After winning back-to-back Pac-12 championships, it’s hard to try and pick against Utah. But with a new conference around them in more ways than not, it could prove to be a tough challenge
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah– When news broke of the University of Colorado hiring Deion Sanders as their new head coach, it sent shockwaves west of the Rockies. For years, the Pac-12 has been the butt of the Power Five in the NCAA. Facing dwindling attendance and viewership, a loss of talent, and its two flagship teams departing in 2024 to greener pastures, the conference was teetering on the edge.
Now, the conference has a sense of revitalized life, with talent pouring into Boulder by way of high-school recruits and the transfer portal. This is tantalizing news for the Utah Utes who have the honor of being back-to-back Pac-12 champions. With fresh competition across state lines, a growing sense of the demise of the conference, and more player skill than ever, how will Utah fare in what has grown to be one of the more hotly contested early preseason speculation battles yet?
Led by senior quarterback Cam Rising, the Utah Utes have dominated the Pac-12 scene with pure talent in the Wasatch Mountains for a two-peat. Rising led the Utes to a 10-4 season in 2022 and a 7-2 conference record. The Utes ended up making it back to the Rose Bowl for the second season in a row losing to Penn State in a 35-21 shootout.
The Utah offense has consistently been one of the better offenses in the Pac-12, anchored by a stout defense on the other side. Yet, one position was constantly a standout in 2022. The Utes will lose starting tight end Dalton Kincaid as one of Rising’s weapons. Opting to enter into the NFL Draft, Kincaid has established himself as one of the top tight end talents to grace the ledger this season.
Without Kincaid, Rising and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig will have to rely on their suite of receivers to get the job done in what has traditionally been an explosive offense filled with fireworks. In past years, the receivers in Salt Lake haven’t created the production one would expect from a top-tier offense. The Utes have put out NFL receivers like Philadelphia Eagles returner Britain Covey but since then the result likes has seen a sharp drop-off from pre-departure Covey eras.
The receiver room is filled with young stars such as Solomon Enis, Jaylen Dixon, Money Parks, Makai Cope, Tiquan Gilmore, Sidney Mbanasor, and Tao Johnson. Andy Ludwig has connotated that he wants to use these receivers more. Rising’s imminent departure to either the NFL or graduation paints a stark need to use the Utes’ offense in a much different pattern than before.
In 2022, Rising threw for 2,493 yards and 20 touchdowns. Rising has managed to take care of the football with a 4:1 TD/INT ratio but has mostly relied on the ground game to get an offense churning. Questions about Rising’s overall health have arose after tearing his ACL in the Rose Bowl game versus Penn State, with several members close to the team worrying about who would start Week 1 for the Utes.
The Utes’ 2024 schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk either. A Week 3 game against Weber State serves as their layup but their two out of conference games pit them against two formidable opponents in Florida and Baylor. The Utes take on Baylor in McClane Stadium in Waco, a tough environment for any team to play early in the season. Moving towards the in-conference schedule, The Utes must contend with a much different Pac-12 than they saw last season. Teams like Oregon, USC, and Colorado will be a thorn in the side of Utah with new rosters and regenerated talent pouring in.
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Oregon retains quarterback Bo Nix who’s a 2024 NFL Draft prospect. The quarterback led the Oregon Ducks to a Holiday Bowl victory and has opted to stick around in Eugene– presumably to give Utah trouble. Nix’s Ducks finished 10-3 in 2022 and will look to improve on that after a solid recruiting class. Utah has always struggled against the Arizona teams, proving to be decent sized hurdles no matter the record, expect Utah to drop at least one– to either Arizona State or the Wildcats.
Colorado will be a wild card, with Deion Sanders’ arrival being a cataclysmic change in the Pac-12. It’s boom or bust for a Colorado team that has not seen much success against their foes to the West. We anticipate the Buffs to give Utah a hard-fought battle, but ultimately the Utes should come out on top. It takes much longer than a year to change the sails in college football, and no matter how good Colorado’s transfer portal year has gone– Utah has the high ground in nearly every aspect.
No team in the Pac-12 has ever finished out three years with a three-peat. Utah will seek to accomplish that as their window for making it the CFP National Championship continues to close. USC and UCLA will only stick around for one more year before their transition to the Big-10 and a couple of Pac-12 teams including Utah have been approached by the Big-12 regarding poaching them from the conference. It’s do or die time for Utah, as the Pac-12 may be coming up on its demise.
