Early look: What to like about No. 21 Utah in 2017
Each week, USA TODAY Sports will give a more detailed look at the teams listed on our early top 25 for the 2017 college football season.
Up next: No. 21 Utah. The Utes have rolled off three seasons in a row with at least nine wins and a spot in the final Amway Coaches Poll. Not bad for a program that struggled to find a toehold in its first years in the Pac-12 Conference. More of the same is expected in 2017.
Why No. 21?
1. Consistency. After early dysfunction as part of the Pac-12, the program has very clearly moved toward annual Rose Bowl contention during the past three seasons. The Utes are close — but not quite there, hence a ranking a peg or two behind the conference’s best. There’s nonetheless something to be said for consistency, as well as the idea that any team that rolls out nine-win seasons with regularity is bound to eventually break the dam and crack 10-plus wins during the regular season.
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2. Winning up front on defense. The defensive front is the Utes’ strongest individual position group — as has often been the case for much of the program’s recent past. It’s a unit loaded with all-conference talent, as in the case of tackle Lowell Lotulelei, as well as enough depth to remain fresh even as Pac-12 foes use speed and tempo to wear down Utah’s defense.
3. New offensive approach. First-year offensive coordinator Troy Taylor, formerly of Eastern Washington, brings to Utah a no-huddle system that leans toward the pass. The scheme is a nice fit for the Utes’ personnel, particularly if the receiver corps takes another step forward following last season’s noticeable improvement. In his one season at EWU, Taylor coached quarterback Gage Gubrud to Football Championship Subdivision single-season records in passing yards and total offense.
Why not higher?
1. Competitive South Division. It’s hard to find clear wins in the Pac-12 South Division, even for a team of Utah’s construction. Arizona will be better, if still at or near the bottom of the division. UCLA will make a significant move up the conference standings after a miserable 2016 season. Arizona State’s an enigma, but the Utes will their hands full nearly throughout conference play. Did I mention Southern California?
2. Offensive line under construction. It’s by far the biggest concern facing a remade offense: Utah’s offensive line is in a state of flux following the departure of several key starters and contributors. Maybe the optimist suggests that this is the right time for an offensive line rebuild; the whole offense will be undergoing similar changes, after all. The pessimist says that fairly large changes up front may stymie the Utes’ ability to grasp Taylor’s system and hit the ground running. Each side makes a good argument.
3. Back seven on defense. So the defensive front is outstanding. The rest … well, the Utes have some questions to address, primarily with an underachieving but more experienced linebacker corps. There are fewer concerns about the back end, if largely due to the great coaching Utah gets in its secondary, but the same worries do exist. Can the Utes locate an additional two or three cornerbacks capable of hanging with the Pac-12’s best?
Biggest games
►At Brigham Young, Sept. 9
►At USC, Oct. 14
►Vs. Colorado, Nov. 25
Three players to know
1. QB Troy Williams. Don’t be surprised in the least if Williams takes to the Utes’ new offensive approach and puts together an all-conference season.
2. OL Lo Falemaka. With such changes underway up front, Utah needs Falemaka to steady the entire unit from his spot at center.
3. S Chase Hansen. The new leader along the back end, Hansen has the speed to ball-hawk in coverage and the size and mentality to help defend the run.
PROJECTED PRESEASON TOP 25
