National Championship?

I knew Nick Saban could lose. He has done it quite a few times before, but I've never seen it happen like it did last night: his team got out-coached for 75% of the game. The only time Alabama moved the ball on Utah was when Gary Anderson got away from the game plan and went a little conservative. The only time Alabama stopped Utah from moving the ball was when the Utes got away from their game plan (it happens the 2nd and 3rd quarter every game). Alabama's success had nothing to do with Alabama and everything to do with Utah.
For all of you BYU fans that thought cheering for Utah was the right thing to do: you got what you asked for. Now, BYU has about two more years where they can expect to compete with Utah, and if they don't capitalize on the "respect" Utah got for the Mountain West, they are finished. If BYU doesn't do something worthwhile the next two years (before Utah's "Sugar Bowl recruits" become juniors and then seniors), the MWC will go from a 3-horse race to a head-to-head battle between the two teams that have proven on the national stage they've got "it."
Now props to Utah for going out with something to prove and proving it with flying colors. But I'm sorry, you DO NOT deserve a national championship. Have you watched film of yourself? This isn't the 2004 Utes, who really did deserve a shot. They absolutely dominated everyone they played. This year, the Utes had to eke out wins against two teams that didn't even go to bowl games (Michigan by 2, New Mexico by 3). They needed a brain fart by Oregon State in the final 4 minutes to have a chance to win (and them going for two twice and missing it). They needed two missed chip-shot field goals by TCU. They needed 5 interceptions and a fumble by Max Hall. They needed Alabama to never realize over 4 quarters that their SEC OLB cannot cover a MWC WR. This was a great team that got some great bounces (some due to great coaching by themselves, some due to bad coaching by others, and others just lucky bounces on fumbled punt returns), not an amazing team that could not be stopped.
If we had a playoff, they could prove me right and prove themselves wrong. But we don't, so it's all conjecture. They can believe they deserve it all they want. I can believe Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and USC would all wipe the floor with them. It does bring the MWC a little closer to an automatic BCS berth, but that doesn't bring them any closer to national title consideration. It just means that the MWC gets the lesser of the ACC and Big East champions in Miami. Yeah for an automatic Orange Bowl trip to play someone who doesn't belong in the BCS.
Congrats to Utah, but don't be stupid with National Championship talk. I know it's hard to not act stupid when K-Whit is your leader, but take a lesson from your [now-former] defensive coordinator Gary Anderson: be disciplined, play hard, stay classy, and be smart.
It will be interesting to see how the Utes do next year: two new coordinators and a mostly new offensive starting lineup. Who knows if anybody might leave early from the defense, but I'd be surprised if one or two of the non-seniors didn't test the waters. Heather Dinich of ESPN seems to think they'll start in the top 15, do any Ute fans agree? Or anybody agree? They could start there, I doubt it, but they could, but I don't think in a Ute fan's wildest dreams, they think they can finish there with Louks running the show on offense and without Gary Anderson calling the plays on defense.