Three Things Utah Needs to Happen to Reach the Pac-12 Title Game

There is still a pathway for the Utes that will lead to a Pac-12 title game appearance and if any team can pull it off, it'll be Utah.

They say lightning never strikes twice, unless, of course, it involves the Utah Utes.

After the miracle that was last year, where everything that had to go right for the Utes did, here they are a year later in the same scenario. This improbable season could very well defy the odds even more despite countless injuries, uncertainty in key positions, and 3 conference losses. While the path forward will be a steep climb accompanied by lady luck, if one team will tempt fate and come out on top, it'll be the Utes.

No. 22 Utah Come Out On Top @ No. 17 Arizona

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Of the 3 things that need to happen, this is the only one in Utah's control and as Al Davis said, all they have to do is "Just Win Baby". Losing last week in Seattle made the path to another appearance in Vegas a lot more challenging and while the Utes are down, they aren't out and that's all that matters. Traveling to Tuscon this week to face off against the Wildcats will be no easy task, in years past maybe, but this year, Arizona is legit. Both teams come into week 11 with a 7-3 record, the Utes coming off of a brutal loss to Washinton and the Wildcats barely scraping out a win against Prime-Time-led Colorado. If Utah can contain Arizona's 5th ranked (in conference) defense and sustain their offensive prowess through 4 quarters, they should win. But this game has spoiler written all over it so if they are to keep the dream alive, now is not the time to be complacent. 

No. 5 Washington Beat No. 11 Oregon State In Corvallis

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Despite losing to Washington last week, the Utes will be an extension of the Husky faithful this week when they play Oregon State. Now all of this is for naught if Utah falls to Arizona but if they do win, this game means a whole lot more. Washington, while on paper and in the rankings is the better team, an away game in Corvallis against a tough and gritty Oregon State team is not to be taken lightly. Both teams have their eyes fixated on an end goal, the Huskies want to be in the CFP and the Beavers want to go to Vegas. These motivations on both sides could provide for an incredibly intense Pac-12 matchup which could ultimately determine how everything shapes up in the twilight hours of the conference as we know it. In conjunction with a win in Tuscon and a Washington win over the Beavers, the Utes would still have to have the most unlikely of the three occur.

Arizona State Beat No. 6 Oregon In Tempe

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Herein lies the part where lady luck comes into play on this steep climb to defying the odds. Arizona State, a team that Utah beat by 52 goes up against arguably the best team in college football who beat Utah 35-6. This game has a blowout written on every single inch of it. But despite the incredible disparity between the two teams and programs, it doesn't hurt to have a little faith if you're a Utah fan. Knowing that such an upset is unlikely may make it easier for the Utah faithful to have hope because there is absolutely no expectation whatsoever for a Sun Devil miracle. If there is any sliver of tangible evidence that ASU can make a came out of this, it's that they've been prone to keep games relatively close with bigger teams, especially in the conference, minus Utah of course. And while Oregon has their eyes on the CFP, ASU has nothing to play for which may play to their advantage. Their young coach may decide to just go out and play football, take risks, and hope for a legacy builder result when the clock hits zero. Nonetheless, all of Ute nation will be behind the maroon and gold, and if things fall into place for Utah, another miracle ending to a mind-boggling season may be in the cards after all.