Utah 31, Alabama 17

2009 Sugar Bowl Champions! And in incredible fashion!

There are few times in my life when I am glad that I am wrong. Last night was one of those times. I had to watch the game again today to be sure that everything happened the way that it seemed to happen yesterday.

It did.

Utah did in fact come out swinging in incredible fashion yesterday. Their first three drives rival some of their best drives of the season. Alabama's vaunted defense looked as porous as a sponge and Brian Johnson and Utah's receiving corp were as crisp as well-cooked bacon [end of bad similes].

I'm not sure whether or not Utah's offense or defense was more impressive. The same Alabama team that only gave up 1.1 sacks per game gave up 8 yesterday (as well as numerous tackles for loss). Alabama's rushing offense averaged almost 200 yards a game during the season but was only able to get 33 yards on 31 carries. Stevenson Sylvester had the game of a lifetime and the rest of Utah's defensive players were mistake-free as well.

On Alabama's biggest news website (al.com) more than 50% of voters think that Utah should be the #1 ranked team in the nation when the final polls come out. This may have something to do with the fact that Utah dominated Alabama (the game was not as close as the score suggests) while Florida struggled against them. Another 25% think that Utah should be ranked #2 (behind the winner of the Florida/Oklahoma game). They are the only undefeated team left and just beat the team that was the ranked #1 for almost 40% of the season. I think that they should be national champions as well. Realistically, they will get a handful of first place votes and hopefully end up in the top three, but this has certainly thrown a wrench into how the BCS works. Orrin Hatch has promised (once again) to have Senate inquiries into whether or not the BCS is fair - hmm, that's a tough one.

Great win Utes!