Summer Schedule Preview: Utah Riding Offseason Buzz into First Year in Big 12

The Cowboys will kick off conference play by hosting a Big 12 newcomer coming in riding plenty of offseason buzz.

As we turn our attention to the start of conference play, we are confronted with just how different the Big 12 will look. Gone are two standard rivals, Oklahoma and Texas, and in are several new programs. Some, like Utah, have their eye on one of those vacated bell cow roles. But they’ll have to go through Stillwater first.

If you haven’t already, be sure to also check out our preview of Oklahoma State’s noncon slate.

Week 4: Utah | Sept. 21 | Stillwater

The Cowboys will have their work cut out for them in their Big 12 opener. On paper, the Utes might come in as the best team in the league, while some pundits are proposing that Utah could step right in as the league’s next bell cow. More on that below, but first, here are the particulars.

Series history: 1-0

Last meeting: Oct. 20, 1945. In Week 4, OSU thumped Utah 46-6, continuing a streak that would last all season and all the way to the Cowboys only perfect season in which they were later determined to be national champions, according to the AFCA.

Utah in 2023: Despite being without injured quarterback Cam Rising, the Utes came out of the gate 6-1, with a road loss at Oregon State. But once they hit the meat of their schedule or, I should say, to the ranked part of their schedule, they fell apart. Utah fell 35-6 to No. 6 Oregon, then 35-28 to No. 2 Washington.  A week later, the Utes got thumped 42-18 by 11th-ranked Arizona before beating Colorado and then losing to Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl. They finished just 2-4 over the second half of the year.

Utah in 2024: But Utah fans are hoping that the return of Cam Rising will restore the Utes to the 10-win ways. The former Pac-12 Championship MVP missed all of 2023 with injury but looks to be full strength heading into 2024, along with tight end Brant Kuithe, who missed most of 2023 after leading the Utes in receiving in 2022. Utah boasted a top-20 scoring defense last season that returns eight starters and added some help in the secondary by way of transfer portal. Those returns and additions are a big reason the Utes were picked to win the league in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.

Of note: Another 20-Year Vet

Like Mike Gundy, Utah coach Kyle Wittingham is entering his 20th year at the helm. But unlike Gundy, Wittingham is making outward moves to set up his retirement. This week, Utah AD Mark Harlan, with the support of Wittingham, announced Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley as head coach in waiting. It’s not clear when that move will take place, but the fact that this decision has been made public indicates that Wittingham might not be long for the Big 12.

Wittingham is 162-79, just a step behind Gundy’s 166-79. No dig in either direction, but it would be hard to imagine Gundy and OSU brass making any such announcement any time soon.

A Start of a New Rivalry?

As stated, and for the obvious above reasons, the Utes look ready to take the league by storm. They are coming off a down year without their franchise QB but had won the previous two Pac-12 titles. If they want to continue that type of success in their new league, they’ll have to contend with some perennial powers like OSU. Could this be a new rivalry?

The best kind of intraleague rivalries are between programs constantly fighting for the trophy. With the Cowboys’ returning production and consistent success matched against what Utah has coming back, this could turn out to be one of the best Big 12 games of the season when it’s all said and done, maybe even a preview of Arlington.