With BYU and Utah State both losing while Utah was on a bye, where could the three schools end up for bowl season?
No. 14 Utah
Coming off a bye week after beating then-undefeated USC at home, Utah still has a chance to defend its Pac-12 championship.
With a 5-2 record – 3-1 in Pac-12 action – the Utes likely need to win out to secure a return to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship game.
A tough trip to Pullman to face Washington State is up next before Utah faces two less-than-stellar opponents in Arizona and Stanford. If the Utes can make it through the next three games unscathed, all hope rides on the game at Oregon.
If the Utes can beat the Ducks on the road, it could put them in the driver’s seat for a Rose Bowl bid.
Projection: Valero Alamo Bowl
Opponent: TCU
Date: Thursday, December 29
Location: Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
Time and channel: 7 p.m. MT, ESPN
BYU
Playing at Liberty in what was dubbed by the Flames as “the biggest home football game ever”, the Cougars forgot to even show up.
Suffering a blowout 41-14 loss, it is clear BYU has some defensive issues to fix for the final third of the season.
Having dropped three straight and now sporting a 4-4 record, the Cougars host East Carolina next in a Friday night tilt. The Pirates are 5-3 and on a two-game winning streak, meaning BYU could be staring down a fourth straight loss if the defensive struggles continue this week.
Projection: Frisco Bowl
Opponent: Fresno State
Date: Saturday, December 17
Location: Toyota Stadium – Frisco, TX
Time and channel: 7:15 p.m. MT, ESPN
Utah State
Having to start fourth-string quarterback Bishop Davenport on the road against a rival, the Aggies’ odds were stacked against them before the game started.
The offense wasn’t able to help out the true freshman signal caller, with the rushing attack struggling to pick up the slack like the last two weeks.
Because of this, Utah State now sports a 3-5 record, just 2-2 in Mountain West play.
Any chance of winning the division is out of the question, and a bowl game is becoming less likely with each passing week.
The Aggies do have a bye week to regroup before facing two bad teams – New Mexico and Hawaii – before facing San Jose State and Boise State. Six wins might still be possible, but one more loss likely ends any hope.
