There are plenty of bowl season implications for Utah, BYU and Utah State hanging on what happens this weekend.
For the Utes, who are already bowl eligible and in contention for the Pac-12 championship, they could still play their way into a league title and a New Year’s Six bowl.
Utah plays at Oregon on Saturday in a matchup of two teams with one conference loss.
BYU and Utah State, meanwhile, are one win away from bowl eligibility and sit in similar situations: win in the home finale this week, or try to qualify for the postseason on the road in the season’s final week.
The Cougars host Utah Tech on Saturday, while the Aggies host San Jose State.
Here’s a look at where several national publications predict Utah, BYU and Utah State will play in the postseason following the season’s Week 11.
*-indicates same projection as last week.
Bowl projections for Utah football after Week 11
- Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Alamo Bowl, vs. Texas.
- Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Alamo Bowl, vs. Oklahoma State.
- Brett McMurphy, Action Network: Holiday Bowl, vs. Florida State.
- Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Holiday Bowl, vs. Wake Forest*.
- College Football News: Las Vegas Bowl, vs. Michigan State.
- Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports: Las Vegas Bowl, vs. Mississippi State*.
- Brad Crawford, 247 Sports: Las Vegas Bowl, vs. Arkansas.
- Bill Bender, Sporting News: Cotton Bowl, vs. UCF.
For the first time in several weeks, the Utes (8-2) are projected by one expert to make a New Year’s Six game — Sporting News’ Bill Bender has the Utes facing UCF (as the Group of Five auto bid) in the Cotton Bowl.
This week is sure to shake up the Pac-12 bowl picture, with Utah playing at Oregon and UCLA hosting USC.
If the Utes win at Oregon, they would just need a victory over one-win Colorado next week to return to the Pac-12 championship game. That would set Utah up for a chance to get back to the Rose Bowl.
If Utah loses to the Ducks, it’s likely a Holiday Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl bid for the team.
Bowl projections for BYU football after Week 11
- Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: New Mexico Bowl, vs. UNLV.
- Mark Schlabach, ESPN: LendingTree Bowl, vs. Troy*.
- Brett McMurphy, Action Network: Birmingham Bowl, vs. Memphis.
- Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Myrtle Beach Bowl, vs. UTSA.
- College Football News: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, vs. Fresno State.
- Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports: New Mexico Bowl, vs. Air Force*.
- Brad Crawford, 247 Sports: Birmingham Bowl, vs. Maryland.
- Bill Bender, Sporting News: New Mexico Bowl, vs. Air Force*.
Many of BYU’s projections this week involve the Cougars facing a Mountain West Conference team — two experts predict BYU (5-5) will play former conference foe Air Force in the New Mexico Bowl.
Last week, three national experts projected the Cougars would face a Power Five team in a bowl — that’s happened just twice in BYU’s independence era — but for now there’s only one expert making that choice: 247 Sports’ Brad Crawford has BYU facing Maryland in the Birmingham Bowl.
BYU needs one more win to become bowl eligible. The Cougars host FCS opponent Utah Tech on Saturday before facing the Pac-12’s Stanford on the road to end the regular season.
BYU is currently favored in both games by ESPN’s Football Power Index.
Bowl projections for Utah State football after Week 11
- Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: None.
- Mark Schlabach, ESPN: None.
- Brett McMurphy, Action Network: None.
- Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: None.
- College Football News: None.
- Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports: None.
- Brad Crawford, 247 Sports: None.
- Bill Bender, Sporting News: None.
Utah State (5-5) has won four of its past five games after a 1-4 start and has itself in contention to become bowl eligible heading into the season’s final two weeks.
For now, though, the experts have the Aggies outside of the bowl picture.
Utah State’s best opportunity to get bowl eligible is this Saturday, when the Aggies host San Jose State in the team’s home finale.
If the Aggies don’t win, they’d need to win at MWC Mountain Division leader Boise State in the regular-season finale to become bowl eligible.