That’s why I tried to post objective things by objective people. And since the O/U posted by really smart people is 9.5, that tells you a lot about how outsiders view Utah.
I certainly wouldn’t look to a BYU fan to give an objective take on Utah.
I also think you put too much emphasis on bowl results. The Rose Bowl losses were against top 5/10 teams. Other bowl games are often treated as glorified spring games these days with opt outs, transfers, and disinterested players and coaches focusing on the recruiting trail. Utah once won something like 10 bowls in a row. It doesn’t mean those teams were better than the most recent teams.
I don’t know what will happen, but I know it’s not just Ute fans who are promoting Utah as a 9.5 win team.