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Anyone who doubted the Utah Utes could make a successful transition to the Pac-12 has plenty of fodder right now to back that argument.
The Utes are 0-3 in conference play for the first time since 2002, have been blown out at home in their past two games and are in danger of their first three-game losing streak since 2005.
But as bad as things look, the Utes — who play at Pitt (3-3, 1-1) Saturday — insist they aren't over their heads in their new conference.
"We were up 14-13," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of Saturday's 35-14 loss to Arizona State in which the Utes committed five turnovers for the second game in a row. "We were going toe to toe and doing some good things. Do we need to keep recruiting and developing the roster? Yes. Everybody does and that has happened and will happen and get upper-echelon players. But it is apparent we can play with the guys in this league. We just have to play smarter and possess the football."
Nevertheless, the Utes (2-3, 0-3) acknowledge that being out of a conference race before the first frost hits their practice field does feel odd to them.
However, this season's slide is part of a larger trend. Since starting the 2010 season with an eight-game winning streak, Utah has gone 4-6 in its past 10 outings.
"It's tough," offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom said. "It's one of those things. I'm not one to look at standings and rankings, but it's rough and it weighs on your mind and it motivates you. It's to the point now where I'll do anything to get a win. You'll have to bury me on the field if that's what it takes to get a win."
Utah's team captains gave a similar message to the rest of the team following Saturday's loss. The conference race might be over for the Utes, but the season isn't.
"Coach Whitt puts a lot on himself, but honestly there is not a whole lot he can do," Bergstrom said. "It is the players' job to fix it and clean it up. I don't think anyone is panicking or feeling sorry for [themselves]. We dug ourselves in a hole and we have to dig ourselves out, and that requires hard work and paying attention to detail."
Playing in the Pac-12 is a much more physical game than the Utes experienced in the Mountain West Conference, Whittingham said, but neither he nor the players said they weren't up to playing at that level.
"It's hard since it's the first year and people are going to say what they want," defensive lineman Dave Kruger said. "But honestly, we feel like the teams we've played in the Pac-12 are like the ones we played before for the most part."
The difference between playing Wyoming or New Mexico instead of Washington or Arizona State is that the margin of error has closed for the Utes.
The Sun Devils scored three straight touchdowns after Utah turnovers Saturday. The Utes rarely met that kind of offensive efficiency in the MWC outside of BYU or TCU.
They expect they'll see more of it again this week when they play the Panthers, who are led by Ray Graham, the nation's second-leading rusher, averaging 149.83 yards a game.
More mistakes could mean another loss, something the Utes want no part of experiencing.
"We want to win the rest of our games," Kruger said. "We don't want to look back at the end of the season and say we could have pushed harder and maybe beaten a few other teams. We are going to push as hard as we can."
Twitter: @lyawodraska —
Turning the tide
Since opening the 2010 season 8-0, the Utes have gone 4-6. Here is a look at the wins and losses.
Nov. 6, 2010, L, TCU, 47-7
Nov. 13, 2010, L, Notre Dame, 28-3
Nov. 20, 2010, W, San Diego State, 38-34
Nov. 27, 2010, W, BYU, 17-16
Dec. 22, 2010, L, Boise State, 26-3
Sept. 1, 2011, W, Montana State, 27-10
Sept. 10, 2011, L, USC, 23-14
Sept. 17, 2011, W, BYU, 54-10
Oct. 1, 2011, L, Washington, 31-14
Oct. 8, 2011, L, Arizona State, 35-14 —
Utah at Pitt
P Saturday, 10 a.m.
TV • ESPNU