College Football Rankings: Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2020
By Zach Bigalke
11-3 in 2019. lost Alamo Bowl 38-10 vs. Texas. Utah Utes. 843. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 23. player
Yes, Utah dropped its final two games of the 2019 season and loses some key personnel as they look to defend their Pac-12 South title and play for the conference again in 2020. At the same time, though, the division will likely be wide open once again for Kyle Whittingham’s crew as they head into the new season.
The Alamo Bowl certainly will do no favors for the Utes, who would have vaulted up around five to eight spots higher into the mid teens of the preseason polls with a bowl bump. Held to only 254 yards of offense by Texas while giving away nearly that much ground just to the Longhorns running game, Utah will instead find themselves on the cusp of the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll next August.
Still, things should line up favorably for Utah to make another deep undefeated run next year. With the Holy War against BYU, a date with FCS Montana State, and former WAC and MWC rival Wyoming all on the non-conference schedule, there will once again be a ceiling for the Utes due to their strength of schedule. Don’t be surprised, though, if you see them in the Top 25 when it releases in the preseason.