Who do we want to win between TDS and USC?

[Utebeam]

Honest question, what is better for Utah, a USC team that destroys BYU, barely beats them, or loses in a close game? Part of me wants USC to lose and give up on the season when they play the U. I just can’t stand the thought of hearing the sounds coming out of Provo if that were to happen.

[Tony (admin)]

Is there a way both teams can lose?

 

[Utebeam]

^^^^^^^^^This!

[Chidojuan]

If they break the record and go to 8th overtime, then I’d consider that as both teams losing.  Would be good for us as well, as they’ll be feeling that one for the rest of the season.

[ladyinred]

You know tds never loses, they only have victories of the moral kind.

[Tony (admin)]

I think it’s best for USC to beat byu and be ranked when we play them.  If they lose to the zoo they won’t be ranked.  It’s better for us to beat a ranked USC team.

 

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Tony is correct.  If USC beats ybU-p, they’ll be ranked going into our game.  If USC is ranked, it counts as either a bigger win, or a not-so-crushing loss.  USC will not be ranked if they lose to the tdS.

On the flip side, if the tdS beats USC, the tdS will NOT be ranked, so we STILL wouldn’t have a win over a ranked opponent.

Whether or not USC wins or loses, it’s a “push” as it relates to our SOS.  But, a USC loss drops the national perception of the Pac-12.

On the flip side, a loss to USC won’t diminish the tdS’ national perception, as the nation already perceives them to be a WACish midmajor that no conference wants, and they all were expecting the Trojans to beat them anyway.

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

It’s irrelevant, because then we might have a win over a ranked BYU team. Well, at least BYU would be if they beat USC and Washington.

[Tony (admin)]

Then the Utes would be Pac-12 champions by the zoob transitive property. Am I doing it right?

[PhiladelphiaUte]

You’re close, but that “transitive property” is only applicable if it awards the tdS the Pac-12 league title.  However if Utah wins the conference title, it won’t count because way back in 2012, Utah lost to Utah St, who’d wound up beating Boise St in 2015.  And since that 2015 ybU-p team beat both Utah St and Boise St that year, it doesn’t matter that Utah had beaten the indy-WACers in 2019, because between the cherry-picked seasons of 2006, 2012, 2015, 2019, Utah went 4-2 (.667) vs. BSU, USU, and ybU-p, whereas ybU-p went 5-3 (.625).  And just because .667 > .625, that doesn’t make Utah the better team, because if you remember, the tdS outscored the 2015 Utes 28-0 in the last 3-Qtrs, and if you take away the two pick-6’s Utah had acquired early in the 1st-Qtr, Utah would have lost 21-28, thereby proving the tdS was the better team that year.  So you’d have to go back and adjust the records accordingly, which would move Utah’s 4-2 (.667) record down to 3-3 (.500), and ybU-p’s record up to 6-2 (.750).  And .750 > .500, thus proving the tdS was the better team in 2019.

Sure, it’s a dizzing logic, but I did spend an entire year down there in the bubble, so I’ve learned their “strange math” methods.

Hope that helps ya.

[PlainsUte]

No way TDS is ranked even if they happen to beat USC (don’t think its likely, though stranger things have happened).  They weren’t ranked going into the Utah game, they were beaten soundly at home by Utah, it took a blown coverage, a missed tackle and overtime to beat a Tennessee team who lost at home to Georgia State.

[UM4G]

Definitely USC – gives the PAC a better image to the East Coast, comes across as a bigger win if we do beat them next week. To outsiders what looks better: a win over a good BYU team or a win over a good USC team.

[Dante Guardi]

I got money on USC and we want them to still be ranked when we play em next week

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

It doesn’t matter to me

[whitlessham]

Always root for the PAC12.

If Utah thinks they’re Rose Bowl worthy then let them play the best.

 

[UtMtBiker]

Personal best for upvotes? I might be the most hated poster on the board now. Damn…😭

[ayoriver]

In my humble opinion, the best case scenario is that USC keeps their momentum, wins handily, moves up in the rankings, and the talk of “USC is back” only continues.

Flash forward to next Friday, Utah plays to its capability on offense, the defense does its thing, and the Utes win comfortably (is ala vs Oregon 2015 too much to ask). Utah then snatches their momentum like Blackmon snatches picks, and then its on to Wazzu.

Lastly, BYU loses the following week to UW, and then wins out. On the positive, Kalani dances some more, they have no wins over Pac opponents (such a weak conference…), but since the 3 opponents were ranked, it still might look like a quality win for Utah. On the negative, they will only have lost to 3 ranked opponents, so that will fuel their offseason. However, 10 is coming so do we really care?

[EagleMountainUte]

One loss USC and an undefeated Utah is the most ideal scenario. I wouldn’t mind a few other USC losses. Harlan is a terrible coach so him staying in vs Urban pleases me.

[AlohaUte]

I want USC to win a close high scoring game, maybe in OT. Something like 35-32.

[AgouraUte]

I want USC to lose a close game but come out with multiple injuries on O-line and with their receivers.

[Itacoatiara22]

Rooting for injuries, Agoura…poor taste.

[ProudUte]

I want USC to win, but I want BYU to expose some weaknesses we can exploit next week.  If BYU gets blown away, that could help USC’s confidence.  I want USC to have to scratch and claw for a win.  I hope Slovis has a sub-par game.

It is in Utah’s best interest if USC wins and in the end I want what is best for Utah.

[AUtahManSir]

Go USC! We need them to win 9+ games and finish a strong 2nd in the South. If not, we will be playing against Urban in 2020. 

[Charlie]

I agree

[ALUF]

USC

[utefansince79]

ANY Pac-12 win in non-conference games helps the whole conference.

 

 

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

I would agree, but in this case, it doesn’t actually hurt or help Utah because we beat BYU already. A win by BYU just makes our win over them look better. It’s a strength of schedule wash.

[UnicycleUte]

This logic is flawed for a few reasons.

1) Current wins are more valuable than past wins. A quality win in week 4 is better than a quality win in week 1.

2) USC is a bigger brand nationally than BYU, so Utah will get more credit for beating a ranked USC than a ranked BYU. Also, with a win, USC is definitely ranked when they play Utah.

3) This is the most important point. Utah shares 6 common opponents with USC and only 1 with BYU (not counting the USC vs BYU game). If USC wins, it increases the value of 6 other games on Utah’s schedule. This is significant, especially considering that it also improves the overall view of the Pac-12.

If you’re a Utah fan, USC is the logical choice.

 

[UtMtBiker]

Bingo ^^^

[Dallas]

SC needs to beat TrDS in an ugly win that leaves some SC players with minor enough injuries to slow them down just a little.

[utepilot]

USC wins and then we beat them for sure

[Red Don]

SC

[SalUteopia]

USC, no question.

[Tacoma Ute]

Best case is a 12-0 Utah and an 11-1 USC.

[Author]

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