Following a Utah State win but losses by both BYU and Utah, where will the three teams end up come bowl season?
FCS football: Weber State remains perfect, SUU falls in shootout
No. 19/20 Utah
After four straight wins over so-so opposition, the Utes faced their first test since the season opener on Saturday when they faced undefeated UCLA.
They failed the test, and now the slim chance they had at a College Football Playoff berth is gone. Their chances at a Rose Bowl bid or even a trip to the Pac-12 title game might be toast as well.
Utah faces No. 6/7 USC at home this week and needs to win in order to have any chance at defending its Pac-12 title. But with the way the Utes have played when they’ve faced quality teams, it seems unlikely that a win is coming.
Projection: San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Opponent: North Carolina
Date: Wednesday, December 28
Location: Petco Park – San Diego, CA
Time and channel: 6 p.m. MT, FOX
BYU
Starting slowly in yet another game finally caught up to the Cougars this week.
After waiting until the second half to turn it up against Wyoming and Utah State, BYU fell behind 25-6 to Notre Dame on Saturday and couldn’t come back.
Any chance of a New Year’s Six bid is now gone thanks to two losses, while the Cougars also fell out of the Top 25. BYU will now have to make do with a mid-tier bowl game in its final season of independence.
Projection: Duluth Trading Cure Bowl
Opponent: UCF
Date: Friday, December 16
Location: Exploria Stadium – Orlando, FL
Time and channel: 1 p.m. MT, ESPN
BYU football: Big questions arise; wasted opportunity against Notre Dame
Utah State
A win over Air Force is a step in the right direction, but at 2-4, the Aggies still have a ways to go.
The next month will make or break the season, as USU plays winnable games against Colorado State, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Hawai’i. The combined record of those four opponents? 8 wins and 16 losses, with only 4-3 Wyoming having more than two wins.
If the Aggies can build momentum against a mediocre schedule, a bowl invite could be in reach even after a disastrous start to the season.
