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On3 Sports Projects Utah to Make the Playoffs Next Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Elijah Grayson Murray | Last updated Jan 29, 2025 11:24 AM ET

It is no secret that the past two seasons have been rough for the Utes as they have suffered countless key injuries which in turn has led to back-to-back subpar records.

However, despite the downturn in form, On3 Sports has Utah making it all the way to the semifinal in next year's edition of the 12-team playoff. In fact, they have so much belief in Kyle Whittingham's squad, Nick Kosko has them clinched a first-round bye which in turn means they win the Big 12.

Based on their bracket, the Utes would have to face off against the Texas Longhorns in their first-ever playoff matchup as the Arch Manning-led squad beat Bill Belichick's Tar Heels in the first round.

"Now we head to the other side of the bracket with a Cotton Bowl featuring Texas! Despite winning in the first round, Utah gets the win. It’s the Utes’ playoff debut under Kyle Whittingham, in what could be his final season. Utah gets the win and advances to the semifinals after winning the Big 12," Kosko said regarding the projected quarterfinal matchup.

With the win, the Utes moved on to play fellow bye-week earners Penn State, who had to beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to earn their spot in the semifinal, with a championship appearance on the line.

"Penn State gets over the hump and gets to the national championship by beating Utah. The Nittany Lions won the Fiesta Bowl over Boise State in this year’s quarterfinals and they’ll do it again in next year’s semifinals," Kosko predicted.

Sadly the road ended one game short of the promised land for the Devon Dampier-led Utes, but losing to the eventual projected champions lessens the blow a bit.

Regardless, any Utah fan would probably take such a remarkable season after the past two disappointing campaigns, and the fact that such a prominent page predicted the program to make it so far is a testament to how the offseason moves up to this point have righted the ship.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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