Utes can reclaim spotlight against No. 13 USC

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nearly 312 seasons have passed since Utah stole the national spotlight with its Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama.

Since then, the Utes haven’t fared so well against the best of the best.

They have gone just 2-5 against Top 25 opponents, including a pair of lopsided losses to TCU and another to Boise State.

There’s little question what Thursday night’s nationally televised matchup with No. 13 Southern California means.

Utah quarterback Jon Hays calls it “huge,” not only because the Utes need to bounce back from a blowout loss in their Pac-12 opener before the bye. But they want to show skeptics they still are capable of playing with the best — even if USC is no longer ranked No. 1 overall.