Utah football: 3 takeaways from nail-biting win over Baylor

3. This team has a chance to be great

The opportunity in front of Utah football is pretty exciting. The Pac-12 is the best it’s been in several years, and the Utes have a really good team. They’re also not getting a lot of attention.

In Los Angeles, Caleb Williams is getting all the hype as a potential two-time Heisman winner. In Seattle, Washington is getting all the hype because of the gaudy passing stats of Michael Penix Jr. In Boulder, Colorado is getting all the hype because of Deion Sanders and the sensation of Deion Sanders.

Utah, meanwhile, is flying way under the radar. That’s great for them, because there’s a case to be made that the Utes are better than all those aforementioned teams, but they get to go through this season with a fraction of the pressure.

This is an absolutely ideal setup for Kyle Whittingham. Every coach wants a team this good, and every coach wants this lack of attention. The Utes just get to put in the work while all the eyes get trained on the other guys.

If Cam Rising can make it back onto the field, don’t be surprised if it is Utah that is atop the Pac-12 at the end of the year. This close result over Baylor only furthers the lack of expectation in Salt Lake.