2025 Utah Football Predictions: Utes Ranked 56th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they're good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Utah lands in my Ultimate 136.
Utah ranking: 56
Last year’s ranking: 12
Top player: QB Devon Dampier: Finished 11th in FBS last season in total offense with 3,934 yards; his 19 rushing TDs were the third-most of all FBS QBs last season.
RJ's take: Not a single one of the six scholarship running backs played a single snap last year for Utah, but at Big 12 Media Days, Kyle Whittingham said he believes he has the best offensive line he’s ever had. So one should balance the other.
But Devon Dampier will give Utah the kind of athlete at quarterback that it hasn't seen since Alex Smith, Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham were all Utes. Dampier arrived with former New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck after the Lobos averaged 484.3 yards per game and 33.5 points. Dampier threw for more than 2,768 yards, rushed for more than 1,166 with 27total TDs and 12 INTs.
If Utah improves offensively and bounces back from its first losing season since 2013, it has every chance of competing for the Big 12 crown.
[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Utah Utes Win Total: Over 7.5 (-164) Under 7.5 (+132)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.