Unfortunately, I all that matters is national perception and what the media can see on paper.
All they will see is a Sr quarterback and running back, easier schedule and more home games, which translates into an expectation of more wins.
By definition, more wins means 10-2 or better.
We can have all the context or injuries in the world, but it will not matter if we don’t have 10 wins.
Could we go 9-3, go to the conf championship and be 10-3? Sure, but the narrative will continue to be a soft south or an injured Herbert or a high turnover Washington story.
Unless we get the rose bowl and win again to go 11-3, that’s the only acceptable, non 10-2 option. However, that is less likely by definition if we’ve lost three games already.
The solve is to go 10-2 if we want to take the next step forward as a program and silence all narratives. This is my hope and then we can worry about championships and bowl selection later. This should also allow us to win the south outright and control our own destiny, instead of relying on tiebreakers and specific losses.
I get it, this is an extremely tall order and I wish circumstances were better, but this is what we’re up against and we have to find a way to make it happen. I think our guys and the staff are up for it.
Let’s get it done. Here’s to 10-2!
Utah @ 
Baylor 
.
