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Taysom Hill is back and healthy at BYU. The same can be said for Chuckie Keeton at Utah State.
And Travis Wilson might not have to bother looking over his shoulder so much this year at the University of Utah.
Those three senior quarterbacks will all be instrumental in their respective teams' success this season, although we've learned from past performances that the Cougars and Aggies could still be successful without their star QBs. And Utah has a couple of capable quarterbacks waiting in the wings if Wilson should falter.
Meanwhile, Weber State and Southern Utah are both trying to turn things around after sputtering through disappointing losing seasons last year.
So how will each member of the "Big Five" fare this year?
Indeed, the numbers 9-3 and 5-6 keep coming into view. So let's peer into our crystal football and make some predictions:
BYU
Hill is a tremendous athlete who can make things happen with his feet and his arm, but his propensity to run the ball caught up with him last year when he suffered a broken leg against Utah State.
He's back this year to help spearhead the Cougars' offense against one of the toughest schedules in school history. Their first four games are downright brutal — at Nebraska, home against Boise State, at UCLA and at Michigan — but it eases off considerably after that with four straight home games against much lesser foes in Connecticut, East Carolina, Cincinnati and Wagner.
A road game at San Jose State is followed by a neutral-field game against Missouri and a home game with Fresno State, followed by a regular-season finale against Utah State, which crushed the Cougars last year in Provo.
Hopefully, Hill and Keeton will both still be standing tall by then.
If they can get through those first four tough tests with at least a 2-2 record, the Cougs could conceivably run the table after that. But that's gonna be easier said than done.
Prediction: 9-3 (if Hill stays healthy). And let's face it, 9-3 beats the heck out of three consecutive 8-5 campaigns.
UTAH
While Wilson isn't the dynamic playmaker that Hill and Keeton are, he's got a terrific guy in the backfield with him — senior running back Devontae Booker — who the Cougars and Aggies can't come close to matching.
And Utah's tenacious defense, as always, will help keep the Utes close in virtually every game they play.
Utah's season starts with back-to-back home games against Michigan and Utah State, followed by consecutive trips to the West Coast for games against Fresno State and powerhouse Oregon.
That duel with the Ducks begins a nine-game Pac-12 gantlet that includes home games with California, Arizona State, Oregon State, UCLA and Colorado, sandwiched around road games at Oregon, USC, Washington and Arizona.
Utah could very well start the season 3-0 and, should Booker and Wilson stay healthy, navigate its way through Pac-12 play with no worse than a 5-4 record.
Prediction: 9-3.
UTAH STATE
Knee injuries have sidelined Keeton for much of the last two seasons, and yet the Aggies have kept winning without him.
Hopefully, he can stay healthy this year and show what he can do playing a full 12-games-and-a-bowl-too season.
Utah State starts with in-state games against Southern Utah and Utah, followed by a very winnable road game at Washington. Then the Aggies jump into Mountain West Conference play with an equal mix of home games (Colorado State, Boise State, Wyoming, Nevada) and road games (Fresno State, San Diego State, New Mexico, Air Force). They'll cap their season with a home game against BYU.
A 2-1 start seems feasible so don't be surprised to see the Aggies rattle off a 7-1 record in the Mountain West.
That would make 'em 9-2 going into the finale against BYU.
Prediction: 9-3.
WEBER STATE
The Wildcats hope to shed a streak of three straight two-win seasons which started long before head coach Jay Hill was at the helm.
Starting off with games at Oregon State and North Dakota State won't help their efforts to turn things around, but the schedule softens up considerably after that with home games against Sacramento State, Southern Utah, North Dakota, UC Davis and Idaho State.
Of course, road games with Northern Colorado, Montana, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington will offer WSU a difficult challenge.
But Hill feels he has the horses, like junior quarterback Jadrian Clark, who led the Wildcats to their only two wins last year, to be much more competitive this time around.
Prediction: 5-6.
SOUTHERN UTAH
The Thunderbirds struggled through a disappointing 3-9 season a year ago, but head coach Ed Lamb has quarterback Ammon Olsen — who didn't start until midway through last season — back to ignite his team's offense. And defensive end James Cowser will lead the way for a recommitted SUU defense.
Starting the season this Thursday at Utah State is a tough way to go for the T-Birds, who must also make road trips to South Dakota State, Weber State, UC Davis, Montana State and Portland State.
But their schedule allows them to avoid the Big Sky's big dogs, Montana and Eastern Washington, and all five home games (Northern Colorado, Brevard College, Sac State, Cal Poly, Northern Arizona) are winnable ones.
Prediction: 5-6.
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com