College Fooball SMQ: 5 best realignment moves in modern college football history

Utah has now been a part of the Pac-12 for seven full seasons. At this point it feels like a natural merger of team with conference, much like the addition of the two Arizona schools to turn the Pac-8 into the Pac-10 back in the 1970s.

Before joining the Pac-12, Utah had most recently been in the Mountain West. The Utes were a charter member of the league in 1998. It ended over three decades in the Western Athletic Conference, which the Utes helped form in 1962.

Utah was the original BCS Buster, going 12-0 to finish in the top five of both major polls. The Utes were ranked sixth in the final BCS rankings that season. The boost into the top six earned Utah an automatic bid into one of the BCS bowls. They were ultimately paired with Big East co-champion Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

In Urban Meyer’s last game with the team, the Utes won 35-7 over the Panthers. Then Meyer left for the Swamp and two national championships at Florida. But with 10-year defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham in the wings, Utah remained relevant after Meyer’s departure.

Whittingham led the Utes back into the BCS rotation with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama after another perfect season in 2008. Three seasons later, the Utes were no longer the mid-major hanging out in the wings but a powerhouse in their own right. The move to the Pac-12 brought much more money, more exposure, and a much more navigable path into a title opportunity if and when the next undefeated season comes.