None of this is entirely new to Utah. It’s been more than 13 years since the Utes beat then-No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Utah has played in three of the last four Pac-12 championship games and finally broke through last season for its first Pac-12 title.
In what could be the most important matchup of Week 1, No. 7 Utah travels to Florida as some sort of accidental national power. Underrated in a disrespected conference, the Utes are no longer a curiosity. Their coach, Kyle Whittingham, has developed a legitimate playoff contender in his 18th season leading the program.
Utah has its quarterback, inspirational Texas transfer Cameron Rising, a fearsome front seven and the respect of CBS Sports. Our experts paid close attention to the Utes when making preseason picks for the College Football Playoff.
And we are not alone. Utah enters The Swamp on Saturday as a three-point favorite.
“I think in some ways we’re still fighting for [recognition],” said Whittingham, who is tied with Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy as the second-longest-tenured FBS coach. “We’re a program that’s still working on branding and trying to become more of a national presence. But you have to earn it. The way you do it is every time you get an opportunity on national television, you have to earn that respect.”
The next step is to be the first Pac-12 team to advance to the CFP in six years. A big reason the league lost USC and UCLA — and finds itself vulnerable to further departures — is that it hasn’t accomplished much on the field of late.
Beating Florida is important, but the next move after that is surviving whatever the Pac-12 becomes. In other words, become that legitimate national authority.
Utah is facing an SEC opponent for just the eighth time in its history, the first time since that win at Alabama. A win opens the way to top four consideration. USC is at home in what is shaping up to be a do-or-die game on Oct. 15. Other than a trip to Oregon on Nov. 19, Utah’s only road games are at Arizona State, UCLA, Washington State and Colorado.
Only six active FBS coaches have more wins than Whittingham’s 144. Florida’s Billy Napier has 40 at Louisiana, but will make his Gators debut Saturday night.
Win or lose, let’s say Utah has a chance with USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12. This might be the best program in the league right now. (He’s certainly the strongest.) You don’t have to be an insider to be familiar with Utah’s physicality.
“We’re going to make sure you feel us when we’re on the field,” Rising said. “We’re going to drive the ball down your throat. We’re going to throw it over the top. The defense is going to come with some hostility.”
College football needs Cinderella. An extended playoff will certainly ensure that. Cincinnati is the closest to him so far after going 12-0 last season before being eliminated in the CFP by Alabama. If Utah makes the top four in football this season, it would be the third first in the streak in the past two years (Michigan and Cincinnati are the others).
That’s why the jokes and jabs about the Pac-12 can stop (or at least be muted) in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday night.
“When you have an opportunity to go to SEC state, play a storied program like Florida with their history, in a place like The Swamp, it’s a challenge for our guys,” Whittingham said. “It’s important that the Pac-12 makes noise on the national stage whenever we have opportunities like this.”
Ohio State-Notre Dame: Even if Jim Knowles wasn’t brought in to fix the defense, the No. 2 Buckeyes could undoubtedly outrun everyone on their way to the playoffs. But this defense is fixed, and the game between the two uber brands on the field should not be one-sided. Not in Marcus Freeman’s second game as coach of the No. 5 Fighting Irish, who open the season as a 17.5-point underdog in The Shoe.
Duck! If it wasn’t for Alabama, we’d be talking about no. The defense will be top 10, instead of generational. But the tight room is the best in the country. You know Kirby Smart is going to run the ball, and Stetson Bennett is an established starter at quarterback, something of a rarity in his conference. This is another example of the first coach going into the belly of the beast. It’s probably a good idea that new Oregon coach Dan Lanning — Georgia’s former superstar defensive coordinator — hasn’t identified his starting quarterback. “I know who the pitcher is going to be,” Smart said. Count on transfer Bo Nix, a three-year starter at Auburn, to get the nod for the Ducks’ No. 11. In three starts — all losses — against the Bulldogs, Nix was below his career averages in completion percentage, passing yards, rushing yards.
Too many Wolverines: Jim Harbaugh avoided the old saying: If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one. In the season opener against Colorado State, Michigan’s coach at least found a way to keep the quarterback spot intact in this era of If I’m not starting, I’m leaving. He will alternate starters for at least the first two games between incumbent Cad McNamara and sophomore J.J. McCarthy. McNamara will start against the Rams. McCarthy will start next week against Hawaii. The permanent starter will be named for Week 3 when the no. 8 Michigan vs. UConn. McNamara, who led the Wolverines to the Big Ten title and a playoff berth last year, was named captain. If McCarthy, a sophomore with more upside, doesn’t land a permanent job, Harbaugh’s next trick will be to keep him away from the transfer portal.
JRP’s take: You could write a book about reviving a career through a transfer portal, but UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee’s story is unique. Gumby would be jealous of how bendable and versatile this guy can be. Back in 2019, Plumlee set the Ole Miss rushing record (1,023 yards). He had his first 100-yard receiving game last year. Pairing Plumlee with Gus Malzahn seems promising after Dillon Gabriel left for Oklahoma (when Caleb Williams left for USC). It’s a long road, or maybe not, from rookie All-American to receiver Matt Corral to AAC quarterback. The Knights play South Carolina State.
Portal pros: Clay Helton may not have been the man at USC. But he is one of the greatest collectors of quarterback talent in school history. Three of the guys he recruited will start in Power Five conferences this weekend. Former Pac-12 freshman Kedon Slovis takes over for Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh, former five-star JT Daniels is at his third school at West Virginia and 1,300-yard rusher Jaxson Dart takes over at Ole Miss.
Green retrospective: Bryan Harsin will have a hard time keeping his job with or without the athletic director he hired, Allen Green. But Green is gone and Auburn opens the season with a matchup against Mercer. An adjustment for what exactly? Auburn plays, by at least one measure, the toughest schedule in the country. Nix is gone, for better or for worse. In hiring Harsin, Greene outbid Auburn influencers who wanted former Tigers defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. If Scott Frost has the hottest seat of the season, Harsin is 1B. Good luck AG, until the class performance.
Best chance for a Week 1 upset: Central Michigan over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The Chippewas have 2021 leading scorer Lew Nichols III coming off a nine-game winning streak for the first time since 2009. The Cowboys are 12-0 against Group of Five teams since losing to Central Michigan in 2016.
Quick shots: Case 1267 of what redistricting has done to a rivalry: The Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh is renewed for the first time since 2011. The Mountaineers haven’t been the same since Rich Rodriguez led his team to the brink of the BCS only to be upset in 2007 by the Panthers with 13-9. Rich Rod accepted, then turned down, the Alabama job. West Virginia has been ranked at the end of the season just six times since … Texas (hosts ULM) is coming off its longest losing streak (six games) in 65 years, with one of those losses coming to Kansas. The issue must have been the depth chart release … There are 15 true road favorites in Week 1 in games involving only FBS teams … No. 1 Alabama (hosting Utah State) has won all 15 of Nick Saban’s opening games by double digits … Brian Kelly of LSU is also not announcing his starting quarterback before Sunday’s home opener against Florida State in New Orleans. A slight decrease should come from Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels, a senior whose passer rating has dropped in all three years in the desert.
What is the largest margin of victory in a college football game?
On October 7, 1916, Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland University 222-0 in the most one-sided game in college football history. To see also : Aaron Rodgers runs the Packers ad machine. Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, the later namesake of college football’s most famous trophy, leads 63-0 in the first quarter at Grant Field in Atlanta.
Has there ever been a 100-point football game? The Washington Redskins and New York Giants combined for 113 points in one game on November 27, 1966 in Washington, D.C. The Redskins were outscored by the Giants 72×41.
What is the biggest football win in history?
Australia set a world record for the biggest win in an international football match, winning the match 31-0. Australia’s Archie Thompson also broke the record for the number of goals scored by a player in an international match with 13 goals.
What’s the biggest blowout in college football history?
The Georgia Tech football game was the most one-sided game in college football history as Georgia Tech won 222 â0. This may interest you : When will ‘Riverdale’ Season 6 be on Netflix?. The game was played on October 7, 1916 between the Georgia Tech Engineers and the Cumberland College Bulldogs at Grant Field (now part of Bobby Dodd Stadium) in Atlanta.
What is the average margin of victory in college football?
When you get down to the nitty-gritty, there are some nuances: the median margin of victory is 11 in college basketball, compared to 15 in college football. Read also : The 25 Most Intriguing College Football Teams in 2022.
Why do college footballs have stripes?
At most levels of the game (especially not the NFL), white lines are drawn on both ends of the ball, halfway down the perimeter, to improve visibility at night and also to distinguish college football from professional football.
Why are there no stripes on NFL balls?
Why are college and NFL footballs different?
The NFL ball has no stripes, but the college ball has two white ones painted halfway up, and although all college footballs have stripes, the balls vary slightly from team to team. It’s not like the consistency of the NFL, where every team gets the same ball.
When did the NFL stop using striped footballs?
White footballs have been used for night games since 1956 and eventually evolved into special night footballs with white stripes. However, the NFL banned these balls in 1976 because the paint made them too slick.
What do stripes mean on a football?
Football players often use black lines called “eye black” for games. The black lines are supposed to prevent light glare by absorbing it.
What percentage of college football players actually graduate?
That remains unchanged from 2020. Division I athletes also maintained the same national graduation rate as last year — 69 percent — which is one percentage point higher than the overall student body.
How many college football players get degrees? The study notes that the number of football graduates has generally decreased as well. In 2019, bowl-bound teams graduated 79.1% of athletes. That dropped to 78% this year. “The academic performance of FBS student-athletes has declined this year,” Lapchick said.
Do college football players have to graduate?
The Importance of Education for Life After the NFL Never forget that an average NFL career only lasts three years. So, the professional football player had to get his degree when he had the chance.
What percentage of college athletes get a degree?
The graduation rate of NCAA student-athletes is at an all-time high. According to a study on the NCAA website, the graduation success rate for NCAA Division I reached 90%, the graduation rate for Division II was 74%, and Division III was 87%.
How many college athletes actually graduate?
The federal graduation rate, however, remains the only measure for comparing student-athletes to the general student body. Using this measure, student-athletes graduate at the same rate as college students: 69%.
