When the season starts we have just one or two weak spots on each side of the ball. As players go down with injuries/HC problems/academics and so forth, the guys who replace them are too much of a drop-off. A coach can work around a few weak players, but last year we were down to our fifth QB, this year - our fifth RB. Seems like the DL gets decimated most seasons.

It seems to me that Utah's comeback had more to do with the fact that we lost a lot of impact players in the game, than to coaching, strategy or the motivation of Utah. It's tough to win with a makeshift DL/LB corp or with no effective RB.

So yeah, hope springs eternal. Perhaps next year will be better. Last year's recruiting class proved better than anticipated. Unfortunately, keeping back-up players that do not represent a substantial drop-off will likely be a challenge again next season.