Utah’s Power Play Gains Momentum

The outsiders from Utah are one step closer to crashing the bowl championship series party after a 51-28 victory over San Diego State on Saturday night in front of 32,683 at Qualcomm Stadium.

No team from outside the major-conference power structure has snared a bid to one of the four BCS bowl games -- the Orange, Rose, Sugar and Fiesta.

Utah (8-0) would likely set off another debate about the system if it succeeded, potentially raising questions about how an undefeated Utah team might compare to a one-loss team from one of the six major conferences.

The Utes -- currently holding the crucial sixth spot in the BCS standings that guarantees a bid to one of the BCS bowl games -- saw two teams above them fall as No. 3 Miami and No. 5 Florida State were upset Saturday.

Miami lost to North Carolina, a team that Utah defeated, 46-16, earlier this season.

With a section of red-clad Utah students standing virtually the entire game, Utah did what it does best against San Diego State, spreading the field and allowing quarterback Alex Smith to run Coach Urban Meyer’s efficient, methodical offense.

Smith passed for 298 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, completing 22 of 33 passes. He ran for another 45 yards in 15 carries.

Utah -- ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll and 10th by ESPN/USA Today -- looked as if it has a BCS-worthy offense, but perhaps only a Mountain West-worthy defense.

The Utes weren’t as quick to put the game out of reach as they were in last week’s 63-28 victory over Nevada Las Vegas.

San Diego State (2-6), which had lost its four previous games, used big plays by receiver Jeff Webb and freshman running back Brandon Bornes to help cut Utah’s lead to a field goal twice in the first half.

Bornes finished with 112 yards in 17 carries, and Webb caught nine passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

A 19-yard fumble return by the Aztecs’ Blake Lobel trimmed Utah’s lead to 24-21 in the second quarter.

But Utah added a field goal and then blocked a punt in the final minute of the first half and scored on the next play, a three-yard pass from Smith to Travis LaTendresse for a 34-21 halftime lead.

Winning its final three games won’t guarantee Utah, a member of the Mountain West Conference, will remain in the top six in the BCS formula.

But as more teams fall from the unbeaten ranks, the Utes’ prospects improve -- even though their most impressive victory is over Texas A&M; and their remaining schedule is not intimidating.

The Utes’ three remaining opponents -- Colorado State, Wyoming and Brigham Young -- are a combined 12-12.

But the point college football’s outsiders make is they can only beat the teams they get a chance to play.