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ESPN Faces Backlash Following Stephen A. Smith's Utah Comments

ESPN's mouth that roars had an unsurprisingly big take about the Utah Utes.
Joe Cox|
Utah and QB Devon Dampier took some disrespect from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, but the Internet had the Utes' back. (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
Utah and QB Devon Dampier took some disrespect from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, but the Internet had the Utes' back. (Rob Gray-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Utah UtesNotre Dame Fighting IrishHouston CougarsAlabama Crimson Tide

No one will ever accuse Stephen A. Smith of being unopinoinated. Uninformed, perhaps. Illogical, frequently. But ESPN's most famous and infamous talking head is rarely caught without an opinion. Suffice it to say that Stephen A's latest proclamation probably left some at ESPN wishing he'd gotten a foot in his mouth instead of letting fly with his CFP take. Smith reviewed a list of top 5 teams from ESPN's Chris Canty and let fly.

Smith's Utah Take

"What the Hell is this team doing at No. 2?" Smith asked of Utah. "Your quality wins? I've got BYU, Houston, that's it. That's all it is. And Houston was suspect to begin with.... I'm not sold on Utah being the No. 2 team in the nation."

Utah's Situation

Smith had plenty more to say-- including that Alabama should be in the top 5, but it was his harsh take on Utah that left heads shaking and tongues wagging. Utah's resume is pretty impeccable. The 9-0 Utes have outscored their average opponent 38-16 on the season, and while admittedly not playing a who's who of top 10 opponents are generally perceived to have earned their spot as the current CFP No. 2 seed.

Plenty of folks around social media wanted to let Smith know exactly what they thought of his take.

Social Media Strikes Back at Smith

Indeed, 8-1 Notre Dame is No. 3 on Canty's list and No. 5 on the CFP rankings despite a schedule which isn't substantially more impressive than Utah's.

Indeed, Smith's pro-Alabama slant is a bit confusing as the only two teams the Tide played that are better than Utah's top competition are both losses.

Of course, that common opponent is BYU, which beat Notre Dame and lost to Utah.

This particular commentor was certainly not the only one to notice that ESPN's massive financial stake in the SEC just might have some impact in Smith's feelings.

As usual, the absence of facts for Smith's chosen narrative (that Houstin is somehow suspect) doesn't mean the opinon won't be floated out there-- or noticed by viewers.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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