January 1, 2005. The "little guy" could not be ignored. The University of Utah Utes found themselves among the nations elite in a BCS matchup with the Big East Champion University of Pittsburgh in warm Tempe, AZ. Utahs dazzling offense kept Pitt guessing all night and the Utes dominated the Panthers en route to a 35-7 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl win. The Mountain West Champions became the first team outside the six-conference BCS alliance to force its way into a BCS game. The Utes brought to the desert a high powered offense and dominating defense to go along with the tens of thousands of Utah fans in the sellout crowd that enjoyed their first unbeaten season since 1930. Utah had arrived, remained undefeated and claimed the 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Championship.