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

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Oct 1, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon State Beavers quarterback Ben Gulbranson (17) calls a play from the line of scrimmage in the third quarter against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /

Oregon State was one of the most improved teams in the Pac-12 last season and I think the job that Jonathan Smith is doing is striking fear into the rest of the conference.

The Beavers are losing their quarterback but bringing in DJ UIagalelei from Clemson should be a nice improvement. I think this is going to be one of the contenders for the conference title, but I believe that Utah goes on the road here and picks up a really gritty win. This will be your typical Kyle Whittingham gut-check win.

Prediction: Win (4-1, 2-0)

Cal is trending in the wrong direction. Justin Wilcox was once one of the hottest names on the coaching market, but it feels like the Golden Bears have peaked and now they’re heading back down to the basement of the Pac-12.

I’m just not buying any stock in Cal right now and this feels like it’s going to be a blowout in mid-October. Utah shouldn’t have much trouble with a Cal team that has more questions than answers.

Prediction: Win (5-1, 3-0)

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