Stanford Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

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TEMPE, AZ – NOVEMBER 10: Quarterback Troy Williams #3 of the Utah Utes drops back to pass during the first half of the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on Novemebr10, 2016 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

In a surprise decision this week, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham decided to name sophomore quarterback Tyler Huntley the starter for 2017 over senior captain Troy Williams. It’s not that Williams is a poor quarterback, which he isn’t, it must be the fact that Huntley has exceeded expectations and looks to be a future star.

Last year, Williams started all 13 games as a JUCO transfer and passed for over 2,700 yards with 15 touchdowns. He helped the Utes take down teams like USC, UCLA, Arizona State, BYU and Indiana on their way to a 9-4 record. It was shocking to see Huntley named the starter over the captain.

However, Whittingham had to do what was best for his team. That could pay off early on as the Utes have a favorable schedule until they meet up with Stanford in Salt Lake City. There’s a good chance they will be 4-0 by the time they meed the Cardinal and having a home game against a potential top-10 team will draw huge crowds.

The game will be back-and-forth early on, but Huntley’s inexperience in big games will cause some silly turnovers. That will give Stanford the upper hand, even on the road, and the Cardinal will rely on a big game from Chryst who will be facing a secondary that struggled mightily in 2016.

Final: Stanford 35, Utah 24 (5-1, 3-1 Pac-12)

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