Utah football is gearing up for its first Pac-12 matchup of the season against UCLA on Saturday, and they could see the return of their starting quarterback for the conference showdown.

Cam Rising, who tore his ACL during Utah's Rose Bowl loss to Penn State in January, has not played in any of the Utes' first three games as he continues to recover from the injury. He practiced last week in a full capacity but was a non-contact participant.

On Thursday the betting line for the game moved 1.5 points in favor of Utah, leading many to believe that Rising will suit up this week. Brett McMurphy said that it appears to be trending toward that. The Utes are now six-point favorites over the Bruins.

Rising started 24 games for Utah football in 2021 and 2022, helping lead the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 championships. Utah went 18-6 with Rising under center during those two seasons, with the QB throwing for over 5,400 yards and 45 passing touchdowns, adding 12 scores on the ground. Despite the success and consecutive trips to the Rose Bowl, Utah fell short in both matchups.

Cam Rising returned for one final season with Utah football and appears ready to embark on his maiden collegiate campaign. The Utes going 3-0 without their quarterback is a great sign, though the competition certainly heats up during conference play.

Four of the next five games for Utah are against ranked opponents, starting with Saturday against 22nd-ranked UCLA. The Utes enter the contest ranked 11th in the AP Top 25 and will only look to move up when Rising returns.