You think you could just "award" Utah the moral victory in the Rose Bowl and have it mean as much as forcing a group of third stringers from the B1G to break multiple offensive records for the win? No way, that street cred has to be earned through leaving blood sweat and tears on the field. You think just anyone can go into the swamp against a 6-7 Florida team and leave with their heads held high after a loss? Clearly the answer is no, it takes a special kind of team to not care what anyone thinks about them to lose with such pride. Not to mention the fanbase beating the moral victory drum with roses in their twitter handles/names. Do you know how much tenacity it takes to win moral victories two Rose Bowls in a row? I see serious moral victory potential in Utah in 2023 as well (maybe even a Rose Bowl moral victory three-peat?) but I'm not going to give them that trophy until they've actually earned it on the field.

So I, for one, give props to the P12 talking heads for not ever letting those important moral victories be forgotten.