That’s the most missionaries I’ve seen cheering for Bama!!

I really think the Utes got someone who could do some big things with Shemwell’s commitment:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/what-it-means-utes-flip-cb-shemwell

We have discussed a few of them.

He was recently committed to Arizona. Cornerback depth is definitely needed, now. Shemwell visited last weekend and they kept it quiet with his previous Arizona commitment.

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The UW line was good but Johnson got a lot of yards after contact. Congrats to UW, I'd rather see them in the CFP than Oregon.

Let’s getting this rollin’… Here's the starting 5:

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There is a lot of buzz on twitter that Utah could be announced today as the host of the 2030 Winter Olympics. I immediately thought how good this could be for RES upgrades. Obviously for the last olympics Utah got an entire new stadium. I dont necessarily think that the stadium needs to be expanded again, but I hope this gets everything going with stadium improvements. Including Wifi, expanded concourses, and even potentially adding suites on the east side. We'll see...

The Runnin' Utes improved to 5-2 on the season after a win over Hawaii:

Something could definitely change, but it looks like Laumea is headed to the NFL with accepting this invite.

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This is really no surprise at all. He never could crack the lineup. I was surprised Stewart stayed as long as he did, but props to him for doing so.

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Anthony told me months ago when he was trying to keep it quiet for the most part that he had a very rare form of cancer that no one has ever survived from. I just got the news about 15 minutes ago and I’m just crushed. We had so many great football conversations and conversations about just life and family and checking in on each other when we both knew that we were going through tough times. I’m so grateful for the time that he was able to spend contributing on this board and giving his expertise to post game analysis as well as recruit videos. The last text we shared, he shared a picture with me that broke my heart and I had to tell him that I couldn’t keep it from a lot of his Ute family anymore. I just hope you had peace and comfort as much as possible over the last month.

May his memory be eternal… The world and the Utah Football family lost a great man today.

I wish him well, I just don’t see him finishing college at QB. Neither did Utah and that’s why he chose the portal.

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While we're waiting for our bowl announcement (Holiday, Sun, Vegas are probably 99% of the possibilities), here's how CCG weekend looks from a betting perspective. Feels weird not to be involved, but nobody goes every year.

First, the Pac-12:

#5 Oregon -9.5 @ #3 UW. Total is 67, so expected final is 38-29 in Oregon's favor. Honestly, I'd take Oregon, but UW keeps pulling rabbits out of hats and might be a team of destiny. For the total, the only safe bet is the over with the #2 scoring offense (Oregon) and #11 scoring offense (Washington) going at it. If both teams hit their average (45 for Oregon, 38 for UW), it'll go over 80.

Next, the Big 12:

#19 OKST +14 @ #7 Texas. Two touchdowns huh? I guess OKST might not be great. Total is only 55, so expected final is 35-21. If Texas blows them out, expect OKST to fall out of the rankings entirely.

Next, the other ranked matchups:

#8 Bama +6 @ #1 UGA. Total is 55, so expected final is 31-25. I have no idea. Bama seems to have figured things out, and UGA hasn't really been tested, but there's a reason UGA is the owner of the longest SEC winning streak.
#18 Iowa +23 @ #2 Michigan. Total is only 35, so don't watch this game. Expected final is 29-6, which would also probably push Iowa out of the rankings. With a total that low, the only bet is the over. Michigan's scoring average (37.6) is higher than the total, but a 23 point spread is too much, even if Michigan is that much better.
#15 Louisville +2.5 @ #4 FSU. This line is insanely close, particularly considering Louisville just lost to Kentucky. That's probably because FSU's on their #2 QB, who looked okay but not great against UF last week. Total is 49, so expected final is 26-23. No idea here either. FSU has looked shaky since their starting QB went down, but Louisville isn't great.
#25 SMU +5.5 @ #17 Tulane. Total is 48, so expected final is 27-21. Loser probably falls out of the rankings, although Tulane might hang on if they lose close.
NMSU +10.5 @ #20 Liberty. Liberty is an evil place, so go Aggies (plus it helps Utah get back in the rankings). Total is 54, so expected final is 37-27.
Miami (OH) +7.5 @ #23 Toledo. Toledo is only ranked in the AP, but that's what I'm using, so it counts here. Total is 44, so expected final is 26-18. I don't know anything about the MAC, but Miami beating Toledo is good for Utah's chance at an end-of-season ranking, so go Redhawks.

And then the rest:

Boise -2.5 @ UNLV. That's right, the only CCG without a ranked participant is the Mountain West, with UNLV hosting the title game due to a weird set of tiebreakers. I know Boise is favored, but they fired their head coach (which seems crazy), so I'd probably take the Rebels at home. Total is 58, so expected final is 30-28. As a former resident of Vegas, I'll be rooting for UNLV to win, so take my betting advice here with a grain of salt.

Where do these weird sports team names originate?

This is something to watch, as he’s close with Logan and Spencer Fano. Expect Utah to be a threat even though they didn’t offer him in HS. Of course BYU will make their push too and I believe Carson has past ties to there.

He was a 4-star prospect in HS.

Somebody said that's what they do, QB's transfer. As I see all these QB's enter the portal, I can't help but be thankful for the stability coach Whitt has created with Ludwig. And I can't help but think about the "what if's" with how good some could have been had they stayed in places and developed, but understanding they leave cause other coaches want "their" guys. It's very interesting watching it and wonder how many will blossom next year. Interesting that Cam Ward is out there. He's going to get some $$$. If he has a defense, he can make a team very productive. Maybe we need a fantasy game with portal QB's!

Ole Misscoach Chris Beard announced that Oklahoma State transfer Moussa Cisse had been cleared by the NCAA to suit up for the Rebels. He is a two time transfer and will be playing for his third team..

Good news for Smith and the Utes?

One has to wonder that the NCAA is so frigging slow that they could approve his transfer the week of the Pac 12 basketball tournament!

A big piece to the defensive puzzle is back for one more year. It’s not big surprise since he didn’t walk on Senior Day, but I’m also sure since he’s only been here one year that some didn’t realize he had the extra year thanks to COVID.

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Patriotic College Football Helmets

Here’s Matt’s takeaways from a really nice road win, despite St. Mary’s record…

https://utah.rivals.com/news/takeaways-runnin-utes-get-impressive-road-win-over-st-mary-s

I went looking, here's what the experts think for Utah:

Athletic- Vegas vs. Northwestern
Athlon- Vegas vs. Maryland
CBS- Sun vs. Miami
CFN- Holiday vs. Clemson
ESPN (Bonagura)- Vegas vs. Maryland
ESPN (Schlabach)- Vegas vs. Maryland
Fox- Holiday vs. Clemson
McMurphy- Vegas vs. Northwestern
Sporting News- Vegas vs. Northwestern
USA Today- Holiday vs. UNC

One lunatic on Covers.com put us in the Myrtle Beach bowl against UNLV, but that is impossible (and he has USC in the Alamo, which is also impossible). The Pac-12 allows bowls to select teams with one extra conference loss, so Arizona is locked into the Alamo. Still, it is technically possible for Utah to fall all the way down the pecking order, just not to Myrtle Beach.

Champ- Playoff
Champ loser- NY6
Arizona- Alamo
Vegas- OSU/USC/UCLA/Cal
Holiday- OSU/USC/UCLA/Cal
Sun- OSU/USC/UCLA/Cal
LA- OSU/USC/UCLA/Cal
Independence- Utah

I don't think the jumping around is likely this year. USC/OSU/Utah all have the same conference record. I think Utah's getting one of the top 3. The reason to suspect Vegas is because OSU went there last year, and Vegas knows Utah fills that stadium (although in a different context). If Vegas takes USC then I think the Sun is most likely, as I think Holiday will take OSU due to head to head and ranking.

On the final day of the 2023 regular season, Utah welcomes Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes to Rice Eccles Stadium.

With a plethora of injuries and starters sidelined on both squads, this afternoon is guaranteed to be interesting.

What are y'all looking forward to seeing from Utah today?

A win is a win. I know everyone was getting frustrated with Ludwig calling so many runs.

Congrats to Bottari on the W and the 2 TDs. He did everything he asked them to do and he had a swagger and command of the offense.

Was this Glover’s breakout game? He still needs to drops some weight, but the light has really began to come on.

The secondary struggled today, but the defense did just enough.

Now we await the bowl game and the upcoming portal hits.

Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts.

Despite going 1-2 at the Charleston Classic, the Runnin' Utes showed that they have the talent to hang with some pretty good teams. Tonight's game against St Mary's will be another tough test - the Gaels rarely lose at home.

Stay right here for the updates and discussion on the game!

Honestly it’s no surprise. He has hands of glue, but others passed him up. His lack of speed works against him, despite being great at getting open.

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