Alex Smith reflects on undefeated season at Utah: "We wanted to break the BCS"

The Utah great never got to play for a national championship and tried to rip apart the system

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Alex Smith’s football journey is a testament to perseverance, talent, and the transformative power of belief. Starting as a lightly recruited quarterback from Helix High School, where he was more recognized as Reggie Bush’s quarterback than for his own abilities, Smith’s rise to prominence was unexpected yet remarkable. Despite only receiving one scholarship offer from the University of Utah, he would go on to redefine the program’s trajectory and become a pivotal figure in college football history.

At Utah, Smith’s career took off in dramatic fashion. He made his first start in 2003 against Cal, which was led by future NFL star Aaron Rodgers, and delivered an upset victory over the Golden Bears. Over his next two seasons, Smith led Utah to unprecedented success. In 2004, he commanded the Utes to an undefeated 11-0 season and a historic appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, where they became the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to compete in a BCS bowl game. In that matchup, Smith was electric, throwing for 328 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 68 yards, as Utah dominated Pittsburgh 35-7.

"We wanted to break the BCS, Smith told Fiesta Bowl's Stayson Isobe. "They weren't letting us in and our singular focus was breaking the system and showing we were good enough," Smith said. "Urban (Meyer) embodied the kind of team that Utah was. He very much had an underdog mentality, a chip on his shoulder, and all of us at Utah got looked over by the big schools. We all came together and had something to prove."

The 2004 season established Utah as a national contender and cemented Smith as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Although the Utes finished undefeated, they were denied a chance to compete for the national championship. Despite this, Smith’s accomplishments did not go unnoticed. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting and earned first-team All-American honors, becoming the face of Urban Meyer’s revolutionary spread offense that would later take the NFL by storm.

Smith’s success at Utah laid the foundation for the program’s eventual move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 and Big 12 conferences, and his legacy remains a source of pride for Utes football. His college career culminated with being selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft, launching a 16-year professional career where he earned three Pro Bowl selections and led multiple teams to the playoffs.

Returning to his roots, Smith was honored as the first Utah football player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Utah Football Ring of Honor, further cementing his legacy as one of the program's most impactful figures.