3 reasons Utah Football can make College Football Playoff in 2022

Utah football won the Pac-12 championship and reached the Rose Bowl a year ago and here are three reasons the Utes can go farther in 2022. 

Outside of a few teams such as Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State, it feels like the race for the College Football Playoff is wide open and one team people shouldn’t forget about is Utah.

The Utes had a breakthrough season last year in the Pac-12. Utah football has won conference titles before and major bowl games, even had undefeated seasons. But winning the Pac-12 was another type of achievement, as was reaching the Rose Bowl for the first time.

The Utes lost that game to Ohio State but if quarterback Cameron Rising had been able to finish the Rose Bowl healthy, the outcome could have been different.

Rising is back this season and he’s one of the most underrated quarterbacks in college football. The Utes are underrated in some other ways too and we’ll break down why you shouldn’t be shocked if you see them in the College Football Playoff in 2022.

A Playoff-caliber QB

If you look at the teams that make the College Football Playoff, they tend to get really good quarterback play. That doesn’t mean you need an elite QB per se. However, you need to get high-end production from that spot and as I said, Utah has one of the most underrated players at the position in Cameron Rising, a former Texas transfer.

Rising completed 64 percent of his passes last season and averaged 7.8 yards per pass, while throwing 20 touchdowns. He’s also a threat on the ground and with Tavion Thomas running the ball after a 1,000-yard season a year ago, Rising should make the offense really effective.

Add a really good QB to the mix with a great defense, which Utah football tends to have under Kyle Whittingham and you have the makings of a playoff team.