Is Utah Serious About College Football?
There’s been a lingering question amongst those in the College Football world that should be asked by those who cover the Pac 12. Sadly, those questions won’t be asked by those in the media because they don’t want to rock the boat or are just following a PR Firm’s direction on futile attempts to flip the narrative.
The pressing question I have is directed towards the most rabid and loyal fan base in the Pac 12. It’s a question that should be asked of their Board of Trustees:
Is Utah serious about College Football?
Why would I ask the reigning champion of the so-called “Conference of Champions” who is poised to make a run towards the Playoff this season? The lack of leadership from the Utes brass has spoken volumes about how they view themselves in the larger college football world.
Utah, its alumni, and fan base have much more in common with the likes of Baylor, Iowa State, and Texas Tech than they do with Cal, Oregon, and Stanford. I’ve witnessed firsthand at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City that passion and it belongs with those schools in the Big 12.
The question remains for the Utah leadership and the big disconnect they have with the fans. The Athletic posted this past March with expected revenue of the new Big 12 TV deal to reach between $50-$60 million per school after Texas and Oklahoma leave for Mordor in 2025.
Tying the U to the west coast from this point forward will cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in conference revenue and legitimately erode chances to make the playoff after this season. While most Pac 12 insiders and reporters are either not talking about realignment or just pushing a PR Firm narrative that the Pac 12 schools are actually better off without going to the Big 12.
Once the dominoes start to fall will Utah make the trek East to the Big 12 and bigger payouts or will they choose to languish with schools that openly deride them? I don’t like Utah’s chances.
Allen Corbin
Allen Corbin resides along the Wasatch Mountain range in Salt Lake City, UT. He covered Texas Tech Football and Basketball from 2008-2015 and is currently a recovering sports radio host and newsreader.
