America's Cinderella

At 6-0, No. 7 in first rankings, Utah becomes champion of anti-BCS cause

Steve Savoy's Utes have won their six games by an average of 24 points, including a 46-16 rout of North Carolina. AP ROAD TO THE BCS? Even at 6-0, Utah's last five games won't be easy Date Opponent Result Sep. 2 Texas A&M W 41-21 Sep. 11 at Arizona W 23-6 Sep. 18 at Utah St. W 48-6 Sep. 25 Air Force W 49-35 Oct. 1 at New Mexico W 28-7 Oct. 16 North Carolina W 46-16 Oct. 23 UNLV Oct. 30 at San Diego St. Nov. 6 Colorado St. Nov. 13 at Wyoming Nov. 20 Brigham Young

The possibility has been hovering over the University of Utah campus for months, but with Monday's release of the first BCS standings, it's suddenly starting to sink in.

The Utes playing in prime time on New Year's Day? It's more real than you might think.

"We're the least surprised people in the country," Fiesta Bowl president and CEO John Junker said of 6-0 Utah's No. 7 BCS ranking. "This is why I traveled to their first game [against Texas A&M], and why we've seen them once since then [against New Mexico] and I'm sure will again -- we wanted to make it clear we felt they had this opportunity."

Junker's game is considered the most likely of the three available BCS bowls (the Orange will host the national title game) to take the unprecedented step of inviting a so-called "non-BCS" team, both because of the Utes' geographic proximity and because the relatively young event (34 years) has a history of bucking tradition. While an undefeated Utah team would still be no sure thing to finish in the top six, thus guaranteeing an at-large berth, they'd almost certainly garner the top-12 ranking necessary to be eligible.

As head coach Urban Meyer is quick to point out, a whole lot of football still stands in the way of Utah and an undefeated season. It's becoming increasingly clear, though, that as the Utes resume their quest Saturday against UNLV, they'll do so carrying a torch for far more than just their own fans. For anyone who's had it up to here with the BCS establishment, Utah represents its most realistic challenger to date.

"I would love for them to be the first, but I'm for anybody," Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said. "If you play a good schedule, as determined both by the opinion pollsters and the computer polls, and you go undefeated, you should have a chance to play at the highest level."

Utah is hardly the first team in the BCS era to make a run at perfection. Tulane (1998) and Marshall ('99) both finished undefeated, while TCU (7-0 in 2000, 10-0 in 2003), BYU (12-0 in 2001) and Fresno State (6-0 in 2001) have come close. None drew more than lukewarm interest from the major bowls.

What makes the Utes different? Several things:

•  They came into the season already carrying credibility, having finished 10-2 in 2003 before and garnering preseason top 20 rankings in both major polls.

•  Their non-conference accomplishments -- beating Texas A&M, now 5-1 and ranked 17th in the country, 41-21 in the season opener, as well as North Carolina (46-26) and Arizona (23-6) -- are more significant than any of the aforementioned teams besides Fresno (which beat Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin). Fellow current undefeated Boise State, by contrast, must hang its hat on a win over 2-4 Oregon State.

•  And, perhaps most important to bowl organizers, the Utes' fans seem likely to snap up tickets. They filled 45,017-seat Rice-Eccles Stadium beyond capacity for both the A&M and UNC games, drawing the third- and fourth-biggest crowds in school history. Conversely, TCU, despite getting as high as sixth in last year's BCS rankings, averaged 36,155 at its 46,000-seat stadium. Tulane, in its undefeated season, drew 27,944 per game to the Superdome.

"Probably the single biggest factor is, do you clearly have a team that has an unbeaten record that becomes America's Cinderella? I'm not sure we've had that yet," Junker said. "Probably the closest thing was Tulane, but Tulane didn't have wins against A&M and UNC-type teams."

The Cinderella concept has always done wonders for the NCAA basketball tournament but would be a novel approach to football's postseason. Would, say, an Oklahoma-Utah Fiesta Bowl breed the same kind of intrigue as an Arizona-Gonzaga tourney game? If it's any indication, last Thursday's Miami-Louisville game, a similar-type matchup, drew ESPN's highest Thursday-night audience of the season (2.7 million households).

"The question is not, could Utah compete week in and week out in the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, whatever," Thompson said. "The question is, in a one-game setting, can Utah compete, can Utah get the market share, sell the tickets of one of those more familiar institutions. Nobody knows that answer."

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Besides the notoriety, the financial implications of a Utah BCS berth would be far-reaching. Normally, the Mountain West's champion plays in the Liberty Bowl, which pays out $1.35 million. A Fiesta invite would garner somewhere in the neighborhood of $14 million, which would be split by all eight league schools. That's like found money for eight appreciative athletic departments.

Then there's the benefit for the university itself. The amount of publicity generated by both the game and the hoopla surrounding it would amount to millions of dollars in free advertising for the school and, most likely, a significant spike in potential applicants.

"People aren't going to come [to Utah] because we won a bowl," university president Michael K. Young said. "But more people may look, and that would be terrific."

All this, of course, is moot unless the Utes win their remaining five games, which, despite what casual observers might think, won't be easy. So far, their two conference contests, against Air Force and New Mexico, have been decided by a closer margin (17.5 points) than their three games against BCS foes (22.3). Among the remaining dates are a trips to San Diego State, which nearly knocked off Michigan, and Wyoming, which is 4-0 at home and beat Ole Miss.

"To think we can make it through this conference [undefeated] is unrealistic, Meyer said. "I think it's great discussion for fans and media, but there's no pressure on this team to go undefeated."

The third ... er, fourth Saturday in October

It's hard to imagine a game having more personal stakes than Saturday's Alabama-Tennessee tilt does for Vols head coach Phillip Fulmer.

A native son and former UT player who knows well the rivalry's history, Fulmer always has taken particular satisfaction in beating the Crimson Tide -- which he's done nine of the past 10 years -- but there's even more incentive this season. For much of the past year, he's been at the center of an ugly war of words in which two pro-'Bama lawyers accused the coach of conspiring to bring down the Tide's program through his secret involvement in the NCAA's investigation of the school. The feud reached a crescendo at July's SEC Media Days, in which Fulmer, participating by teleconference due to concern he'd be served a subpoena if he attended the Birmingham, Ala., event in person, delivered an angry tirade.

If Fulmer is using it as motivation this week, though, he isn't saying. "I haven't spent any time worrying about it,'' he said.

And the nominees are ... who?

It's the time of year when nominations for some of college football's individual awards get officially pared down, and without failure, the voters make a couple choices that leave you scratching your head.

For instance, among the 12 recently announced semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker, was Miami's Leon Williams, who has had 11 tackles in four games this season, well behind teammates Tavares Gooden or Roger McIntosh. Georgia's Odell Thurman also made the list despite missing his team's first three games.

Meanwhile, Lombardi voters tabbed USC defensive tackle Shaun Cody but left off teammate Mike Patterson, who's been more dominant this season.

Injury news

Iowa is going through running backs like Spinal Tap did drummers. Saturday at Penn State, walk-on Sam Brownlee will become the fifth different tailback to start this season. The first three tore ACLs and the fourth, Marques Simmons, is out with an ankle injury. ... Northwestern DE Loren Howard, initially expected to miss the season following late-August ankle surgery, will return for Saturday's game at Wisconsin. The junior had eight sacks last season and was a preseason All-Big Ten selection. ... Similarly, Virginia Tech LB Xavier Adibi, feared lost after the Hokies' first game against USC with a torn biceps tendon, has been cleared to return. ... Oklahoma State has lost its best pass-rusher, freshman Nathan Peterson, for the season with a torn ACL.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.