Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Utah would not have been the choice if expansion happened in the 80’s or 90’s. But they got their act together, had two great seasons, and were the best of the available options. Winning the lottery implies no work on the part of Utah and hence is inaccurate. It could have been UNLV or SDSU or BYU before prop 8, but Utah differentiated itself from those schools and struck while the iron was hot.