Where national analysts put Utah in latest bowl projections

Utes took a hit after losing to Arizona last Saturday night

Sep 28, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of Rice-Eccles Stadium at the start of the fourth quarter between the Utah Utes and the Arizona Wildcats. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As the college football season progresses, it’s always intriguing to see how national pundits project postseason destinations for various teams. Last week’s chaotic results in the Big 12 further shaped these projections. There were a few results that added complexity to an already unpredictable college football landscape.

With many games still left in the season, these projections are far from final and are made in the context of the current standings and performances. Two weeks ago, Utah was widely seen as a strong contender for the College Football Playoff. In fact, the Utes were projected to make the CFP by five major national outlets. However, following Utah’s 23-10 loss to Arizona at Rice-Eccles Stadium last weekend, their CFP outlook has taken a significant hit. Now, only one national predictor still has Utah in the mix for the CFP, signaling a major shift in expectations.

Among the projections, Jerry Palm of CBS Sports still views Utah optimistically, placing them in the Fiesta Bowl as a No. 4 seed in the CFP quarterfinals. This is perhaps the best-case scenario for the Utes and shows faith in their ability to rebound and finish the season strong.

Others, like Brad Crawford from 247 Sports and Mark Schlabach from ESPN, see Utah heading to the Alamo Bowl, where both predict a matchup against USC. Meanwhile, Brett McMurphy from Action Network and Erick Smith from USA Today forecast a Holiday Bowl appearance for Utah, against SMU and Duke, respectively.

On the less favorable end, Kyle Bonagura from ESPN has Utah projected to play in the Sun Bowl against Boston College. This would represent a significant drop from CFP aspirations and would reflect an underwhelming end to the Utes’ season.

Interestingly, Utah’s fate may be influenced by their remaining games against other teams in the Big 12 playoff conversation, including Kansas State, Iowa State, and BYU. As the regular season winds down, these matchups will play a crucial role in determining where Utah, and other Big 12 teams, will land in the postseason.