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 as they have a good amount of talent coming back. However, two of their best and most intriguing returners didn't even play last season.
Cam Rising, QB
We've already talked about Cam Rising a little bit, but he is the X-factor for this Utah football team in 2024. The Utes had a championship level defense in 2023 and it kept them in a lot of games, but their offense just wasn't able to score enough points in their most important games of the season. They missed Rising a lot, but he will be back this season.
The last season that Cam Rising played in was the 2022 season. He had a good year as he ended up throwing for over 3,000 yards, and he tossed 26 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions. He was unfortunately injured at the end of the year, and it caused him to miss all of last year. This recovery has taken awhile, but it should end up being worth the wait as Rising seems poised for a big 2024 season.
Brant Kuithe, TE
Another player that the Utah football team missed last season is tight end Brant Kuithe. Kuithe is in a similar boat as Cam Rising. He tore his ACL during the 2022 season, and he had to miss all of last year. He is another extremely talented and experienced player that will be back with the Utes in 2024. He has been with the program since the 2018 season, so this will be his sixth year playing, and his seventh season in the program. The experience is certainly there.
Before getting injured, Brant Kuithe was having a lot of success with this Utah football team. His last full year was in 2021, and he hauled in 50 receptions for 611 yards and six touchdowns. He is a big part of this offense, and it will be huge for Utah to have him back this season.
Not having Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe hurt this Utah football team a lot last year. Their offense is what held them back, but with Rising and Kuithe returning this year, the Utes should be good on that side of the ball if those two stay healthy.
Follow Us
Subscribe
