Originally Posted by
sancho
There are two possibilities:
1) We are unable to schedule other P5s for some reason. Possible, but unlikely. We definitely have a reputation of being a tough team that will leave you battered. There is a lot of respect amongst coaches for Whittingham coached teams. We are at elevation in the west, so we aren't an ideal home/away for most P5s.
2) The more likely explanation is that it is strategic. There are two ways for us to get to the playoff: (1) go undefeated 13-0, (2) go 12-1 with a tough enough schedule to be picked above other 12-1 teams. I guess the U is liking their chances of 13-0 with a weak OOC schedule more than their chances of being 12-1 with a tough enough OOC schedule. This might not be dumb. I doubt the committee would pick Utah over bigger brand 12-1 teams, regardless of schedule. Also, strategy runs beyond playoff/NY6 scenarios. We are program building. Finishing in the top 25 matters to us. It matters for perception, which matters for recruiting. If we think we are still 5-10 years away from being a real, regular NY6 contender (and the recruiting rankings would suggest we are further than that), then playing for wins is not a bad idea. If we think we are less deep than other contenders, playing a weaker OOC makes sense.
So, I think it's strategic. Maybe we don't like or agree with the strategy, but it's not an unreasonable explanation, is it?