Utah One Of The Teams That ESPN Analysts Expect To Take A 'Big Step' In 2024

The year of 2024 may be the year of the Utah Utes in college football

The Utah Utes didn't have the season that they had hoped for at all in 2023.

The team was fresh off of two Pac-12 titles, and was returning what Kyle Whittingham was sure was his best team in Salt Lake City. However, we never saw the team he envisioned. Star quarterback Cam Rising never once took the field following a knee injury that was far more severe than initially led to believe. His top target Brant Kuithe also had an injury that kept him out all year, and that was only the beginning of the bad luck. 

The Utes lost over a dozen players throughout the year due to injury, and rather than competing for a third-straight Pac-12 title, they were just battling to make it through the season. While the year was a letdown, they are poised to be one of the best teams in college football in 2024.

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So much so that ESPN's Chris Low tabbed them as the team that he is the most interested in seeing if they can take that next big step. A step that for Utah means contending for the College Football Playoff, and a title.

"It's a credit to Kyle Whittingham and his entire Utah program that an 8-5 record is seen as a "down" season. But the Utes lost four conference games for the first time since 2017 and lost four of their last six games to end the season. That's after winning back-to-back Pac-12 championships, wrote Low. "As they transition to the Big 12 in 2024, don't be surprised if the Utes are right there at the top challenging for the title. That's significant, too, because the Big 12 champion gets an automatic berth into the new 12-team playoff, and potentially a top-four seed and a first-round bye. Some of the best news for Utah is that star quarterback Cam Rising will be back after missing all of last season with a knee injury, and the Utes have also filled some key holes in the transfer portal."

All the pieces are in place for Utah to take this next step. They are viewed as having one of the easier schedules in the country, they were able to bolster their roster by adding elite transfers like wide receiver Dorian Singer and safety Alaka'i Gilman, they return experience all over the field, and most importantly the Big 12 is very much up for grabs. 

Head Coach Kyle Whittingham Reveals Utah Isn't Close To Being Done In Transfer Portal

It is also worth noting that Whittingham is expecting a handful of transfers to join the siege for the Big 12 come spring. While Utah was knocked down in 2023, they are rising with a vengeance in 2024.