Utah Picked To Finish First In Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll
Jul 28, 2022, 4:22 PM | Updated: 4:24 pm
The University of Utah Utes celebrate after winning the PAC-12 Football Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks on December 3, 2021 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES- Utah was picked Thursday morning by the media to finish first in the Pac-12 in 2022. The reigning Pac-12 Champs had stiff competition from a revamped USC squad led by Lincoln Riley, but ultimately prevailed for the preseason nod. Oregon was picked second, USC third and UCLA fourth.
The Utes received 26 of the 33 possible first-place votes. Oregon received two first-place votes and USC had five.
BREAKING: @Utah_Football picked to win the Pac-12 Championship by the media. #GoUtes #UtahFootball @BodkinKSLsports pic.twitter.com/OkMQDkNpFE
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 28, 2022
Utah Picked First
The Utes had an incredible run in 2021 winning their first-ever Pac-12 Championship and stamping their ticket to the Rose Bowl in the process. Like most great Utah teams, the 2021 squad overcame unthinkable odds having to navigate two teammates’ deaths in less than a year to take the crown and put on a show at the “Granddaddy of them All”.
2022 is shaping up to be another promising season for the Utes. Despite loosing key players such as linebacker Devin Lloyd, wide receiver Britain Covey, and offensive Nick Ford to the NFL, Utah also returns a lot of key talent.
Both of the Utes’ prolific tight ends in Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid returned despite draftable grades last season. Cornerback Clark Phillips III really turned some heads in Utah’s Rose Bowl game against Ohio State and is expected to do more of the same. However, perhaps the biggest key of all comes in quarterback Cam Rising who has been having quite the offseason and has been reported as looking better than ever.
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The Utes will put the Pac-12 media’s confidence to the test right out of the gate heading to the Swamp to take on the Florida Gators on September 3rd. Utah also has big games with some of the Pac-12 brethren that could determine just how far the 2022 squad can go. October 15th is shaping up to be a big contest in Salt Lake City with USC, and their November 19th meetup in Eugene with the Oregon Ducks could prove to be intense.
If the Utes can handle their schedule as many believe they can, being back-to-back Pac-12 Champions may not be all that awaits them with national pundits thinking they could earn their way into the College Football Playoffs.
