Utah vs. California

December 23rd 8:00 ET

Poinsettia Bowl

The 9-3 Utah Utes had a very good season but didn’t reach their preseason goals. The Utes were favorites in the Mountain West with aspirations of a BCS appearance. Things didn’t fall into place as they lost to a very good Oregon team, were mauled by conference champ TCU and lost an overtime thriller to rival BYU. Utah looks to finish the season on a high note with a victory over the Pac 10’s California Golden Bears.

Cal received a substantial amount of hype quickly as they jumped out to a 3-0 start and blitzed up the polls. Reality set in as they were hammered in consecutive weeks by Oregon and USC. The Golden Bears finished the season at 8-4 behind Head Coach Jeff Tedford.

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Prediction: Utah has won their eight bowl games in a row while Cal has won their last four bowl games in a row. Although it may not be the bright lights of the BCS as last season’s bowl game, make no mistake Utah’s still loves a chance to beat a BCS conference team. The biggest news leading into the game is that Cal will be without stud RB Jahvid Best which dramatically changes the game plan. Bear QB Kevin Riley and backup RB Shane Vereen will need to have huge games for Cal to stand a chance. Utah will rely on the running game behind junior Eddie Wide. Wide is explosive and will likely have plenty of running room against Cal. Freshmen QB Jordan Wynn plays with poise and should have a better grasp of the passing game with considerable practice time since their last game. Wynn will manage the game effectively; Wide will have a huge game and the Utah defense will dominate throughout. Utah 34 Cal 23

By: Scott Dryden
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer