Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
Ahh, we come to Utah. By now, it’s not news that Utah has joined the Pac-10, being the first non-BCS team to jump to the big 6 since the Big East raids. As such, this is the last year that Utah will get any attention from this blog, but we’ll be rooting for them once they get out there- if Utah makes a good showing, that’s good for the reputation of all our leagues. I don’t know for sure how MWC territory has responded to their departure, although I suppose it’s a little cheap that the logos of the Pac-10 teams appear in the Utah media guide long before the MWC schools.
But this is a 2010 season preview, so onward. 2009 would go down as a great season for at least 45 of the teams we cover here- 10-3 with wins over Louisville and California in the Poinsettia Bowl. They took BYU to overtime, but the loss meant they dropped to third in the Mountain West, the conference they won the year before.
2010 sees the Utes return with sophomore starting QB Jordan Wynn and 6 other offensive starters. The defensive side is more depleted, with only 4 starters returning. It helps that all four are considered All-Conference candidates.
Schedule
9/2/2010 vs. Pittsburgh
9/11/2010 vs. UNLV
9/18/2010 at New Mexico
9/25/2010 vs. San Jose State
10/9/2010 at Iowa State
10/16/2010 at Wyoming
10/23/2010 vs. Colorado State
10/30/2010 at Air Force
11/6/2010 vs. TCU
11/13/2010 at Notre Dame
11/20/2010 at San Diego State
11/27/2010 vs. BYU
Utah’s schedule is, once again, among the most impressive of any in the non-BCS universe. Unlike 2009, however, they draw some of their best opponents at home, including Pittsburgh, TCU, and BYU. If Utah survives TCU and then notches a win on the road at Notre Dame, it is very possible they’ll be in the national title hunt. That’s a big ‘if,’ since TCU will be no slouch, but the schedule is in place for Utah to have another spectacular season.
Coaching
Kyle Whittingham is in his 6th year at Utah, coming in with a 48-17 record and consecutive 10+ win seasons. If not for Utah’s impending move to the Pac-10, he would certainly be one to watch for moves to bigger schools, but it seems he’s locked in as the Utes head coach for the foreseeable future.
Rankings
Utah is ranked #24 in the USA Today Coaches poll. The AP preseason poll has not been released at the time of this writing. The MWC Media picked Utah to finish 2nd in the conference behind TCU.
Outlook
Another season with 10 or more wins seems likely. Running the table would be no easy feat, but if they do then they may carry the best schedule strength of any BCS Buster to date, depending on how well Pitt and Notre Dame play this year. Pulling that off is possible, but unlikely- the Pitt-TCU-ND-BYU gauntlet just seems like too much. Still, the game against TCU looks like the de facto conference championship game right in the middle of the season, and that one is too close to call.