the current Utah brand is not good enough or won't improve the Big 12.

2015, 2016, 2017 Utah probably wouldn't have. They'd be in the middle...just as your data suggests. Just another decent P5.

As Utah continued winning at a level of consistency no one else seems to have outside the blue bloods, they started getting 4-5 guys drafted, started blowing out P12 teams — then getting to the national, playoff potential map in 2019; that's all where they elevated the brand.

That's when you started to see Utah on par — sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, some of the larger brands like Baylor or Oklahoma. Well ahead of other mid-tier P5s.

Last year, coming off Jordan's tragedy, winning the P12, playing the style of football they have, beating #3 soundly (twice) and starting in nearly everyone's top 10 for 2022, you started to see Utah distinguish itself nationally.

Again, if Utah's brand isn't good enough for the Big 12, then why are they ranked higher going into next season than all of the other Big 12 schools and potential candidates? Maybe ranked behind one or two maximum in the last two full seasons. That's a school that looks like it can compete at the top.

I don't see that on par with USU or even Kansas or Texas Tech. That's far more in line with Baylor, Ok State, Oregon. The top brands in the Big/Pac.