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The college football offseason is almost over as we are into July. The season will get going in about a month and a half, and college football fans everywhere are eager for the new beginning. College football fever is rampant across the country as we get closer to the season, but also because of the new EA Sports NCAA 25 video game that will be coming out in mid July. All in all, it's an exciting time to be a college football fan, and one fan base that is excited for the season is Utah football fans. The Utes have a big season ahead of them.
This college football season is going to be a big one for a number of reasons. The sport is going through big changes, and some of those changes are going to be seen for the first time this season. Let's take a look at what some of them are.
First off, there are going to be some new rules seen this year in college football, and some fans aren't really in favor of them. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of the two-minute warning. Fans have already started getting sick at all of the commercials that are happening in today's era of college football, and the two-minute warning is another way for tv networks to get more commercial times in.
The bigger changes, however, come with conference realignment and the expanded College Football Playoff. College football is going to look completely different next year because of those two things. California schools playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Yeah, things are changing.
Conference realignment has shaken things up big time in college football. The power five is no longer a thing as the Pac-12 is essentially dead. Every team left for a new conference except for Oregon State and Washington State. Those two teams have scheduling alliances with the Mountain West.
Every other Pac-12 school found a new home. Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are now in the Big 12. Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten. Lastly, Cal and Stanford joined the ACC (makes a ton of sense, right?).
The other big change with conferences comes in the SEC. Oklahoma and Texas are both leaving the Big 12 and they will join the SEC. The Big Ten and the SEC are loaded with good teams and seem on the verge of forming two super conferences.
This season, we will also see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff. For about a month, the College Football Playoff will be happening. Some people aren't in favor of the big expansion, but there will be more marquee college football games, and it's hard to be too upset about that.
All in all, this is going to be one of the biggest college football seasons of all time. The game is changing, and this is the start of a new era.
Utah football is making their Big 12 debut
Utah football is one of those Pac-12 teams that has found a new home, and they are going to the Big 12. The Utes are newcomers in the Big 12, and they are already the favorite to win the conference. Now that Texas and Oklahoma are gone, a lot of the fire power is out of the conference. It is pretty open in 2024, and Utah seems to have a good chance to win it with quarterback Cam Rising leading the way.
One interesting thing to keep an eye on heading into this season for Utah football is head coach Kyle Whittingham. The current situation with him is one that is not often seen in sports. He is still the head coach of the Utes, but he has made it clear that he could retire before the season ends, or before it starts. When it inevitably happens, defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will take over.
The head coaching situation is certainly something to keep an eye on for the Utes, but they should be in good hands no matter what. They have a lot of talent on the team, and having Cam Rising back from injury is huge.
Utah football has a lot of potential for the 2024 season. Here are three predictions for their season.
Cam Rising will win the Heisman
This is certainly a bold take, but there is a ton of value here. Cam Rising is currently +4000 to win the Heisman. People forget that he was one of the better QBs in college football in 2022, the last season he played. Rising threw for over 3,000 yards and he tossed 26 touchdowns and eight picks. Heisman numbers? No, but, the Heisman has turned into a QB award. Most people agree that this is a down year for QBs, and Rising seems to be flying under the radar a bit. He has more experience than just about any other Heisman-caliber QB, and he is also going to be playing a pretty easy schedule. The toughest game the Utes is probably at Oklahoma State. Rising is going to have a lot of opportunities to put up big numbers.
Utah football will win the Big 12
The Big 12 is, how do I put this delicately… not good. Utah football is the favorite in the conference and they are going to win it. The Utes have an incredibly easy schedule that truly could feature zero ranked teams. Oklahoma State is certainly their toughest opponent, and the Cowboys should be solid. However, if things don't pan out for Oklahoma State, there could legitimately be zero ranked teams on that schedule. Utah has no excuse to not win this conference.
Utah football will lose in their first CFP game
Utah football will get into the College Football Playoff for the first time this season as they will get an auto bid from winning the Big 12. However, because of that schedule, it's going to be hard to gauge really how good the Utes are. They had a tremendous defense last year, and with Cam Rising back, they should have a good offense this season. If the defense can have success again, this can be a very good team. However, their lack of competition in conference play will plague them when the College Football Playoff rolls around.
