Utah football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2023

Kyle Whittingham is consistently one of the most overlooked head coaches in the nation. But after winning his second straight Pac-12 title with Utah football, it feels like he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves.

The Utes are heading into the 2023 season with a ton of momentum but they know that the Pac-12 will be even tougher to win with USC, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, and Washington all likely to be somewhere near the AP Top 25 to start the season.

How will Utah fare in 2023?

A year ago, Florida and head coach Billy Napier shocked a top-10 Utah team in Gainesville to open the season. It felt like a program-changing win for the Gators who were looking to get back to relevance on a national level, but it didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.

But that doesn’t mean Utah doesn’t want revenge. The Utes remember that game and won’t let something like that happen in the opener again, especially at home.

Prediction: Win (1-0)

What an absolute non-conference gauntlet to start the season. Not many Power Five teams, let alone contenders, are scheduling back-to-back Power Five opponents to start the year. You’d never see Alabama doing something like this.

Baylor brings back Blake Shapen and Dave Aranda is hoping to get back to Big 12 title contention after a disappointing 2022 season. The Bears will do what Florida did to the Utes last season. Waco is not an easy place to win and Utah will find that out before going on a little run.

Prediction: Loss (1-1)