Best team in the history of the MWC

[YOhio]

You're a shameless instigator.

Call me what you want. I guess I'm just surprised you'd take that from SU is all.

[DrumNFeather]

That was a brutal game. Watching Ned Stearns and Reno try to fill the shoes of Luke wasn't pretty. Still though, that season had a lot of fun games. The Tulane, Reno, AFA beatdowns, the Miss State game, the Utah win. I loved watching Luke run. It was also a weird season because of 9-11, with games being canceled and play on into December.

IIRC Mississippi St. was ranked in the top 25 when BYU would've played them, then the game got moved back and they ended up having a bad season.

[Hot Lunch]

So, moderators, whack the thread!

Look, people do this all the time. Usually they start by looking at who beat whom and rankings.

I understand people do it all the time. I am not saying you shouldn't. This is what is fun about sports. You have brought up many valid points as to why the Ute '08 should be considered the best team. I agree with you and funk they had the Best Season. You have also failed mentioned some things that others would consider reasons on why that are not declaring them the top tam of all time.

Some that come to mind are the way they barely beat a horrible Michigan team and below average New Mexico team on the road. They squeaked by Air Force on the road as well. The 2 missed chip shot field goals by the TCU kicker at home to win that game.

[SeattleUte]

Fair enough.

But are being the best team and having the best season mutually exclusive?

No. I think they are the same thing. Once you get away from who had the best season it's like judging the swim suit competition in a beauty pagent.

[il Padrino Ute]

Call me what you want. I guess I'm just surprised you'd take that from SU is all.

My one New Year's resolution is to be more willing to cower at any and all condescension directed my way.

[TheBYUGuy]

That screen pass to Rykert in the bowl game was pretty sweet.

It was a lateral, not really a screen pass. And the fact that Crowton stole that from the MAFU playbook spoke volumes about his coaching destiny.

EDIT: Crap, I'm a hack. One of these days I'll learn to actually read the thread before I start posting in it.

[TheBYUGuy]

Guess what, you funker, the AP poll, the USA Today poll, every computer including most notably the BSC computers, SAYS YOU'RE WRONG.

Let the record state that SU believes the 1984 BYU team to be the best ever from the WAC/MWC/State of Utah. I don't necessarily agree, BTW, but he is entitled to use his own system to evaluate.

[il Padrino Ute]

No. I think they are the same thing. Once you get away from who had the best season it's like judging the swim suit competition in a beauty pagent.

I'll admit that I tend to use the term "mutually exclusive" incorrectly and this appears to be the case this time.

So, you're saying that having the best season = being the best team, correct?

I don't know if that's necessarily true. The '08 team beat better teams on the way to 13-0, but there were a few games that came down to the last play or couple of plays of the game before it was decided. The '04 team left no doubt that they were the better team on the field in each game.

My vote it for the '04 team as the best and the '08 team is a close 2nd.

[OrangeUte]

If I was ranking the teams by quality of the teams (which teams would win if they played on the field)

1) 2004 Utah
2) 2009 TCU
3) 2008 Utah

If I was ranking which teams had the best season

1) 2004 Utah
2) 2008 Utah
3) 2009 TCU

agree... based on talent, the first ranking. based on impact and successful season, the second ranking.

[SeattleUte]

agree... based on talent, the first ranking. based on impact and successful season, the second ranking.

Explain, please. Even funk has now admitted that the 2008 Utes had a better season than the 2004 Utes, based on tangible evidence like computer rankings, human rankings, who they beat, how many ranked teams they beat includng top ten teams (per the final rankings as well as when the games occurred), where they won their bowl game, etc.

What's your evidence for 2004 being a more successful season than 2008? Still small voice, a feeling?

What I don't get--apart from the evidence--is why any Ute fan would, for self-interested reasons, not want to support the current coaching staff and advocate for 2008. Why do they defend a carpetbagger like Urban Meyer over a guy with Whit's history and ongoing dedication to the university? WHy isn't it better for today's recruiting, etc. that the public perception be that Utah's current coach had a season for the ages, even surpassing the vaunted Urban Meyer?

I agree with BYU fans about this much: Ute fans are stupid!

(OrangeUte also said that Cincinnati was better than Florida this year. How embarrassing for him.)

[statman]

That was a brutal game. Watching Ned Stearns and Reno try to fill the shoes of Luke wasn't pretty. Still though, that season had a lot of fun games. The Tulane, Reno, AFA beatdowns, the Miss State game, the Utah win. I loved watching Luke run. It was also a weird season because of 9-11, with games being canceled and play on into December.

My ears are still ringing from the trip to Mississippi State. Damned cowbells...

[statman]

What's your evidence for 2004 being a more successful season than 2008?

2004 team DESTROYED their opposition. they didn't have the greatest schedule, and got jobbed by their bowl opponent. They dismantled Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl and got exactly ZERO bump in the polls for doing so. They were jobbed - should've finished higher than 6th.

2008 team had a fantastic marquee win but had a couple games that they had no business winning (notably - TCU & Oregon State, but also with surprising close finishes with NM and AFA).

[Hot Lunch]

2004 team DESTROYED their opposition. they didn't have the greatest schedule, and got jobbed by their bowl opponent. They dismantled Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl and got exactly ZERO bump in the polls for doing so. They were jobbed - should've finished higher than 6th.

.

The thing that hurt the '04 team in the polls is that during the same year 3 other teams finished the season undefeated. Except for this year, I can't thing of another year where that happened. And, after the the bowl games they were 1 of 3 teams still undefeated.

[SeattleUte]

2004 team DESTROYED their opposition. they didn't have the greatest schedule, and got jobbed by their bowl opponent. They dismantled Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl and got exactly ZERO bump in the polls for doing so. They were jobbed - should've finished higher than 6th.

2008 team had a fantastic marquee win but had a couple games that they had no business winning (notably - TCU & Oregon State, but also with surprising close finishes with NM and AFA).

So your only evidence is MOV against unranked teams. Thanks for participating.

[TheBYUGuy]

What I don't get--apart from the evidence--is why any Ute fan would, for self-interested reasons, not want to support the current coaching staff and advocate for 2008. Why do they defend a carpetbagger like Urban Meyer over a guy with Whit's history and ongoing dedication to the university? WHy isn't it better for today's recruiting, etc. that the public perception be that Utah's current coach had a season for the ages, even surpassing the vaunted Urban Meyer?

Politics shouldn't factor into an objective discussion about which historical team turned out to be better on the field. The fact that Whit is the current coach doesn't make the 2008 team better than 2004. In fact, it shouldn't matter who the coach was at all if we're talking about which team was better.