3. Cal creates Pac-12 South chaos with upset of Utah
Three years ago, Cal was 2-2 when they hosted No. 18 Utah and promptly trounced the Utes 28-23 to knock Kyle Whittingham’s team from the ranks of the unbeaten. After the loss, Utah dropped six spots in the AP Top 25 in a season that began with so much promise and ended with three losses in their final four regular-season games.
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That victory was one of the few bright spots in a season that ended the Sonny Dykes tenure in Berkeley. Since taking over the team in 2017, Justin Wilcox has turned the Golden Bears into a thorn in the sides of other Pac-12 teams over his three years at the helm. In 2017, despite finishing 5-7, Cal took down No. 8 Washington State. A year later, his team did the same to No. 15 Washington.
This year they have already downed the Huskies in Seattle and pushed Oregon to the brink at Autzen Stadium. Now they are going to take the next leap with their second road win over a Top 25 opponent as they claim their first win in Salt Lake City since 1963.
Utah is a three-touchdown favorite at home, which will make the upset all the more stunning across the country. With the defeat at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Utes will wreak havoc on the Pac-12 race and set up USC as the front-runner to play in the conference championship game.