Utah Football 2025 Preview: Utes’ Dark-Horse Playoff Run, Key Games & Rising Stars

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football’s first September in the Big 12 already feels like late-November stakes. The Utah Utes (3-0) welcome fellow unbeaten Texas Tech to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday in a showdown many analysts are billing as an early conference-title preview. Why the hype • Statement game: Utah has not lost since last October and owns the Big 12’s longest active win streak (seven games). A win keeps Kyle Whittingham’s group on track for its first College Football Playoff berth. • Quarterback duel: Transfer sensation Devon Dampier has accounted for eight touchdowns without an interception while completing 73 % of his passes. Red Raiders veteran Behren Morton leads the FBS with 11 TD tosses and tops the league at 307 passing yards per game. • National window: FOX’s “Big Noon Saturday” broadcast delivers Utah’s biggest regular-season TV audience since the 2024 Pac-12 title game, a ratings boost that can sway CFP committee perception. Keys for Utah 1. Contain Morton’s deep ball. Tech’s upgraded receiver corps averages 16.2 yards per catch, but Utah safety Cole Bishop anchors a secondary ranked No. 12 nationally in explosive-play defense. 2. Lean on the ground game. Utah churns out 290 rushing yards per contest behind Dampier’s dual-threat ability and an offensive line that has surrendered just one sack all year. 3. Red-zone execution. The Utes are 14-for-14 in red-zone scoring; Texas Tech’s defense ranks 109th in red-zone stops. Matchup to watch Freshman corner Miles Battle vs. Tech star WR Coy Eakin (652 yards, 7 TD in 2024). Battle held UCLA’s Jaden Marshall without a grab in Week 2, but Eakin’s 6-4 frame presents a new test. Injury report • Utah WR Mikey Matthews (hamstring) is expected to return after missing Wyoming. • Tech RB Quinten Joyner (knee) is out for the season, elevating J’Koby Williams into a featured role. What’s at stake • CFP odds: ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor bumps Utah’s chances to 62 % with a win, 21 % with a loss. • Big 12 tiebreaker: Both programs avoid Oklahoma and Kansas State this season, making Saturday’s head-to-head result the clearest path to Arlington. • Recruiting momentum: More than 40 blue-chip prospects are scheduled to be in attendance, including four-star edge Kam Maile. Quotable “Utah’s physicality travels, but Rice-Eccles is a cheat code,” Tech coach Joey McGuire said Monday. “We’ll find out quick if we’re contenders or pretenders.” Whittingham’s response: “You don’t pay dues in this league; you pay rent every Saturday. Our guys know the rent is due.” Bottom line Utah football built its national reputation by thriving in big moments. Beat Texas Tech and the Utes become the Big 12 favorite and a CFP front-runner. Lose, and the road to Arlington suddenly runs through Lubbock. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MT, with temperatures forecast in the low 70s and another sellout “red-out” on the Hill.