Tag: Utah Utes football

Jackson Arnold outside the top 10 in ESPN’s 2024 spring quarterback rankings

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold just outside ESPN’s 10 ten QBs for the 2024 season ahead of spring ball.

Anytime you have turnover at quarterback, there are bound to be questions about how the offense will perform the following season.

The Sooners are one of the teams across the country that will be starting a new quarterback in 2024. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] takes over for [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who transferred to Oregon. And while there may be some uncertainty, the Sooners have one of the best young quarterbacks in the country.

The former five-star prospect isn’t one of the favorites to win the Heisman in 2024 and at this point. At this point he’s just outside the top-10 of ESPN’s quarterback rankings heading into the spring. And a lot of where Arnold is ranked is likely related to his inexperience at the collegiate level.

The only player without much experience that’s ranked ahead of Arnold is Tennessee Volunteers quarterback [autotag]Nico Iamaleavea[/autotag].

Arnold has a lot of talent and is a highly-regarded quarterback, but he and Iamaleava have a lot to prove still. But they’ve got all the talent in the world, and both former five-star quarterbacks were able to get their first start during bowl season.

Arnold and Iamaleava will likely provide the fireworks in the Oklahoma Sooners first conference game in the SEC when they welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to town. That could be the start of a fantastic quarterback battle over the next several years. In the offenses they run with the talent that both schools possess, both former five-star quarterbacks could be dark-horse Heisman contenders in 2024 and frontrunners in 2025.

For the Sooners, everything is set up for Arnold to find himself ranked much higher in these quarterback rankings by the end of the season. The offensive line will come together and the Sooners have a deep pool of skill talent for Arnold to work with.

Here’s a look at ESPN’s top 10.

Big 12 Bowl Projections: Sooners face Pac-12 power in latest projections from USA TODAY Sports

According to the latest Big 12 bowl projections, the Oklahoma Sooners take on the Utah Utes.

The final two weeks of the regular season are upon us. It’s crunch time for the conference title and College Football Playoff contenders. While the playoff is out of reach for the Sooners, they still have an outside shot at a Big 12 title game berth.

They’ll need to take care of business against BYU and TCU over the next nine days. But if the Sooners finish strongly and get a little help, one final trip to Arlington is certainly in the cards.

But at the moment, they’re on the outside looking in, and that affects where they’re heading in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bowl projections.

Let’s take a look at where the Big 12’s projected postseason landing spots.

Oregon’s win at Utah revealed the gulf between the Ducks and USC

Utah was a revealer for USC and Oregon.

As USC prepares to face Oregon, one common opponent in the Pac-12 showed how far apart the Trojans and Ducks really are.

We asked our Pac-12 football panel, “How much did the Utah game change your impressions of Oregon?”

Matt Zemek: Not much. A good team should make Utah’s offense look bad. I know it’s Salt Lake City, but Utah without Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe is a diminished team. I’m looking forward to Oregon-Oregon State later this season as a measuring stick before the big one in the Pac-12 title game. The team whose identity changed a lot as a result of the Utah-Oregon game was not Oregon, but USC. This game revealed the chasm between the Trojans and Ducks, mostly on defense.

Zachary Neel: I think it actually changed my impression a decent amount. I knew going into the game that Oregon was a really good team offensively, but I didn’t expect them to be able to do that to Utah’s elite defense. With as good as Oregon’s defense has proven to be this year, I came away from that game thinking for the first time that the Ducks realistically have a chance to compete in the College Football Playoff if they get there in December.

Matt Wadleigh: None, really. Utah beat a horrible horrid, terrible, putrid USC defense.

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Big 12 Bowl Projections: Sooners face Utes in latest from USA TODAY Sports

After two straight losses, the Sooners are headed to the Alamo Bowl in latest USA TODAY Sports bowl projections.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a good year. In the midst of a two-game losing streak, that may not be the thing we want to talk about, but they’ve been good. Good enough to get to the College Football Playoff? No. To make the Big 12 title game? That’s not completely off the table.

They’ve made improvements on the defensive side of the ball, in particular, that provide enough encouragement that this program is heading in the right direction. In 2022, the Sooners allowed their opponents to score more than 30 points seven times. In 2023, that’s only happened twice.

The Sooners still have a lot to play for. Drake Stoops, a player who’s become synonymous with “OUDNA,” said as much when he met with the media.

With three games remaining, the Sooners have a chance to make a statement. They can show off the resiliency that’s been a characteristic of this team in 2023. And in those three games, continue to make strides as a football program.

As for where their postseason fate lies, here’s where Big 12 programs are headed in the latest bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports.

USC prepares for Washington knowing its loss to Utah looks even worse now

Utah is exactly what we all thought the Utes were … but the Utes were far better against USC than they were vs Oregon.

USC really, really blew it when it lost to Bryson Barnes and Utah. The Utes scored 34 against the Trojans. They scored only six points against Oregon. The limitations of the Utah offense were laid bare against the Ducks, but Alex Grinch’s USC defense could not expose those limitations when the Trojans hosted the Utes. It was and is a real missed opportunity for Lincoln Riley’s team.

We asked our Pac-12 panel: “How much did the Utah-Oregon game change your impressions of Utah?”

Matt Zemek: Not much. The Utes are a try-hard team which has overachieved this year without Cam Rising. A good opponent was bound to give them a hard time.

Zachary Neel:  It changed my impression of Utah’s defense, for sure. I think that the injuries are starting to finally catch up to them on that side of the ball and Oregon exposed that a bit. The offense was held together by paper mache going into that game, so I didn’t expect them to be able to do very much versus the Ducks. Utah is a top-five Pac-12 team, but I don’t think anyone should expect to see them in Las Vegas.

Matt Wadleigh: Not much. Utah’s offense looked so good against USC, it was bound to regress. Utah’s season has still been fascinating with no Cam Rising. You have to tip your hat to Kyle Whittingham.

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Which is the better Pac-12 team: Arizona or Utah?

We did not expect to ask this question before the season began. Right now, though, it’s an interesting query.

We didn’t expect to ask this question to our Pac-12 football panel at any point in the 2023 season, but we have to ask it now, based on everything we have seen: Is Arizona better than Utah?

Matt Zemek: Yes. Utah with Bryson Barnes would not do much against an Arizona defense which is playing inspired, physical football this season. Noah Fifita continues to deliver for Arizona behind an offensive line which played really well in the fourth quarter against Oregon State with the game on the line. I would take Arizona over Utah on a neutral field. Salt Lake City would be 50-50. Arizona wins comfortably in Tucson.

Zachary Neel: Arizona is better than Utah offensively, for sure, but I don’t know how good that offense would be versus Utah’s defense. That would be a close game where I’d look at the coaching matchup for an edge. Give me Kyle Whittingham.

Matt Wadleigh: Arizona has come on strong lately, and I have them beating UCLA this weekend. So, the answer is yes.

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Pac-12 football experts offer an early read on Oregon-Utah game

See what our Pac-12 panelists are saying about Ducks-Utes.

What are the odds of Utah beating Oregon? Good question. We asked our Pac-12 football panel for perspectives.

Matt Zemek: 30 percent. Without Cam Rising, Utah has little chance, even in Salt Lake City. Oregon’s defense, which I was skeptical of, actually held up okay against Washington — not magnificently, but not a total implosion, either. Holding Washington to 36 isn’t all that bad. Arizona held UW to 31. Oregon might struggle for 30 to 40 minutes against the Utah defense, but the Utes’ offense would simply not be able to do enough to win. The Ducks would need just three or four big plays to prevail even if their offense is stuck in the mud for most of the day.

Zachary Neel: The fact that the game is in Salt Lake City makes me think that Utah has a semblance of a chance to win this game, but in general, I don’t think Oregon will be tested too much against the Utes. They are too good on defense for Utah’s offense to get anything going.

Matt Wadleigh: Without Cam Rising, it’s not good for Utah. I’ll put these odds at 20%.

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Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality.

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt updates his top 10 after Week 8; Where are the Sooners?

Where did the Oklahoma Sooners land in Joel Klatt’s top 10 after week 8?

Week 8 has come and gone, and we’ve passed the halfway point of the 2023 college football season. It’s been a wild season, but this week, several top 10 teams got away with a win.

Only two teams in Joel Klatt’s top 10 from a week ago suffered a loss. One was Penn State, which took on another top 10 team, Ohio State. The other was North Carolina, which was beaten by a Virginia team that came into the game with just one win.

After another incredible weekend of college football, let’s take a look at Joel Klatt’s top 10 after Week 8’s action.

Almost made the cut

Alabama, Oregon State, Notre Dame and Ole Miss.

Utah, USC have to prove they still belong in the top tier of the Pac-12

USC and Utah are a tier below Oregon and Washington right now.

Utah and USC both need to win on Saturday. Beyond that, they both need to show they still belong in the top tier of the Pac-12. It really does seem that Oregon and Washington have separated themselves from the rest of the conference.

No members of our Pac-12 football panel think USC has a realistic shot of beating Washington. Similarly, no one on our panel thinks Utah has a realistic chance of taking down the Huskies in a few weeks (in November):

Matt Zemek: “20 percent. Utah’s defense could stand on its head and have the game of the year. Kyle Whittingham’s defenses can do special things. That would be Utah’s one hope if Cam Rising can’t play. Utah would draw U-Dub into the slop and try to win a 17-16 type of game. However, the Utah offense would simply be unable to create enough separation from Washington over the course of 60 minutes.

Zachary Neel: Washington is too good on offense for the Utes to slow them down, and Washington’s defense is solid enough to stop a bad Utah offense.

Matt Wadleigh: Washington looks like the best team in the Pac-12, and Utah doesn’t have the offensive firepower it had last year. I got these odds at just 10%.

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Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame after the Irish beat USC.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football after the loss to Washington.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs against Utah and into November.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Utah.

Pac-12 football experts assess Utah’s ability to beat USC

Can Utah actually win in Los Angeles without Cam Rising?

We asked our Pac-12 football panel about the odds of Utah beating USC this weekend.

Here are the panel’s responses:

Matt Zemek: “45 percent, even without Cam Rising. We all saw Notre Dame’s defensive line dominate USC’s offensive line. If Notre Dame can win by 28 points on a day when its offense managed only 253 yards, Utah can certainly win outright in the Coliseum — not by 28, but by three or four points. Utah can and probably will muck this game up, making it ugly and rugged. USC is unlikely to win in a blowout. Yet, not having Rising will make it hard for Utah to actually win the game. Still: It’s close to a toss-up. Only a slight lean to the Trojans here.”

Zachary Neel: “This is more of a coin-flip game to me, but I currently have USC beating Utah. I think that the Utes’ offense is weak enough that the Trojans’ defense will actually be able to look serviceable this week. I expect a bounce-back from Caleb Williams against a solid Utah defense.”

Matt Wadleigh: “I had Utah beating USC at the start of the year, but without Cam Rising, this team is much different. I’ll give Utah a 20% chance to beat USC.”

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Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame after the Irish beat USC.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football after the loss to Washington.

Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs against Utah and into November.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Utah.