Cameron Rising and the Utes begin one of their biggest games of the season before embarking on a defense of their Pac-12 title.
Utah heads into a new season set to repeat as Pac-12 champions. The Utes have a schedule that includes some early Tests but also sets them up for a strong result in the hunt for a potential College Football Playoff berth.
Also see: Utah Utes 2022 Season Preview and Prediction
A successful blend of skill and experience at many key positions has put Utah in the Pac-12 driver’s seat for the start of the season. Cameron Rising is back to lead the offense after throwing for 2,493 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. Rising also ran for 499 yards and six points. Tavion Thomas returns to the backfield after 1,108 yards and 21 touchdowns a year ago. Utah needs to fill holes in the offensive line, linebacker and secondary to keep up with last season’s success.
Utah starts with a bang in Florida. The Utes also face potential Tests with road games at UCLA, Washington state and Oregon. USC, San Diego State and Oregon State highlight the home roster. The encounter with the Trojans in early October and the showdown with the Ducks in late November could be the deciding games in Utah’s quest to return to Las Vegas in December.
Here’s a breakdown of Utah’s 2022 schedule, sorted from easiest to hardest:
12. September 10 vs. Southern Utah
The FCS Thunderbirds are promoted to WAC this season after spending a decade in the Big Sky Conference. DeLane Fitzgerald is in his freshman season at SUU after an eight-year stint at NCAA DIII School Frostburg State. Going up against Utah will be daunting. SUU has had a consecutive one-win season and has won a total of six games since their last FCS Playoff appearance in 2017.
11. November 26 in Colorado
The Buffaloes experienced a significant roster change after last season. Twenty-two players were traded, including leading rusher Jarek Broussard. Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell also replaced six assistant coaches. Will it fix an offense that ranked last in the Pac-12 with 257.4 yards per game? Dorrell had better hope or his seat will go from warm to scorching hot. Utah is light years ahead of its Rocky Mountain rivals on the football field right now. The Utes have won five straight and 11 of their last 13 games against Colorado.
10 Nov 12 at Stanford
This late-season matchup will be a homecoming for Cardinal transfer Gabe Reid, who moved to Utah in the offseason. Stanford’s offense was abysmal in a 52-7 loss to the Utes last season. Quarterback Tanner McKee missed the game with an injury. If McKee stays healthy, he’ll give Stanford a good shot at being competitive. McKee threw for 2,327 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. The Cardinal fizzled out after a 3-2 start last season, dropping his last seven games while scoring exactly 100 points in that stretch.
Scroll to Next
9. November 5 vs. Arizona
Impressive recruitment of sophomore head coach Jedd Fisch could help turn the Wildcats around. Arizona has lost 23 of their last 24 games of the 2019 season. Transfer quarterback Jayden de Laura from Washington State should give the offensive a big boost. De Laura threw for 3,684 yards and 28 touchdowns during his two seasons starting for the Cougars. Arizona has never lost six straight games in their streak against Utah, but the odds are pretty slim that the Wildcats can slip up against the Utes in five games.
8. September 24 in the state of Arizona
Massive turnover rocked the Sun Devils as the program ran into serious problems with the NCAA over alleged recruiting violations. Former starting quarterback Jayden Daniels headlined an exodus of talent through the transfer portal. Only five overall starters are returning. Arizona State has replenished with transfers, but it will take time for the Sun Devils to gain a foothold after basically starting from scratch on offense. Utah has never won three straight games in this series.
7. September 17 vs. San Diego State
The Aztecs have a recent track record against Pac-12 opponents, including last year’s 33-31 win over Utah in triple overtime. San Diego will break in a new quarterback and lead running back, but Virginia Tech transfer Braxton Burmeister is able to move the chains. Last season he threw for 1,960 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Hokies. The strength of the Aztecs will lie in defense. They bring back seven starters from a unit that ranked in the top 20 nationally for goalscoring, rushing and total defense a year ago.
6. Oct. 1 vs. Oregon State
The Beavers handed Utah its only Pac-12 loss a year ago after a dominant performance from BJ Baylor. Replacing him in the backfield will be a big task. Baylor rushed for 1,337 yards last season and became the top rusher in the Pac-12. It helps that Chance Nolan is leading the offense again. Nolan threw for 2,677 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. He’s a capable double threat quarterback with the ability to lengthen plays.
5. October 27 in Washington state
The Cougars will be counting on Cameron Ward to be the next strong quarterback in Pullman. Ward threw for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns with Incarnate Word last season, trailing offensive coordinator Eric Morris to Washington State. If Ward makes a successful move from the FCS level, Washington State could be another thorn in Utah’s side this season — a role the Cougars often filled when Mike Leach was still roaming the sidelines.
4. September 3rd in Florida
Never shut out a team coached by Billy Napier for doing special things. He won 40 games in four seasons in Louisiana and transformed the Ragin Cajuns into a top 25 level program. Napier is tasked with building a so-so Gators roster that fell apart on offense after September of last season. If he can deliver consistently strong performances from quarterback Anthony Richardson, Florida could quickly climb the SEC ladder in its first year under Napier.
3. Oct 8 at UCLA
Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Zach Charbonnet’s double strike gives the Bruins a solid shot at making a splash this season as Pac-12 Dark Horse contenders. Thompson-Robinson led the Pac-12 in passing efficiency last season while Charbonnet had seven 100-yard plays en route for 1,137 total yards and 13 touchdowns. Getting over the hump against Utah could pose a challenge. The Utes have won five straight games against UCLA, averaging 46.8 points per game.
2. November 19 in Oregon
You can bet Oregon has this game circled on the calendar. Utah has twice defeated the Ducks en route to the Rose Bowl, and surpassed Oregon 76-17 in two one-sided victories. First-year head coach Dan Lanning has to replace Travis Dye and CJ Verdell in the backfield. Auburn transfer Bo Nix will likely steer the offense to the quarterback. Noah Sewell will anchor Oregon’s defense after registering 114 tackles a year ago.
1. Oct 15 vs USC
Can the Trojans win a Pac-12 title in their first season under Lincoln Riley? USC appears to be Utah’s toughest challenger for another division title and a shot at back-to-back conference titles. Riley has rallied a slew of elite offensive talent, led by Oklahoma signing Caleb Williams as quarterback, Oregon signing Travis Dye and Stanford signing Austin Jones will add a huge boost to USC’s running game. Washington transfer Terrell Bynum and Oklahoma transfer Mario Williams will likely be the top targets in the passing game. The Trojans’ primary weakness is on defense, where just three starters return from a unit that ranked bottom of the Pac-12 in several key defensive categories in 2021.
– Written by John Coon, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and a sportswriter based in Utah. Follow him on Twitter @johncoonsports.
