It’s expected to be a memorable — perhaps even historical — season for Utah football, which opened fall camp on Wednesday.
The Utes are seen as a top 10 preseason team by many national media outlets and a College Football Playoff contender, after the program won its first Pac-12 championship in 2021 and went to the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history.
With players like quarterback Cam Rising and cornerback Clark Phillips III returning, among others, it’s little question why this is a team with high expectations.
Count CBS Sports the latest to show its faith in the Utes.
Utah is ranked No. 4 in CBS Sports’ preseason rankings of all 131 FBS college football teams released Tuesday, putting the Utes squarely in the conversation for the playoff.
That’s just behind blue blood programs like Alabama at No. 1, Ohio State at No. 2 and defending national champion Georgia at No. 3.
The Utes kick off the 2022 season on the road in SEC country at Florida on Sept. 3 in one of the most-anticipated nonconference matchups of the year.
The Utes jumped up seven spots from their final 2021 ranking of No. 11 in the CBS Sports poll.
“With a Pac-12 championship trophy in the case and a stellar quarterback returning in Cameron Rising, Utah sits in the next spot at No. 4,” CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson wrote.
“The Utes have been strong under coach Kyle Whittingham for the last couple of years, but they are in rare territory here knocking on the door of the top three. Behind Utah are some more familiar top-five and top-10 programs, including Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.”
BYU, coming off a 10-3 season, is No. 26 in the CBS Sports rankings. The Cougars open the season at South Florida on Sept. 3.
Utah State, which won its first Mountain West Conference championship last season, is ranked No. 63. The Aggies are the first Utah team to kick off the 2022 season, hosting UConn on Aug. 27.