Coaches No. 4 2008 record 13–0 (8–0 MWC) | AP No. 2 Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig (4th year) | |
 | ||
Conference Mountain West Conference Head coach Kyle Whittingham (4th year) | ||
The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium. Utah was one of only two teams in the top-level Division I FBS to finish the regular season undefeated (the other being the Boise State Broncos), but after the Broncos were defeated by TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl and Utah won the Sugar Bowl over Alabama, the Utes finished as the nation's only undefeated team.
Contents
For their efforts, Utah claimed the nation's longest active win streak at 14 wins and the nation's longest active bowl win streak at 8 wins. In addition to winning the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Award head coach Kyle Whittingham also received 2 national coach of the year awards, the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award.
Utah's poll finish
The effects of this game were monumental. Immediately, on sports internet site polls and in newspaper columns, the Utes' case for a share of the national championship was made. Among the noteworthy members of the press to chime in were Rick Reilly of ESPN The Magazine and John Feinstein of The Washington Post.
In the end, sixteen AP voters went against the result of the BCS title game and voted Utah No. 1. It was not enough to offset Florida's forty-eight first-place votes, but Utah still finished a comfortable No. 2, surpassing its No. 4 finish in the 2004 season for its highest ranking ever. Utah also placed ahead of two teams which won their BCS bowl games—traditional powers Southern California and Texas, both of whom entered the bowl season ranked ahead of Utah. USC earned one first-place vote, but finished No. 3.
In the coaches poll, Utah finished fourth and earned one first-place vote courtesy of head coach Kyle Whittingham, who vowed after the Sugar Bowl to vote Utah No. 1—despite his obligations as a member of the American Football Coaches Association to vote the winner of the BCS title game in the top spot.
The computers which make up the BCS standings told a different story. Utah was ranked first in four of the six BCS computer models: Sagarin (Elo-Chess), Peter Wolfe, Anderson/Hester and Massey. Utah finished third in the Colley Matrix and Richard Billingsley rankings. Florida didn't finish lower than second in any of the computer rankings, but earned only two first-place finishes amongst the computers.
Depth chart
These are the projected starters and primary backups as of November 2008.
Season Statistics
2008 Official Stats
NFL draft
The Utes had four players go in the 2009 NFL Draft: