Utah Football: 3 reasons the Utes will make playoff push in 2022

Utah football is projected to win the Pac-12 again in 2022 and here’s why the Utes will also make a playoff push this season.

To say it was a shock to see Utah football dominate the Pac-12 and win the conference title in 2021 would be a massive understatement. Everyone expected the Utes to be solid, but no one thought they’d beat Oregon twice at the end of the year to claim the crown and make a trip to the Rose Bowl where they nearly upended Ohio State.

The Utes finished the season 10-4 but they easily could have been 13-1 if not for three one-score losses to San Diego State, Oregon State, and Ohio State.

I can see Utah winning those close games this year and pushing for a playoff spot. And here’s why.

3. Elite run game

Utah has one of the best rushing attacks in the country and that’s a great complement to a strong passing game. This run game takes pressure off Cameron Rising.

Tavion Thomas returns as the leading rusher for the Utes who ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 13 nationally in rushing yards per game last season. He finished with 1,108 yards and 21 touchdowns on 5.4 yards per touch. Micah Bernard is also back after rushing for 523 yards and two scores on 6.0 yards per touch along with Rising who actually had 499 rushing yards and six touchdowns of his own.

Add in four-star freshman Jaylon Glover and the backfield should actually improve from last season when the Utes averaged 216.8 rushing yards per game.

Playoff contenders usually have strong run games to balance out the pass. And this isn’t just a strong run game, it’s an elite one.