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The case FOR:
1) They beat Michigan in Ann Arbor
2) They beat Oregon State, who was in contention for the PAC-10 crown until the final week, and Oregon State had a major win over USC, the only team to beat USC. Oregon State won their bowl and finished 9-4.
3) They beat TCU who finished 11-2 and will likely finish in the Top 10. TCU beat Boise State, the only other undefeated team in the country aside from Utah going into the bowls.
4) They dominated 'Bama, who was 12-1 coming into the Sugar Bowl and their only loss was to Florida, who will play for the BCS title on Thursday.
5) They went undefeated in the MWC, a conference on the rise who was 6-2 vs. the PAC-10 this yr, and the Utes finished 13-0
6) They proved by beating Oregon State and 'Bama that they can "play with the big boys". Oregon State was one of the best PAC-10 teams and 'Bama was undefeated until the final Saturday of the season. If beating these guys does not mean anything, what does?
The case AGAINST:
1) They were fortunate that this was the worst Michigan team in decades
2) They beat Oregon State up in Salt Lake City. Oregon State was exposed by Oregon in their final game of the season and only finished 3rd in the PAC-10, so in retrospect, the win doesn't look all that impressive.
3) They beat TCU up in Salt Lake City, and any reasonable person who was watching the game knew that TCU dominated for 59 mins of the game.
It was a fluky win.
4) They were fortunate to play 'Bama after the Crimson Tide had their national title bubble burst the final Sat of the season vs. Florida. People can say that 'Bama had no nat'l title expectations coming into the season, but believe me, they had nat'l title expectations when they went to Atlanta to play Florida and they were completely deflated for the Sugar Bowl, not to mention missing their arguably their best player (O-Lineman Andre Smith, a certain top 10 NFL draft pick this April).
5) Outside of Utah, TCU, and maybe BYU, the MWC was very average. BYU lost their bowl. Air Force lost their bowl. Colorado State won their bowl but still finished only 7-6 on the season, and only 4-4 in the MWC. The conference got tons of play for beating up on some PAC-10 cellar dwellars. The MWC was overvalued in retrospect.
6) If they had to play Oklahoma'a or Florida's schedule, they likely would have lost at least 1 game, if not more. Playing Oregon State in Salt Lake City and a 'Bama team that didn't give a crap about the Sugar Bowl is not as impressive as it might seem.
1) They beat Michigan in Ann Arbor
2) They beat Oregon State, who was in contention for the PAC-10 crown until the final week, and Oregon State had a major win over USC, the only team to beat USC. Oregon State won their bowl and finished 9-4.
3) They beat TCU who finished 11-2 and will likely finish in the Top 10. TCU beat Boise State, the only other undefeated team in the country aside from Utah going into the bowls.
4) They dominated 'Bama, who was 12-1 coming into the Sugar Bowl and their only loss was to Florida, who will play for the BCS title on Thursday.
5) They went undefeated in the MWC, a conference on the rise who was 6-2 vs. the PAC-10 this yr, and the Utes finished 13-0
6) They proved by beating Oregon State and 'Bama that they can "play with the big boys". Oregon State was one of the best PAC-10 teams and 'Bama was undefeated until the final Saturday of the season. If beating these guys does not mean anything, what does?
The case AGAINST:
1) They were fortunate that this was the worst Michigan team in decades
2) They beat Oregon State up in Salt Lake City. Oregon State was exposed by Oregon in their final game of the season and only finished 3rd in the PAC-10, so in retrospect, the win doesn't look all that impressive.
3) They beat TCU up in Salt Lake City, and any reasonable person who was watching the game knew that TCU dominated for 59 mins of the game.
It was a fluky win.
4) They were fortunate to play 'Bama after the Crimson Tide had their national title bubble burst the final Sat of the season vs. Florida. People can say that 'Bama had no nat'l title expectations coming into the season, but believe me, they had nat'l title expectations when they went to Atlanta to play Florida and they were completely deflated for the Sugar Bowl, not to mention missing their arguably their best player (O-Lineman Andre Smith, a certain top 10 NFL draft pick this April).
5) Outside of Utah, TCU, and maybe BYU, the MWC was very average. BYU lost their bowl. Air Force lost their bowl. Colorado State won their bowl but still finished only 7-6 on the season, and only 4-4 in the MWC. The conference got tons of play for beating up on some PAC-10 cellar dwellars. The MWC was overvalued in retrospect.
6) If they had to play Oklahoma'a or Florida's schedule, they likely would have lost at least 1 game, if not more. Playing Oregon State in Salt Lake City and a 'Bama team that didn't give a crap about the Sugar Bowl is not as impressive as it might seem.
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