/WR in that year as well.
Then in 2014, Wilson is ready to go. He is firing on all cylinders. We don’t lose to USC…at least not the way we did with Wilson falling apart, we definitely don’t lose to UCLA and Arizona.
We end that year with one loss max.
Chow leaving was devistating in the short run to the program. Instead of a revolving door of OC’s we have stability and Chow and if/when Chow decides to leave, ARod had years to develop under Chow…and if not ARod, the we keep BJ longer. Can you imagine if BJ stays as QB coach another year or two, then is Co-OC with Chow, then OC?
How different is his career? Maybe worse off, lol.
But had Chow stayed, I think we would have made the playoffs by now and our offense would be light years better than it is now.
Mississippi Valley State @ 
Utah 
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