[silverliningsurfer]

Loving this copium and will be huffing it myself.

What makes the TCU loss suck even harder is that we get both BYU and ISU at home. We could guarantee them both 1 conference loss, and would need just 1 more along the way (UCF is favored against BYU right now for some reason…). I think the CCG is out of reach this season but they can still turn things around and have a respectable finish.

[silverliningsurfer]

It’ll be interesting to see, and I think it will depend on how the rest of the season shakes out. Not that a specific team outcome guarantees something from Whitt (e.g. a nosedive season could mean either he is determined to come back and go out on a higher note, or realizes the program needs a new voice), but there is a lot currently hanging in the balance.

If he were to draw it up I would suspect it was a CFP berth this year with Rising’s last year, and then he hands the reins to Scalley as that would represent the apex of the groundwork he’s been laying the last ~20 years. Obviously, that’s not happening, so a lot of it will hinge on the locker room and the reaction to the rest of the season. I would hope that if he realizes the program needs something different, he’d be gracious enough to step down, especially considering he would remain involved with the program in that advisory role.

[silverliningsurfer]

This is great to hear and probably best case scenario. The program has been building for quite a while now and I think we all hope that that trajectory continues, even if it’s not a linear ascension.

That said, I think the biggest concern, even with Whitt, is how his pitch to recruits will land in this new NIL environment. In the past, they could sell guys on buying in, working hard, and getting good NFL opportunities, regardless of your recruiting ranking. Hell, guys like Tim Patrick are still in the NFL, and Utah’s never been a factory for skill position players.

In a P2 world (which is where we’ll end up eventually, no doubt), if Utah’s on the outside looking in, not only will they have less money to offer, but less media exposure (let alone convincing recruits to come to SLC as opposed to Miami, LA, other locations). They’ll need to have a very, very sound program and pedigree to lock those recruits in, imo.

Here’s hoping they can salvage this season and reload for next.

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