Utah College Football Playoff Rooting Guide: Utes are primed to make first-ever CFP
The Big 12 has some heavy hitters this season, and the Utah Utes are arguably the best team at the top of the conference.
Last Saturday night, the last game of the night was the Utah Utes taking on the Houston Cougars, and they got the win 21-13 in a fantastic game. What was really interesting about the game was that both teams were very aggressive defensively.
The Utes are in a great spot after that win against Houston with a 7-0 record, giving them an over 99% chance to make the College Football Playoff if they win out, and a 90+ chance to make it with just one loss. The tough part for the Utes is simple: they have two game remaining against top teams in the Big 12. They will need some help to fully get their College Football Playoff.
Utah Utes controls its own destiny for the College Football Playoff
The Utes have five games remaining on the season:
- @ Cincinnati Bearcats
- vs. BYU Cougars
- @ Arizona Wildcats
- @ TCU Horned Frogs
- vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
- TBD: Big 12 Title Game
If they win out, they are almost guaranteed to be in. If they lose a two games, that could be more impactful than it would be in another conference. The Utes could use a little bit of help to ensure they have a cushion.
When you look at the top of the Big 12, the Utes are the only team who has an undefeated record remaining, while BYU, Arizona, and Texas Tech all have have just one loss. Oklahoma State has just one conference loss, but also lost to Tulsa, so their margin of error is much smaller.
Arizona and Texas Tech play each other this weekend, which will be a big win for the Utes. Outside of that game, the teams don’t have a lot of matchups against each other. Texas Tech does play Oklahoma State in two weeks, which could be a quasi-elimination game if Arizona gets the win this weekend.
The matchups with Texas Tech and the other top teams are the ones that will move the needle the most, as the Utes don’t play them. Winning out is still the best course of action for the Utes, but they have put themselves in a great spot to maximize what they have heading into the College Football Playoff.
The best thing the Utes fans can hope for is the other teams at the top of the Big 12 to lose, as it will make their path that much easier.
