Utah's 2022 football saw it earn a 10-4 overall record and a trip to the Rose Bowl for the second year in a row.

Utah took the No. 14 spot in the 2023 Week 1 Associated Press College Football rankings. It placed over Oregon, Kansas State and TCU, but fell behind Notre Dame, Tennessee and Texas. It took eighth place in the 2022 Week 14 College Football Playoff rankings, six spots higher than its No. 14 placement in Week 9.

Utah accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 conference starting in 2024, according to an August article from Associated Press Freelance Reporter John Coon. They will join Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado. Utah and Colorado initially joined the Pac-12 conference in 2011 after spending the past 12 seasons in the Mountain West Conference.

The Utes saw a few high-potential transfers enter the program during the offseason. Ole Miss cornerback Miles Battle, a member of the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List in 2022, committed to Utah in late December. BYU edge rusher Logan Fano joined the program earlier that month. Both will add to a Utah defense that took first place in the Pac-12 in yards allowed per game with 325.3 in 2022, according to ESPN.

What are some bold predictions for Utah heading into the 2023 season?

4. Utah will start its 2023 season with wins over Florida and Baylor

Utah will need to start its season off strong to repeat as conference champions for the third year in a row.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham gave a promising update for quarterback Cam Rising earlier this month. Rising tore his ACL when Utah took on Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

“He'll be practicing, but he'll have limitations,” Whittingham said, via On3 Florida Gators Senior Writer Nick de la Torre. “That will pretty much be the report for at least a couple of weeks, practicing with limitations, and hopefully some of those limitations start to get lifted as we get deep into camp.

“Today was a good start and we just have to be intelligent about it.”

Utah will need to find a way to keep its offense rolling and emulate the rushing attack that took second place in the Pac-12 with 217.6 rushing yards per game. If it can, it may start its season off with two much-needed wins over the Gators and the Bears.

3. Ja'Quinden Jackson will break out for a stellar 2023 season

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Jackson, a former four-star recruit in Texas's 2020 recruiting class, transferred to Utah in 2020. He ended last season with 531 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He recorded as many as 117 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a November win over Colorado.

Jackson and running back Micah Bernard will return to the roster in 2023. Bernard rushed for 533 yards in 2022. If Jackson can continue to grow and provide the foundation for a consistent running game in Utah's offense, he may have the chance to have a breakout season as the Utes try to earn their third conference championship in a row.

2. Utah will finish with an 10-2 regular season record

Utah's 2023 regular schedule will feature a few key matchups with No. 18 Oregon State, No. 6 USC, No. 15 Oregon and No. 10 Washington. Oregon State will be without quarterback Spencer Sanders after he transferred to Ole Miss in January. It will face the Colorado Buffaloes, who hired head coach Deion Sanders in December, during its final regular season game in November.

If Utah can tap into its stout defense and the talent on its veteran roster, it could pull off a few key wins as it works through its 2023 schedule.

1. Utah will win the Pac-12 Championship Game

Utah has won the last two Pac-12 football championships, winning over USC in 2022 and Oregon in 2021. Utah took down USC in last year's championship game behind the 310 passing yards from Rising and the 105 rushing yards from Jackson.

Utah will compete against its fair share of conference opponents for a spot in the championship game. USC, who will join the Big Ten Conference in 2024, will look to make a push of its own after ending its season with an overall record of 11-3. Oregon and Washington will have much to prove before joining USC in the Big Ten in 2024.