Ask anybody in the Pac-12, and they will say the Rice-Eccles Stadium crowd gives Utah one of the biggest home-field advantages in the conference.
Preparing to play in front of 90,000 fans at Nebraska last week, Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre cited the experience of visiting the Utes' 46,000-seat venue. USC's Clay Helton has called Utah “a phenomenal place to play, an electric atmosphere.” Washington's Chris Petersen, bringing the No. 10 Huskies to town Saturday, labeled the Rice-Eccles environment “as good as anywhere we've been. … It's what college football should be.”
None of this would explain why the Utes, beginning their eighth season of Pac-12 play, have performed only slightly better at home than on the road.