By now mostly everyone has heard the news, Florida hired Texas Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp, ending rumors of Florida poaching another Utah coach in Kyle Whittingham.

But how close was Utah to losing Whittingham?

According to a report by Brian Edwards of VegasInsider.com, Florida AD Jeremy Foley contacted Kyle Whittingham and had arrangements to meet him.

According to a VegasInsider.com source, Florida AD Jeremy Foley reached out to Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham on Friday night. They had a 30-minute phone conversation and agreed to meet in-person either Sunday or Monday.

Edwards thinks that the trip to Utah would have given Foley the flexibility to make a trip to Boise for Chris Petersen or Palo Alto for Jim Harbaugh if needed.

This is just one of many rumors that were going around the internet.  Other rumors were that Bob Stoops was offered the job Friday night and was given until Monday to decide.  Stoops then denied having any talks with Florida and Gator insider Pat Dooley said he has sources telling him that Foley never contacted Stoops or anyone else. 

Did Kyle Whittingham turn down the Gators?  Or was he just a candidate that Foley was interested in?

We may never know, but with Florida's hiring of Muschamp, Utah may have dodged a bullet.

No. 23 Utah (8-2) travels to San Diego State (7-3) looking to turn things around after dropping two straight.  It wont be easy as they face a very tough and much improved Aztec team.

This isn't the same Aztec team that Utah crushed 38-7 at Rice-Eccles Stadium last season.  They have lost just three games by a combined total of 11 points.  Two of the three teams currently are in the Top 25 and all games were on the road.  If not for controversy over officiating they could have been possibly (9-1) on the season.

The Aztecs are coming off a tough loss where they nearly pulled off a major upset against No. 3 TCU.  After starting 14-0 they lost the lead but fought back and lost by five.  Just one week after TCU crushed Utah by 40.

For Utah to win this tough game, they will have to fix their offensive woes.  After a great start to the season, Utah's offense has struggled over the past two weeks.  In Utah's past two games, they are averaging just five points per game.  The offense is averaging just 232 yards per game, 171 through the air and 61 on the ground. 

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The Utes were (8-0) ranked No. 5 in the BCS Standings and ESPN's College GameDay was on hand for a game that could vault Utah to 3rd in the BCS Standings, just outside of national championship contention.

That was just 12 days ago.  How quickly things can change.

Utah now ranked No. 23 is fighting for their lives to stay in the Top 25 and play in the Las Vegas Bowl.  They went from offensive juggernaut scoring over 40 points per game, to a team that put up a measly 10 combined points in their previous two games.

What is wrong?

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After a nightmare (14-17) season last year, Utah had four players transfer including their two leading scorers: Marshall Henderson and Carlon Brown. Also lost to graduation was starting PG Luca Drca and Kim Tillie.

The Utes hope that losing players like Henderson and Brown will be addition by subtraction, since they were widely believed to be selfish, individualistic players. Something that doesn't bode well in Jim Boylen's system.

With a depleted roster, Jim Boylen hit the recruiting trail hard and brought in many players who will make an immediate impact this season.  He brought in a recruiting class that features athleticism and experience.  Four of the players signed were Junior College Transfers and five are true freshman.

There is a lot of uncertainty when looking at the Utes roster.  Just six players return from last years team, but they do have some upside with youth and talented incoming players.

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Critics said the Utes didn't deserve their Top 10 ranking, Las Vegas said Utah was only six points better than Iowa State. The Utes proved their doubters wrong once again...and then some.

Utah's offense exploded for 68 points on the road against Big 12 school Iowa State. The Utes piled up 593 yards of total offense after a slow start to the game. The Utes scored 31 points in the second quarter alone.

Jordan Wynn played one of his best career games passing for 325 yards on 23/31 attempts for two touchdowns and an interception in the first quarter. All in just three quarters of play.

The biggest performance however, has to go to Shaky Smithson who continues to showcase his talents as one of the nations most exciting players. He had 293 all purpose yards from punt returning, receiving to even a 32 yard touchdown pass to DeVonte Christopher on a reverse.

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No. 10 Utah will face their toughest challenge since Pittsburgh as they travel to face Big 12 school Iowa State.  The undefeated Utes are coming off a bye week where under Kyle Whittingham they have been very successful going (5-0). 

Iowa State is coming off their biggest win of the season, a 52-38 victory over Texas Tech.  They improved to (3-2) on the season and are undefeated at home.  Utah's defense will be put to the test with a more difficult offense than they have faced in the previous three games.  The Cyclones at home have averaged 35.3 points per game.

The Utes will need to shut down Senior QB Austen Arnaud.  He is a third year starter and can be a threat on the ground as well.  This season he has completed 60.6% of his passes for 780 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.  He is coming off a great performance against Texas Tech where he went 20-28 passing for four touchdowns and no interceptions.

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It's homecoming week at the University of Utah, which means another easy victory.

The No. 13 Utes are a heavy favorite once again against a weak opponent.  San Jose State (1-2) is coming off a last minute victory over FCS school Southern Utah, escaping 16-11 at home.

With another pending blowout victory for the Utes, something fans can look forward to is the QB play.  Jordan Wynn began practice this week and he says his thumb is fine.  Whittingham hasn't announced who the starter will be, but expectations are that Jordan Wynn makes his return after the two game absence

The Spartans are led by Senior QB Jordan La Secla who leads their 116th ranked offense against one the nations 19th ranked defense.  La Secla has completed 51/75 passes this season for 506 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.  

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The Utes open their final season of conference play Saturday against UNLV.  The Utes will be going for their 19th straight home victory in a place where UNLV has never won a game.

Utah may be without starting QB Jordan Wynn, who sprained his thumb against Pitt, who is listed as questionable for the game.  If Wynn can't play the Utes will go with proven backup Terrance Cain.

Against UNLV last year, Cain completed 17/24 passes for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for 22 yards and 1 touchdown in the 35-15 win.  If he gets the start, he should do just fine.

This is a game the Utes should easily win, as they are 21 point favorites.  But everyone knows what happened in 2007, when the Utes overlooked the Rebels after a big home win.  Since that game, which Whittingham describes as a "crossroads" for Utah, the Utes haven't overlooked an opponent.  Don't expect them to do so Saturday.

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Never question a Kyle Whittingham defense.

For those doubted Utah's defense that returned just four starters from 2009, they were mistaken.

Utah advanced their home win streak to 18 games Thursday night as they defeated No. 15 Pitt 27-24 in overtime.  An interception by true freshman Brian Blechan set up a game winning field goal for Joe Phillips.

Heisman candidate Dion Lewis was stuffed by Utah's defense, netting just 75 yards on 25 attempts.  Biletnikoff candiate WR Jonathan Bladwin was held to just four receptions for 71 yards.  

Pitt's talented offense was held to just 266 yards of total offense.  Utah's defense came through.  Like they always have since Kyle Whittingham has been at the U.  

Minus some sloppiness with two fumbles and an interception, the offense looked impressive too.  Jordan Wynn, in just his sixth start as a Ute, completed 24/36 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. 

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The long awaited 2005 Fiesta Bowl rematch between Utah and Pittsburgh features the same schools, but much different teams.  This Pitt team, full of NFL prospects, should be much, much better than the team Utah thumped 35-7 in their first BCS Busting, undefeated season.

For the Utes, their game plan is all about stopping RB Dion Lewis.  As a freshman, Lewis rushed for 1,799 yards earning him 2009 Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors.  This season he looks to build on his stellar freshman season and make a run at the Heisman Trophy.

Pitt will be using a new QB, sophomore Tino Suneri.  As a red shirt freshman in 2009 he completed 10-17 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.  Pitt expects big things from Sunseri, but making his first start on the road in a hostile environment will be challenging.

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It's almost time.  

September 2, 2010.  The date Ute fans have had circled on their calendar's since Utah's Poinsetta Bowl victory over Cal is just one week away.  After nearly eight months of waiting... and waiting.. the Utes farewell tour in the MWC is nearly here.

Fall camp is nearing the end and many question marks on Utah's depth chart have gotten sorted out.  As expected, the offense is expected to be the strong point of this football team, but the defense is the biggest concern among media and fans.

On offense, the Utes will be led by Sophomore QB Jordan Wynn, who went (3-2) as a starter after replacing struggling QB Terrance Cain.  Although his record wasn't outstanding, he turned enough heads with strong performances, most notably with his 338 yard passing game in the Poinsettia Bowl.

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Name:  Derrick Brown

School:  Utah

Position:  Quarterback

Height/Weight:  6'3''/230

High School:  Vista Murrieta in Murrieta, California

Offers:  Utah, Colorado State, San Diego State

Date Committed:  June 27, 2010

Recruiting Profiles:  Rivals, Scout, ESPN, MaxPreps

Tim Tebow immediately comes to mind when watching this bruising quarterback play.  Like Tebow, he has a strong arm and runs the ball very well. In fact, he models his game after Tebow, who was extremely successful in Urban Meyer's spread offense that Utah runs.  

Comparing Brown to Tebow, who is one of the most successful college football players ever, is a little much but he does play with a similar style. 

"The similarities are the fact that they're both big kids that think of themselves more of a running back than necessarily a quarterback," his coach said to Rivals.com. "Derrick likes contact. He likes to hit. He's 6-3, 230. Those qualities make you think of Tim Tebow's game. He's not quite to that level yet. But he's somebody that Derrick looks up to that plays a similar game."

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With Utah's upcoming move to the Pac-10 conference, the Holy War is likely going to change.

No longer playing in the same conference, BYU and Utah's athletic departments are working to figure out how they will continue their heated rivalry.

In an interview with 1320 KFAN, Utah Athletics Director Dr. Chris Hill said the rivalry may be moved to the Labor Day Weekend to get a larger national audience.

"We're hoping to build a new tradition and maybe we play the game very early in the year.  Maybe even on Labor Day Weekend sometime because it will be a nationally attractive game," Dr. Chris Hill said.  "That's what were looking at.  I think we're all on the same page that it's such an important rivalry for us that we got to continue it and maybe continue it in a little different tradition."

The game most likely won't continue as the last game of the season, which has typically been played in late November.  Boise State likely will replace Utah in the MWC schedule when they join, which would put them against BYU at the end of the season.

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The dust has finally settled.  Utah came out on top.

After Utah's announcement on the 17th that they are accepting an invitation to play in the Pac-10 conference, many people here in the state of Utah are wondering how it will affect the old heated rivalry with BYU.

Many are saying it won't affect the rivalry.  Some are saying it will kill the rivary.  And extremest on each end of the spectrum are saying to call off the rivalry. 

Here's my take:  

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As many speculated, the Mountain West Conference will wait until the dust settles on expansion throughout college athletics to decide to expand.

"Due to the uncertainty in the intercollegiate landscape and the potential for significant shifts potentially in the immediate future, the board did not make a decision to expand at the present time," said MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson in a press conference.  "The Mountain West will continue to monitor developments and conduct its due diligence.  We're very thorough in all our discussions and prepare for potential scenarios." 

With the potential of grabbing Big 12 teams if the league blows up, the MWC will strategically and weigh all options before making a decision premature.  Nebraska's decision between the Big 12 and Big Ten, which is expected to come by Friday, will be crucial as it looks to determine the future of the Big 12.  

"I think there has been mention that one particular league has asked commitment for date specific and it could be expended," Thompson said as he is clearly aware of the Big 12 deadline.  

Expect a decision to come soon if they do decide to expand.  The deadline to add Boise State to play in the 2011 season is July 1.  They would have to play in the 2011 season to count as a  MWC team in the BCS Evaluation.  Thompson acknowledged that deadline numerous times in the press conference.

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Within the next week we should have a fairly good idea how this mass realignment may shake out.  We all know it comes down to Texas' decision, but it looks like another team will influence Texas' decision.  That school is Nebraska.

Sunday the Pac-10 decided on what plan to implement in expansion.  According to Orangebloods and ESPN, they considered staying the same, a full merger with the Big 12, the six team expansion plan with the Big 12 and adding just Colorado and Utah to get to 12 teams for a championship game.

According to reports by Chip Brown at Orangebloods, there wasn't much enthusiasm for adding just Utah and Colorado, or a full merger with the Big 12.  Today, Larry Scott was given the green light to implement whatever plan they decided.  Although we don't know for sure, it's obvious what they chose.

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Amidst the Pac-10 expansion madness where Utah was left out of rumors, Ute fans needed some good news... and they got it.

WR Reggie Dunn out of Compton C.C. committed to Oregon State in 2007, but is now heading to Utah after the Beavers grew tired of his academic issues.  He was listed at a four-star WR by Scout and Rivals.  Scout ranked him the 48th best receiver coming out of high school and Rivals ranked him No. 28.

The 5'10" 185 pound speedy running back ran an official 4.35 forty at a Nike Camp in Los Angeles where he took top honors. He also runs a 4.28 at the USC camp.  

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Name:  Daniel Nielson

School:  Utah

Position:  Offensive Tackle

Height/Weight:  6'6''/278

High School:  Hurricane High in Hurricane, Utah

Offers:  Utah

Date Committed:  February 19, 2010

Recruiting Profiles:  Rivals, ESPN, MaxPreps

Utah's fourth pledge in the 2011 class was an in-state offensive lineman from 3A Hurricane with great size and potential.  He is Utah's second offensive lineman commit for 2011 along side Isaac Asiata.

Nielson looks to develop into a big, strong tackle with his great height of 6'6". He is considered one of the best lineman prospects in the state of Utah.  The big kid can also move.  According to his recruiting profile he runs a 4.9 forty.

Daniel Nielson played on both sides of the trenches in high school and recorded 31 tackles in the 12 games as a DT in 2009.  His Hurricane team lost the state championship to Juan Diego on a last second Hail Mary.

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The rematch of BYU's controversial victory over Washington in 2008 is back after taking a year off.  This time in Provo.

Everyone remembers the Jake Locker celebration incident when BYU blocked an extra long extra point attempt to win a road game in Washington.  That was about as close to a win Washington came that season as they went 0-11.  This season Washington will certainly be much, much better.

To predict how good Washington will be you have to start with the nightmare 2008 season.  After going winless the Huskies hire USC coordinator and former BYU player, Steve Sarkisian.    In Sarkisian's first season Washington went 5-7 with victories over USC and Cal.  Not great, but a huge improvement from the previous season.

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UCLA Sophomore RB Milton Knox announced he'd like to transfer from the Bruins' crowded backfield and is looking at Utah and Fresno State according to The Los Angeles Times and Daily News.

Knox is a former four star recruit who chose UCLA over Florida and Notre Dame.  After being buried on a depth chart full of talent at running back, Knox looks to play elsewhere where he will get more playing time.

Knox red-shirted in 2008, and played sparingly in 2009 where he rushed for 134 yards on 29 attempts.  He also had two receptions for 25 yards.

This could be a blessing for Utah.  Knox is very talented and has a bit of experience.  He can join the Utes now, sit out his mandatory year and play his junior and senior seasons at Utah.  

Following this season, Utah will be losing quite a bit of running back depth.  Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide are both in their final years at Utah.  The Utes will have a void there.  They return Shakerin who's future looks promising, but no other returners have experience including Beau Burton and a few incoming Freshman.

Knox would be competing with Sausan Shakerin for the starting job, who will also be a Junior in 2011.  They could make a great duo of power running in Shakerin and a more elusive running style in Knox, if Whittingham elects to use them that way.  

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After losing the Big East in the final minute to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh looks to bounce back stronger than before.

Utah's first non-conference opponent will be a rematch of the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, where the Utes trashed the Panthers, 35-7 in the first BCS game featuring a non-BCS team.  Although this game is not as meaningful as the previous one, it looks to be one of the biggest games for Utah in the 2010 season.

Pittsburgh finished the 2009 season 10-3,  ranked No. 15 in the AP and Coaches Poll.  They defeated North Carolina in their bowl game 19-17, using a game winning field goal in the final minute.  Pittsburgh had a good season, but nearly had great one.

Pittsburgh lost their three games by a combined score of 11.  The most painful one was the loss against Cincinnati, where they blew a 21 point lead and lost by a long drive in the final minute to the Bearcats and lost the Big East.  

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Name:  Jordan Robles 

School:  Utah

Position:  Defensive End

Height/Weight:  6'5''/238

High School:  Salem Hills High in Salem Hills, Utah

Offers:  Utah

Date Committed:  February 28, 2010

Recruiting Profiles:  Rivals, Scout, ESPN, MaxPreps

An early commit for the Utes in the 2011 class is big DE Jordan Robles.  He is the younger brother of Utah QB Griff Robles and looks to add to Utah's tradition of great defensive ends.

Robles, like his brother, is an athlete.  He played quarterback, running back, defensive end and even basketball in high school.  He has a 6'8'' wingspan and does a great job getting his hands in the passing lanes.  He looks to be a force on the defensive front once he adds more bulk to his large frame. 

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In case you haven't noticed yet, Utah is becoming big time.

Having a school record six players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft this weekend, Utah continues to establish themselves as an elite, talent producing program.  

Only USC, Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma had more players drafted than Utah.  Tied with Utah was Iowa, LSU, Penn State, Tennessee & Texas.  Utah was among very elite company on Draft weekend.

Maybe the best part about Utah's six selections was they were all three-star recruits or less.   All of the four Utah players selected in the 2009 draft were two-star recruits.  Few school, if any, can find and develop talent like Utah does.

Recruits will take notice.  If Utah can turn two-star players into NFL prospects, imagine what Utah would do with four or five-star recruits, who Utah is now starting to pull in.  This feat, combined with the Pac-10 rumors could result in a very nice recruiting class for Utah.

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Name:  Isaac Asiata 

School:  Utah

Position:  Offensive Guard

Height/Weight:  6'4''/319

High School:  Spanish Fork High in Spanish Fork, Utah

Offers:  Utah, Washington, Utah State

Date Committed:  January 22, 2010

Recruiting Profiles:  Rivals, Scout, ESPN, MaxPreps

Utah is off to an early start in recruiting with already four players committed from the state of Utah.  Utah's first commit, Isaac Asiata, committed before even Utah's 2010 recruiting class had signed.  He is a local product from Spanish Fork High school who is drawing attention from top schools in the West.

Ranked as a 4-star, No. 10 guard in the country by Scout.com, Asiata looks to be a great prospect for Utah.  He is on the Rivals250 watch list for 2011 as well.

Asiata is a big, strong lineman.  For a high school athlete, he already has ideal size at the Division 1 level.  He is a very good run blocker with his ability to push opponents at will.  That is the strong point of his game.  Experts will agree.

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The Utes held their first scrimmage of spring football Saturday and as expected, the offense was superb.  

Jordan Wynn came out firing with a 25-yard completion to TE Kendrick Moeai.  Wynn, who appears more comfortable in the offense, finished 12-20 for 129 yards and three touchdowns.  He was excellent during red zone drills, scoring touchdowns three times.  

The senior leader for the receivers, Jeremy Brooks, played very well.  He finished with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.  He made many big plays with a16.8 yards per completion average.

Sophomore WR DeVonte Christopher played very well.  He had the play of the day when he caught a pass from Terrance Cain and used a spin move to take it 62 yards to the end zone.  He finished with four catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns.  His move from QB to WR last spring seems to be paying off and should land him a starting job at WR.

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This the first article of a feature that will be doing here where we take a look at 2011 commits in the MWC.

Name:  Nate Fakahafua 

School:  Utah

Position:  Wide receiver

Height/Weight:  6'4''/200

High School:  Highland High in Salt Lake City, Utah

Offers:  Utah

Date Committed:  January 25, 2010

Recruiting Profiles:  Rivals, Scout, ESPN

Utah is off to an early start in recruiting with already four players committed from the state of Utah.  Utah's second commit, Nate Fakahafua, committed before even Utah's 2010 recruiting class had signed.  He is a local product from Highland High, just minutes away from the University of Utah.

Nate Fakahafua has ideal size at wide receiver at 6'4'', 200 lbs and also possesses decent speed.  According to recruiting services he runs a 4.5 forty and can bench press 365 pounds.  He is a physical, athletic receiver who is a big time playmaker for the Highland Rams.

Fakahafua had just 23 receptions for 477 yards and 8 touchdowns in his junior season but don't sleep on him.  His stats weren't great in large part due to the run-oriented offense that Highland uses, somewhat similar to Air Force.

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When glancing over Utah's 2010 Spring Prospectus released Friday, there was a pleasant surpirse for Ute fans.

Listed on the roster and on Utah's 2010 recruiting class, it appears the Utes landed another receiver for their already stacked class, Martavious Lee.  

Lee is a 3-star WR from Polomar Community College in Southern California, but is originally from Miami, Florida.  He held offers from LSU, Arizona, Mississippi, Missouri, South Florida and Southern Mississippi.   He was ranked at No. 21 in Rivals Top 50  community college prospects in 2009.

He gave LSU a verbal commitment in May of 2009.  LSU wanted him to graduate in December to join the team for the spring semester to play spring football, but according to the team site, he wouldn't be able to join until Feb. 3 because he needed to finish the spring semester for his Associates Degree.  

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