No. 17 – Utah Utes Season Preview

Kyle Whittingham is one of the most underappreciated coaches in college football. Whittingham has been very consistent over his 16-year tenure as the head coach of the Utah Utes, and he has ensured that this program would not be overwhelmed after transitioning from the Mountain West to the Pac 12. Utah put together a fantastic 11-3 season in 2019, and the Utes will be out to improve after going 3-2 last year with a relatively young team.

Utah Regular Season Win Total

Over 9.5 Wins -115

Under 9.5 Wins -115

OFFENSE

Former Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer will be the quarterback for the Utes in 2021. Brewer arrived as a grad transfer after throwing for 9,700 yards with 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in four seasons as Baylor’s primary quarterback. He was a reliable runner too for the Bears, running for over 1,000 yards with 22 touchdowns during his time in Waco.

A transfer is expected to start at running back too. Tavion Thomas was a hard-nosed runner during his time with Cincinnati. He didn’t play in 2020, but he is expected to start ahead of Micah Bernard. The Utes brought in two other transfer running backs this year, so this could be a fluid backfield.

Brant Kuithe is one of the top tight ends in the country. Kuithe had 34 receptions for 602 yards and six touchdowns in 2019, but he wasn’t as much of a factor last year. The lack of a solid quarterback hurt this passing game, yet the addition of Brewer should really help Kuithe and Britain Covey.

Offensive line is a major concern for Utah in 2021. Three freshmen are projected to start on the offensive line, and a sophomore is penciled in at left tackle. Center Nick Ford is the best at his position in the Pac 12 though.

DEFENSE

Utah’s defense is returning all but two starters from last year. This defensive line figures to be solid as ever, and the Utes have allowed 4.0 YPC or less for the last seven seasons. Mika Tafua is the biggest name after winning Second Team Pac 12 honors last year, but this whole position group is very talented.

Devin Lloyd is arguably the best linebacker in the conference. He led the Utes in tackles and tackles for loss last season on his way to being named a First Team Pac 12 selection. Nephi Sewell was impressive too, so this unit should be very solid.

Clark Phillips was a very highly rated freshman cornerback, and he should improve after starting every game as a true freshman in 2020. The Utes shored up their secondary with the addition of transfer Brandon McKinney from Washington as well, but this unit has five freshmen in the two-deep. That will make them the weakest position group in the defense in all likelihood.

SCHEDULE

This is a somewhat difficult schedule for the Utes. Utah will have to go on the road six times, and there isn’t a true pushover in non-conference play. Weber State is one of the best FCS programs in the country, and the Utes will have to go on the road to face BYU and San Diego State.

Utah will have to play USC and Arizona State in back-to-back weeks after an early bye. The Utes play for eight straight weeks to close out the year, and that could really hurt them when they face Oregon in their penultimate regular season game.

PREDICTION

Although Utah are likely to be a top 25 team this campaign, the schedule is just too much to expect double-digit wins in the regular season. There isn’t a guaranteed win on the slate, and that’s a problem.

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