College Football 2024: Utah's Big Challenges in the Big 12

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00:00Bill, as we bring you in, Utah, UCF, like, I mean, this is just going to take time to

00:13get used to for everyone.

00:14It'll be commonplace in a couple of years.

00:16But as we go through every conference, there are just so many new wrinkles that the average

00:21college football fan who is not watching this every day is just going to be stunned when

00:24the season begins.

00:26And I'm glad you brought it up.

00:28Because if you look at last year, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, first year in the Big

00:3312, they finished 18-31 with an 8-28 conference record.

00:38So it's not just us that has to get used to something.

00:41I think you got to remember, these teams have to get used to each other.

00:44Now, Utah hasn't played Kansas State every year, and Oklahoma State hasn't played Arizona

00:49every year.

00:50So you complicate that with the Big 12 September schedule is loaded.

00:55All of these huge games are early on the schedule.

00:57So you better get used to it fast, because if you don't play well in September, you could

01:02be behind in that conference race.

01:04Yeah, it's just very different that September, you know, they always used to say that a loss

01:09in September is not the same as in November.

01:11Yeah, you're right.

01:12Because now if you lose in September, you're pretty much done.

01:15Like, that's the crazy part.

01:17You could lose a game early, but not late, but not anymore with these conference games.

01:21And so, look, it does make sense that in a conference with no defense, the one that

01:26has it is the favorite to win the conference.

01:28Utah's always good, Bill, defensively, and they have an incredible home field advantage.

01:32And as you said, with teams having to travel to play there, it creates an incredible advantage,

01:38and it's why they're the favorites to win the conference.

01:40In fact, they're plus 280, which is a huge prohibitive favorite.

01:44If you look at all the conference favorites, I mean, they are very much at the top.

01:48Kansas State, plus 440, OSU and their new QR code is 8 to 1, and then UCF.

01:55Beyond that, I don't see Iowa State or Kansas winning the conference.

01:59So it's Utah's to lose, but Bill, I think you just illustrated it.

02:03If some team was to go to their place and beat them there, they're not winning.

02:08And that's just not an easy thing to swallow if you take them to win the conference.

02:12Yeah, and Utah has to play Oklahoma State on September 21st.

02:17The reason a lot of people are picking Utah is, I think, obvious.

02:20Kyle Whittingham, stability, interior line, offensive line, always solid.

02:26Cam Rising in his seventh year, quarterback, and Oklahoma State obviously has a seventh

02:30year quarterback as well, like we act like that's normal now.

02:34They'll be solid in conference play.

02:36That Oklahoma State-Utah game on September 21st, whoever you believe is going to win,

02:42take that team.

02:43You know, Oklahoma State, you joked about the QR codes.

02:45I was actually texting buddies yesterday saying, should I buy a t-shirt and put my

02:49Venmo on it?

02:50I mean, that's where we live in college football now.

02:54But they have an experienced offensive line.

02:57They have Ollie Gordon.

02:58They have Alan Bowman.

02:59They have a lot of tough games in September as well.

03:01If you pick the Cowboys, understand that they play South Dakota State, Arkansas, Kansas

03:07State, West Virginia, and Utah in the first half of the season.

03:11Not a lot of those teams are ranked, but there is a lot of glass in that schedule.

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