Utah tops Big 12 Conference teams at No. 14 in preseason Top 25 rankings from The Athletic

Utah is new to the Big 12 Conference, which doesn’t mean it won’t be the team carrying the flag for the entire conference when the College Football Playoff rolls around.

The Athletic’s Austin Mock put Utah at No. 14  in his preseason Top 25 rankings on July 25, one of five Big 12 teams to make the Top 25 alongside No. 15 Kansas State, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 21 Arizona and No. 23 Kansas.

Utah and Arizona are two of four teams joining the Big 12 for the first time in 2024 along with Arizona State and Colorado.

Utah’s high ranking is buoyed by the return of seventh-year quarterback Cam Rising and seventh-year tight end Brant Kuithe, both of whom missed the entire 2023 season with injuries and both of whom have been All-Pac-12 selections in the past.

Utah opens the season on Thursday, Aug. 29 at home against Southern Utah.