The battle between West Virginia football and the Utah Utes in the Heart of Dallas Bowl promises to be an underrated view for college football fans.
West Virginia football finished up another successful regular season under head coach Dana Holgorsen. It might not have been the desired result for the Mountaineers following a double-digit win season in 2016, but they had a chance to win the Big 12 Championship and took down a few quality opponents.
With a seven-win regular season, the Mountaineers reached bowl eligibility with some room for comfort. The opponent West Virginia gets in the postseason is a team that had a disappointing year in the Pac-12 in the Utah Utes.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham got the Utes accustomed to contending in the PAC-12 South and reaching 10 wins. However, there was a lot of controversy for the entire season, as the Utes finished with six wins and barely got bowl eligible.
The Mountaineers and Utes will face off in the 2017 Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl, which is played at the original Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fairgrounds. This could be a very interesting matchup, as both teams might struggle from the quarterback position.
West Virginia is without star quarterback Will Grier, who hurt his hand in a loss to the Texas Longhorns in November. Grier’s finger injury was one of the most gruesome of the entire season. Backup quarterback Chris Chugunov will get another start for the Mountaineers.
Meanwhile, Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley missed some time himself this season due to injury. He has an undisclosed injury, but is likely to get the start for the Utes. Utah should have the edge in terms of quarterback play.
Here are five bold predictions for the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl between the West Virginia Mountaineers and Utah Utes.