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SALT LAKE CITY — Given the dramatic changes to the upcoming playoff format, this season likely could prove historic for a local college football team.
And it's not BYU. Nor Utah State.
This possibility belongs to the best program in the state. If all the preseason expectations come to pass, Utah will participate in the new 12-team playoff and could earn a first-round bye by winning the Big 12 or secure a spot with an at-large bid.
Imagine the Utes playing host to a playoff game at Rice-Eccles Stadium this winter. It could go down as the program's best accomplishment, better than two Rose Bowl appearances, beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, or busting the BCS to play in the Fiesta Bowl.
Talk about a lot of hype for a program that averaged 4.7 losses during the 12 full seasons as a member of the Pac-12. Yet that's where the Utes are going into this week's first game, which brings us to the point of using this space for annual season predictions for the three in-state FBS teams.
Forget about expecting Utah to run the table for the third time in the last 20 years. Prevailing unscathed rarely happens, but the good news is it's not required to make the playoffs.
The Utes don't even need to win the Big 12 regular-season championship. They can get in by finishing second and winning the conference championship on Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas.
But dare we say, Utah could go 12-0 in the regular season. And it probably won't take long to learn if it's possible.
Reasonably assuming a 3-0 nonconference start, the two toughest Big 12 games might be the first two at Oklahoma State and against Arizona the following week at home. A clean start against the two only preseason ranked teams on the schedule could pave the way for a glorious run and zoom up the national rankings.
Of course, as it does for all teams, success depends on the team's health. Another injury to quarterback Cam Rising could spoil the anticipated party.
Far from a perfect team, the Utes still do appear set with talent and experience at most of the other positions. And remember, the standard for a historic season here is making the first 12-team playoff and not winning it all.
Alluding to the reluctance to demand perfection, even if it is the quest, the safe bet is to pick one or two losses. Accounting for a funny bounce of the ball or something else weird happening, let's go with 10-2.
BYU Cougars
Asked the goal for this season, a team staff member responded with "to have the same job in January." The answer painted the picture that a consecutive subpar season could doom the coaches.
Widespread terminations seem a bit harsh, but there's no doubt the Cougars must improve upon last season's dismal showing. The good news is, if you believe it, optimism abounds for them to surpass the 2-7 record in the Big 12.
The hotly contested quarterback battle presents a quandary — Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon weren't good enough to pull away or both can lead the offense. Either way, BYU has more issues than quarterback.
It begins in the trenches, with the offensive line needing to get a much better push. The skill positions are equipped for success if the line opens holes and provides protection.
The defensive front faces a similar challenge to control the line of scrimmage. Last season, the Cougars failed to consistently stop the run and pressure the quarterback. Nothing else really matters on the back end if up front doesn't show significant improvement.
The record of demarcation begins and ends at 6-6. Anything better is a bonus.
The prediction is bowl eligibility, cooling the heat on the staff for a season. Don't rule out one game better if all goes well.
Utah State Aggies
The hardest of the three teams to forecast, the Aggies could fall apart or contend for the Mountain West championship.
Starting with the negative, teams that lose a coach weeks before practice starts have every reason to pack it in. Then there's the extreme emotional trauma of a teammate dying in the same timeframe.
Nate Dreiling, the 33-year-old interim coach, is tasked with keeping this team together and winning games. Maybe it's best he's been on campus only for several months, having come over from New Mexico State intent on being former coach Blake Anderson's defensive coordinator.
Fortunately for the rookie head coach, he's got a team with experience scattered throughout all positions. The top two quarterbacks (Spencer Petras and Bryson Barnes) have combined for 42 starts, but perhaps typifying the team's unsettled nature neither have taken an official snap for the Aggies.
The bizarre circumstances make bowl eligibility seem like a reach, but maybe Dreiling and his team don't know any better. Let's hope for the best, which may have to be going 5-7.
