Kyle Whittingham has to be one of the most underrated head coaches in the country and that was never more obvious than this season.
The Utes had a tumultuous start to the year, starting just 1-2 and losing Baylor transfer quarterback Charlie Brewer who left the team. Cameron Rising took over and the Bears improved to 4-3 before going on a heck of a run to the Pac-12 title game, beating Oregon in dominant fashion on the way to the championship.
Oregon and Utah met up against in the Pac-12 Championship and it was more of the same result as the Utes dominated from start to finish to win the title and earn a trip to their first-ever Rose Bowl.
In that Rose Bowl, the Utes looked like the better team against Ohio State for three quarters and then the Buckeyes came back and snatched a program-defining win away from the Utes.
Rising will return to the Utes after a Pac-12 title season along with Tavion Thomas and the third-best incoming recruiting class in the conference. This team should be sniffing the top 10 all year.