The Utah Utes have never had a Heisman Trophy winner. But isn't there a first time for everything?

In 2004, Alex Smith was the closest the Utes have ever come to having a winner of the prestigious award.

Despite being a finalist and leading the Utes to an undefeated season and a big win over Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl, Smith finished fourth in the voting behind Jason White, Adrian Peterson and eventual winner Matt Leinart.

But what makes this year different for running back Devontae Booker?

After transferring to Utah from American River College in Sacramento in 2014, Booker instantly became the centerpiece of Utah's offense. Booker rushed for 1,512 yards and 10 scores last season while leading the Pac-12 in yards after contact with 815, all while helping the Utes to a 9-4 record and a big win against Colorado State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

But how could a kid that plays for Utah make it into the Hesiman conversation?

First and foremost, Booker plays in the Pac-12 — arguably the second or third strongest conference behind the always powerful SEC and possibly the Big 10. With teams such as Oregon, USC, Arizona State, Arizona and others on its conference slate, the Utes have a schedule that makes it tough to argue against Booker if he has yet another solid season like he had last year.

It all starts in week one when the Utes host Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines on a Thursday night game on Fox Sports 1. Michigan isn't ranked but comes into Rice-Eccles Stadium much improved, and led by its new head coach who has been here before. A solid performance in the first game of the season would really set the stage for Booker and catch the eyes of the nation very quickly heading into a week two matchup with Utah State.

The Utes are scheduled to play the Aggies on ESPN2, which means for the second straight week, viewers from outside of Utah will have the option to tune in. Another solid game and the national exposure against an in-state rival would help Booker again, but a subpar performance would really, really hurt him.

I look at the Oregon game in Autzen Stadium as one that could make or break not just Booker's season, but Utah's season as well. Oregon will begin the year ranked No. 5, and by the time the Ducks host Utah in week four, we could possibly see a Utah team ranked in the top 20, and an Oregon team that has climbed up a few spots. Last season, Booker rushed for just 65 yards and caught a touchdown in a 51-27 loss. Booker needs to play much, much better and put up big time numbers in this game in order to catch the attention of the voters. If he can have a 150-yard or better performance with a touchdown or two in a Utah win, he would set himself up perfectly for the rest of the season.

Booker must reach close to the 2,000 yard mark rushing along with at least 15 touchdowns to be a finalist. I honestly see him being at least a finalist for the prestigious award. It would mean so much not just to the projected first rounder, but to the entire Utah football program. For a team just finding its stride in the Pac-12, it would certainly speed up the process of becoming an elite program.

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Honestly, it's a bit of a stretch for me say in August that Booker will win. But I can say that if he has an excellent game against Oregon, and Utah is able to pull off the upset, I can see him taking this award home. We know the type of talent he has, and we know he will get his numbers, but it all hinges on whether he can come up big in big-time games.

I say Booker is a finalist, and then I say we let the season play itself out, and see where he's at when November rolls around.

There is a first time for everything, and Utah's may have arrived in the form of a junior college transfer.

CJ Pronk is a Deseret Digital Media contributor and a Stansbury High School graduate. He will be attending the University of Alabama and majoring in communications. Follow him on Twitter @BigCeeJ3113.

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