Utah Utes tight end Dallen Bentley (88) scores a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at Rose Bowl. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Utah lands in early College Football Playoff projections with statement win

Originally posted on Utah Utes on SI | By Cole Forsman | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 5:16 PM ET

Perhaps inspired by the new faces Kyle Whittingham brought in over the offseason, some prognosticators believed Utah was not only due for a bounce-back season in 2025 but also posed as a somewhat of a "dark horse" candidate to represent the Big 12 in the College Football Playoff.

Those predictions held even more weight following the Utes' decimation of UCLA in their season opener on Saturday.

Less than 48 hours after Devon Dampier and company overwhelmed the Bruins in a 43-10 blowout from the Rose Bowl, On3's Andy Staples placed Utah in his projected 12-team playoff, which was released on Monday.

Staples had the Utes on the 9-seed line, facing No. 8 seed Florida State — which also opened the college football season on a strong note, beating No. 8 Alabama, 31-17, in its season opener — with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Utah was the only Big 12 team featured in Staples' early bracket, insinuating that the Utes will represent the conference in the College Football Playoff as its champion. The betting market's latest odds for the Big 12 reflected as such, with the Utes boasting the best championship odds among the league's 16 teams at +460, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Utah also received a boost in the ESPN FPI rankings, which updated its predictive metrics to give the Utes the second-best probability of making the College Football Playoff in the Big 12 after it crushed UCLA behind a strong debut from Dampier and a stout performance from the Utes' defense.

Only BYU had a better probability of winning the Big 12 (22.9%) and making the 12-team playoff (27.8%) than Utah, which had an 18.8% chance of winning the conference and a 24.2% chance of qualifying for the postseason following its win over UCLA.

Based on its own College Football Playoff projections, though, ESPN wasn't as high as Staples and others were on the Utes' statement in Week 1. ESPN's 12-team playoff predictions released Sunday had Arizona State coming out of the Big 12 instead, with LSU, Ohio State, Miami and Penn State rounding out the top four seeds.

Utah will look to keep its College Football Playoff aspirations intact Saturday when Cal Poly visits Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Utes' home opener.

On3's early CFP bracket post-Week 1

No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Georgia
Winner vs. No. 4 Penn State in the Cotton Bowl

No. 11 Clemson at No. 6 Oregon
Winner vs. No. 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl

No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Texas
Winner vs. No. 2 LSU in the Sugar Bowl

No. 9 Utah at No. 8 Florida State
Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State at the Rose Bowl

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This article first appeared on Utah Utes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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