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CFP Prediction: Utah Rising to No. 20 in Top 25 Countdown

· Aug 05 - 6 minutes read

Quarterback Cameron Rising returns after missing the 2023 season as a result of injury.
Utah, which is 25-6 as a favorite in the last three seasons, could be favored in every game during the regular season.
Eight starters are back for a team that was in the top three in the Pac-12 in total defense and scoring defense last season.
Check out the reasons why Utah is at No. 20 in the BetUS list of the Top 25 college football teams in 2024.

Utah’s offense never recovered after starting quarterback Cameron Rising and receiver Brant Kuithe missed the entire 2023 season. As Utah moves from the Pac-12 to the Big 12, both Rising and Kuithe are back and the Utes are listed by the college football odds as the team to beat.

CFP Prediction: Utah Rising to No. 20 in Top 25 Countdown — Cameron Rising #7 of the Utah Utes - Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Utah won two of the final three Pac-12 championship games and now looks to continue that success as one of the four former Pac-12 programs to join the Big 12.

Utah seems a little undervalued at +200 to make the College Football Playoff field since the Big 12 champion is likely to be among the teams in the field as the CFP expanded from four to 12 teams. The NCAA football betting line has the Utes at +6000 in the odds of winning the national title.

Utah received 20 of the 61 first-place votes to edge out 2022 champion Kansas State for the top spot in the Big 12 preseason poll. While the BetUS sportsbook odds opened with Kansas State and Utah as the co-favorites to win the Big 12, Utah is now at +310 to win the Big 12 followed by Kansas State at +400.

The Utes are No. 20 in the BetUS countdown of the top 25 teams heading into the 2024 college football season.

Utah Utes at a Glance

2023 record: 8-5
2023 Pac-12 record: 5-4
Head coach: Kyle Whittingham
Odds to win Big 12 title: +310

Return or Rising Bolsters Odds for Utah

Rising had 46 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions while leading Utah to a 19-7 record during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Rising is priced at +3000 in the online betting odds of winning the Heisman Trophy.

Kuithe had 19 catches in four games during the 2022 season. He was the tight end of the All-Big 12 preseason team.

Utah spring game thoughts:

-Cameron Rising looked really good
-Pass game much improved as WR’s Parks and Singer also stood out
-Defense held out many top players
-CB transfer Calhoun flashed
-They love their young OT’s Fano and Lomu (both high 4-stars)
-Should be Big 12 favorite

— Brad Powers (@BradPowers7) April 29, 2024

While last year’s top pass catcher, Devaughn Vele, is now with the NFL’s Denver Broncos, Money Parks and Munir McClain both return.

Utah added UCLA tight end Carsen Ryan (69 receiving yards in last season’s game against Utah), USC receiver Dorian Singer (1105 receiving yards during the 2022 season when he was at Arizona) and Washington receiver Taeshaun Lyons.

Leading rusher Ja’Quinden Jackson transferred to Arkansas while receiver Mikey Matthews landed at Cal.

Running back Micah Bernard averaged five yards per carry in 2022 and figures to assume a larger role this season.

Utah has annually rolled out one of the top defenses in the Pac-12 in recent seasons and it could be more of the same in the Big 12.

Defensive lineman Junior Tafuna and leading tackler Levani Damuni are of eight returning starters for the Utes, although sack leader Jonah Elliss as well as safeties Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki are off to the NFL.

The addition of Georgia Tech cornerback Kenan Johnson and Michigan cornerback Cameron Calhoun should help in the secondary.

Jack Bouwmeester is back after averaging 45.5 yards per punt last season.

.@jackbouwie has been named to the 2024 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List.

📰: https://t.co/O9RFjUqUNk #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/aWLqRz3cvB

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 2, 2024

Utah 2024 Betting Outlook

Even with the loss of multiple key offensive players to injury, Utah was 7-1 as a favorite last season, although the Utes were just 4-3-1 against the college football spread in those games. Utah did cover in four of six games as a home favorite but was 2-2 ATS as the road underdog.

The Utes won three of their four games following a loss during the 2023 season.

Oregon and UCLA were the only Pac-12 teams last season that had more games land under the total than Utah’s mark of eight. When Rising was healthy, 17 games went over the total during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Utah and Kansas State won’t meet during the regular season as Utah may be favored in every game this season.

A Week 2 matchup with Baylor will be the conference opener for Utah. The Bears were picked 12th in the Big 12 preseason poll. That will be sandwiched between non-conference games against Southern Utah and Utah State. This will be the first meeting between Utah and Utah State since 2015.

Things could get interesting after that as Utah is listed by the NCAA football betting line as a 1½-point road favorite against Oklahoma State and then welcomes former Pac-12 rival Arizona to town. Games at Colorado and at home versus Iowa State could be challenging in November.

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