PAC-12 refs suck. There is no way around that. They make terrible game deciding calls a lot. I dont think they are trying to help one team or another they just are inconsistent and miss calls.
That said Utah has made a living under Whitt as a team being overly physical in their secondary. That is their calling card on defense a great line and a secondary that is physical and could have a flag thrown on them any play. They force the refs to make hard calls and start out being physical and try and maintain that throughout the game. I think it is a great strategy and I have always wondered why more teams dont play that way. They also get teams to get frustrated and retaliate which usually gets the call.
That said Utah has made a living under Whitt as a team being overly physical in their secondary. That is their calling card on defense a great line and a secondary that is physical and could have a flag thrown on them any play. They force the refs to make hard calls and start out being physical and try and maintain that throughout the game. I think it is a great strategy and I have always wondered why more teams dont play that way. They also get teams to get frustrated and retaliate which usually gets the call.