Why the Utah Utes Should Win the AP National Championship

The BCS champion will be crowned on Jan. 8, that is already determined. However, after tonight's performance, one question must be asked.

Shouldn't Utah win the AP title?

The Utes' 31-17 win over Alabama didn't need trick plays or overtime (okay, there was that hook-and-ladder play), it was just a dominating performance by the mid-major underdog over the SEC powerhouse.

The Utes led by at least 11 points for all but one minute of the game without ever looking as if they had lost control.

Utah's defense was superb, pressuring John Parker Wilson all game long and sacking him eight (yes, eight) times. The offense was spot-on all game long, with QB Brian Johnson looking poised and under control leading Utah on one long drive after another.

Now, mind you, this is not just some scrub team that somehow got into the BCS, this is the same team that gave the Florida Gators all it could handle, a team that was ranked No. 1 for most of the year and finished the year ranked No. 4.

All of which brings up the question, should Utah be crowned the AP National Champions?

The BCS champion will be determined next Thursday in the Florida-Oklahoma game, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Now, the AP on the other hand, can have a different champion, as it happened in 2003 with USC.

Writers everywhere complain endlessly about how the BCS is flawed and should be changed or completely blown-up. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is your chance to make a difference, to stick it up the BCS formula.

Forget the names, forget conferences, would you like the 13-0 team or a 12-1 team to be ranked No. 1?

(Some time to think it over...)

Well...

It's easy to sit back and write articles complaining about how the BCS is flawed and do nothing when the opportunity shows. This is the opportunity; any writer that votes for the AP poll should do something about it.

It's really a no-brainer, there is absolutely no reason why Utah should not be ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll, they beat all teams they played, they dominated the SEC's No. 2 team and did nothing wrong, except for having the unfortunate reality of playing in a non-BCS conference.

The last time the AP voted a different champion than the BCS it was on the grounds that they did not feel the BCS champion was the best team in the land. They got it right once.

It's time for the AP to get it right again.