Every week of the college football season, Andy Wittry of Stadium examines each and every game featuring a Top 25 team.
The goal? To determine which teams are most likely to be upset.
The Upset Meter, as it is called, is broken down into four sections: It wouldn’t be surprising if they lost; Stranger things have happened; Never say never; (We think) these teams are safe.
Both the Utah Utes and BYU Cougars find themselves in the “Stranger things have happened” section heading into Week 4.
The No. 10 Utes take on USC in the Coliseum Friday night, and while an upset victory for the Trojans is possible, it isn’t all that likely according to Wittry.
“USC has already beaten one ranked conference foe at home this month, so could lightning strike again? We don’t think so,” he wrote.
Among the reasons are the offensive/defensive balance demonstrated by Utah through its opening three games, the fact that USC just lost to BYU and of course, Zack Moss.
“Utah running back Zack Moss (57 carries for 373 yards, 4 TD) has been an absolute workhorse,” Wittry said, “and he’s tied for 19th nationally with 12 plays from scrimmage that have gone for at least 10 yards.”
As for the Cougars, hope for another upset victory over a ranked Pac-12 opponent is not unfounded, despite the fact that the No. 22 ranked Washington Huskies statistically are a top 30 team in all three phases of the game (No. 19 offense, No. 27 defense and No. 17 special teams in SP+).
“BYU has already beaten a ranked Pac-12 team at home and Washington has already lost to an arguably worse team than BYU (California is No. 60 in SP+, BYU is No. 46), so this upset is definitely on the table,” Wittry wrote.
If BYU can make Washington quarterback Jacob Eason uncomfortable, much like Cal did in its upset victory over the Huskies two weeks ago, another Cougar victory is possible.
Other links ...
Utah Utes
- USC vs. Utah: Prediction and preview (CBS Sports)
- A dozen things you need to know about Pac-12 football (The Oregonian)
- Utah has a 19% chance to win the Pac-12 (FiveThirtyEight)
BYU Cougars
- Washington vs. BYU Football: Prediction and Preview (Athlon Sports)
- Micah Simon is the sixth highest rated wide receiver nationally after Week 3 (Pro Football Focus)
- A look at BYU’s defense from a Washington perspective (SBNation)
Utah State Aggies
- Stronger Mountain West means greater opportunities for Utah State (Mountain West Wire)
- Scouting Report: Utah State at Aztecs (The San Diego Union Tribune)
And finally …
A little more by way of Logan.
Longtime NBA head coach and Utah State alum Dick Motta stopped by practice Thursday.