Utah Utes Football

2025: Down Year for the Whitt

2025 Record: 5-7 (3-6 Big 12) | AP Ranking: Unranked | Bowl: None

Utah doesn’t have bad years. Until now. — Mike

Kyle Whittingham finally looks… human? That’s weird to type. — Jake

Quick Facts

Traditions: The MUSS student section (genuinely intimidating), “Utah Man” fight song, drumline in the crowd, and being weirdly good at developing NFL defensive players.

Mike & Jake’s Take

🛋️ Mike’s Take (Oklahoma State Fan)

I’m going to cut Utah some slack here, because Kyle Whittingham has earned it.

The guy has been at Utah for 20+ years. He’s won two Pac-12 titles. He’s developed countless NFL players. He runs one of the most consistent programs in the country. One bad year doesn’t define him.

That said… 5-7 is bad. The worst season Utah has had in years. The quarterback situation was a disaster all season — injuries, inconsistency, never found a rhythm. The offensive line regressed. The defense, usually the strength, gave up too many points.

The Big 12 transition hasn’t been smooth. The Pac-12 was a finesse conference; the Big 12 is physical. Utah usually wins the physicality battle, but this year they didn’t.

I expect a bounce back in 2026. Whittingham knows what he’s doing. The recruiting is still solid. The culture is still there. This feels like an outlier, not a trend. See our standings for the full picture.

Confidence Level: Down year, not a collapse

🍺 Jake’s Take (Texas Tech Fan)

Look, I respect Utah. I do. They’re usually the team that nobody wants to play — physical, disciplined, well-coached.

But 5-7? That’s not Utah. That’s… everybody else.

The quarterback injuries killed them. Cam Rising was supposed to be the guy, but he never looked right after the knee injury. The backups weren’t ready. The offense couldn’t move the ball consistently.

And when Utah can’t run the ball and control the clock, they’re a different team. The defense gets tired. Opponents score. Games get away from them.

The Tech game was closer than I expected — we won 27-24. They competed, never quit, almost pulled it out. That’s still the Utah culture. The results just didn’t follow this year. For more on how Utah fits in the new Big 12 landscape, check our New Fan’s Guide.

I think they’re back next year. Whittingham doesn’t lose twice in a row.

Confidence Level: Bounce back coming

2025 Betting Trends

Mike’s Betting Notes: The under trend is real — 4-8 on overs. Utah games are ugly, low-scoring affairs. Even when they’re bad, they don’t give up points easily. Take the under. More in our Big 12 Betting Guide.

Jake’s Betting Notes: Utah was overvalued early based on reputation. The market adjusted by mid-season. They stopped covering as favorites and didn’t have the firepower to keep up as underdogs.

Key Players (2025)

Cam Rising — QB

156-of-267 (58.4%) | 1,876 yards | 12 TD | 8 INT | 128.4 rating

The former star never looked right after the knee injury. Limited mobility, hesitant in the pocket, missed several games. A disappointing final season.

Micah Bernard — RB

178 carries | 823 yards | 4.6 YPC | 7 TD

Solid but not spectacular. Bernard ran hard behind a struggling offensive line but couldn’t carry the offense alone.

Karene Reid — LB

94 tackles | 8 TFL | 3 sacks | 1 INT

The defensive leader and best player on the team. Reid was everywhere — the one consistent bright spot on defense.

Rivals & Key Matchups

BYU — The Holy War. One of the most intense rivalries in college football. Now a non-conference game, but the hatred remains. BYU won 28-21 this year.

Colorado — Rocky Mountain rivalry. Physical games, real tension. Colorado won 24-17.

Arizona — Pac-12 carryover. Games are competitive.

More

• Big 12 Betting Guide — Everything you need before placing a bet on any conference game
• The Recliner vs The Barstool — How we rate games (and why we never agree)
• New Fan’s Guide to Big 12 Football — Just getting into the conference? Start here
• Current Standings | This Week’s Schedule
• Our Predictions Archive — Full transparency on every pick we’ve made

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