BYU, Utah Games Will Shake Up The College Football Playoff

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – ESPN listed Washington’s game at BYU and Utah’s vs. USC as two games that will shake up the College Football Playoff.

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich listed the Utes vs. Trojans and Huskies vs. Cougars as two of seven games from Week 4 of college football that will change the postseason landscape.

Utah enters the USC game with a 3-0 record while BYU sits at 2-1 on the season with their only loss coming from the Utes.

I LOVE that @CFBPlayoff scenarios are already in my head. Hey @BHancockCFP are you ready to let me in?! 😬😇🤓 #knockknock #heatherlurker https://t.co/ZegBZQGo8S

— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) September 19, 2019

#10 Utah vs. USC

The 10th ranked Utes travel to Southern California for a Friday night lights showdown.

According to ESPN’s FPI, the Utes have a 42.1% chance to win the game.

“This Friday night road trip sets the stage for possible chaos,” said Dinich, “The winner of this game will be the prohibitive favorite in the Pac-12 South.”

Just finished up our last practice before we hit the road ✈️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/f0B95Yhwtc

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 19, 2019

Utah enters Pac-12 conference play with non-conference wins over BYU, Northern Illinois, and Idaho State.

Dinich mentioned the Utes non-conference schedule as a potential sticking point for the playoff committee should they lose to USC but that the BYU win “is looking more respectable each week.”

“The transitive property of college football is at work here, right? USC lost to BYU. Utah beat BYU. So naturally, Utah must be better than USC, right?” said Dinich.

“The transitive property of college football is at work here, right? USC lost to BYU. Utah beat BYU. So naturally, Utah must be better than USC, right?” – Heather Dinich.

If the Utes win against the Trojans it will be another feather in their cap and will set the team up for success throughout their Pac-12 schedule.

“After opening the season at 22%, the Pac-12’s chance to reach the playoff is down to 9%,” according to ESPN. A Utah loss to USC will only dimish those odds.

The Utes take on the Trojans on Friday, September 20 at 7 p.m. (MDT) on FS1 and 700 AM.

#22 Washington vs. BYU

The Cougars are fresh off back-to-back wins against Power 5 opponents in Tennessee and previously ranked USC.

Saturday’s matchup between 22nd ranked Washington and BYU will be the Cougars fourth P5 game of the season. It will also be the team’s third game against a ranked opponent in 2019. BYU is the only FBS team to open the season with four games against Power 5 opponents.

Washington comes to Provo with a 2-1 record. Their only loss came on the road against the now 23rd ranked Cal Bears. The Huskies are favored in every game remaining on their schedule with the exception of Oregon.

“Washington needs this win on its résumé,” said Dinich, “Even though BYU isn’t ranked, it still would be the Huskies’ best nonconference win. A loss would bounce them right off the playoff bubble.”

The Cougars rebounded from a 30-12 loss against the Utes in their season opener to get overtime victories against the Volunteers and Trojans.

“BYU has been playing well and should be confident at home after last week’s overtime win against USC,” said Dinich.

BYU vs Washington

BYU will wear history-inspired retro white and royal uniforms, including a special throwback helmet featuring the original block “Y” logo of the early eras of BYU athletics.

🔗 https://t.co/mI9FWDWScX#BYUFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/517FBPWvne

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 17, 2019

Saturday’s game will be BYU’s third home game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (MDT). You can catch all of the action on KSL NewsRadio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM. The game is also available on ABC/ESPN2.

All of the information about watching, listening or streaming either game can be found here.