Utah Football Fans Should Allow Themselves to Dream Right Now

The landscape of college football's Top 25 looks very different than it normally does. The aspect of NIL and the transfer portal have changed the equation. While most of the top 25 teams are familiar names, some are not and many blue-bloods are way behind the eight-ball.

Georgia, Alabama and Notre Dame in the top 5 is not surprising. Texas with two losses, Texas Tech in the middle of the pack, Wake Forest in the top 15, Oregon, Ohio State, Ole Miss and LSU outside the top 15 is surprising. The top half of the AP Top 25 no longer looks like a murderers row of traditional powers.

In the latest College Football Playoff projected bracket, Utah’s path seems reasonable to say the least. It’s a playoff, so there will be no ‘easy’ path. However, there have been much scarier scenarios in previous years for a lot of teams.

In the latest projection, Notre Dame would likely beat Boise State. Indiana vs Tennessee would be interesting, but neither team is that far ahead of the other. Texas and Kentucky could go either way. BYU (not Texas Tech) would depend on how healthy Miami is. That's a big question for last year's national runner-up, who looks decent in the final month. 

In those quarterfinals, if they went as expected, they would include Notre Dame vs UCLA, Indiana/Tennessee vs Georgia, Kentucky/Texas vs Alabama and the winner of BYU vs Miami to take on Utah. There is more than a realistic possibility Utah wins that quarterfinal matchup. Possibly setting up something like Notre Dame vs Georgia and Alabama vs Utah.

If Utah can make the semifinals, it's time to start getting excited. The 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide are good, but not one of those Saban-style Bama teams. Using a little math distribution, Utah beat BYU and BYU beat Notre Dame. There is a path that could see Utah in the National Championship game. To play against a team that has already lost this season.

Of the teams currently expected to make the quarterfinals based on current projections, UCLA is the only other unbeaten and objectively, they haven’t played anyone that threatening. Georgia lost to an unranked Auburn team. Alabama lost to both Georgia and Tennessee. If there was ever a playoff draw that favors a deep Utah run, it's this year.

Utah begins this final three-game push when they travel to Tucson to take on the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats. Kickoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX.