2011 Utah Prediction

Well, kickoff is in less than 24 hours! Here's a little of what I think will happen this season with Utah.

The biggest question going into the offseason this year was the secondary. Those concerns seem to be quite a bit smaller, with guys like Conroy Black, Ryan Lacy, Mo Lee, Keith McGill, and Eric Rowe looking good. The biggest concern I see right now for the secondary is the depth. It seems that there are some capable guys back there, but I wonder about how good the players are behind them. The secondary is absolutely crucial if Utah is going to do well in the Pac-12 with the great quarterbacks. Utah will need to play well in the secondary to stop guys like Nick Foles (Arizona), Brock Osweiler (Arizona State), Matt Barkely (USC), Ryan Katz (Oregon State), and Jeff Tuel (Washington State).

The front seven should be great and really help out the secondary. The linebackers (Chaz Walker, Matt Martinez, Brian Blechen, J.J. Williams) paired with the defensive linemen (Joe Kruger, Dave Kruger, Derrick Shelby, James Aiono, Nai Fotu) should make one of the defensive front seven units in the conference. Hopefully they'll be able to get enough pressure on the quarterbacks so the secondary isn't left out to dry. It doesn't hurt to have 6-foot-7 DE Joe Kruger dropping back into coverage either.

Norm Chow will lead a new offense that looks to be pretty explosive. QB Jordan Wynn is coming off shoulder surgery and should be much improved from last year. He said he never felt comfortable in the spread offense and feels much more comfortable playing Utah's new pro-style offense, which he played in high school.

While neither RB Matt Asiata or RB Eddie Wide are returning, the backfield looks stacked. JC transfer John White is a smaller, shifty runner that should get more carries than the other backs. Returning senior Tauni Vakapuna will be very difficult to take down. True freshman Harvey Langi is a solid back and will be familiar with the offense, as that is what he played in at Bingham High School. Thretton Palamo is huge and fast and played rugby until the spring. All four of these running backs could be starters, but White won the spot in fall camp.

WR DeVonte Christopher is back, and the receivers seem stacked as well. Young receivers Dres Anderson and Reggie Dunn are two of the fastest guys on the team and could really make a difference. JC Transfer Anthony Denham is very tall and could make a big impact as soon as his hamstring is healed.

The offensive line has some great playmakers, but seemed a little thin. The three returning starters are Tony Bergstrom, Tevita Stevens, and John Cullen. Sam Brenner also played in 12 games last year. While the starters are all very solid players, a number of guys got hurt in fall camp. If they get hurt again during the season, Utah's offense could really struggle.

In all, I think the key to Utah having a successful season is overall health. Playing 9 Pac-12 games for the first time, it's hard to tell how guys will hold up. It's important that the offensive line, quarterback, and secondary remain healthy throughout the season. At running back, wide receiver, and the front seven it looks like they could take a few hits and still be alright. One big thing helping Utah this year will be their schedule. They don't have to play Oregon or Stanford, and they get Arizona State at home. They do have to travel to USC and Arizona, and those could both be losses.

I think Utah will lose at USC and three other games, finishing the regular season 8-4. They could lose at Arizona, at BYU, and/or at Pitt. It's hard to pick games for Utah to lose other than USC, but it's hard to think that Utah will not drop a game or two that they probably shouldn't. I do think they'll beat Arizona State at home, and I think they'll end in 2nd place behind USC. They'll either be one game ahead of ASU or tied with them, and win the tiebreaker. Since USC can't go to the conference championship, Utah will go and get destroyed by Oregon. So, I think Utah is 8-5 heading into a bowl game, which would be almost impossible to predict a win/loss there as we don't know which game that will be.

Conference Predictions

Here are the predictions for each conference, with links to the previews.

ACC - Florida State over Virginia Tech
Big East - West Virginia
Big Ten - Wisconsin over Nebraska
Big 12 - Oklahoma
C-USA - Houston over Southern Miss
MAC - Toledo over Miami
MWC - Boise State
Pac-12 - Oregon over Utah
SEC - Alabama over South Carolina
Sun Belt - Lousiana-Monroe
WAC - Fresno State

National Championship - Alabama over Florida State

I had originally picked FSU to go 11-1. After looking at it more, I actually think Florida State will beat Oklahoma and go undefeated. I think Alabama will play Florida State and win. While Florida State has a lot coming back, I think a big part of them going undefeated is because of their schedule and getting Oklahoma at home. Alabama has more experience in recent years playing in big BCS games and were in the championship just two years ago. Alabama's defense is also too good for Florida State to score enough points. It will be a low scoring, close game, but I'm picking Alabama to win the championship.

Also, I think that there will be three undefeated teams this year (after the conference championships): Alabama, Florida State, and Houston. I want to put Oregon here also, but I think they'll lose to LSU this weekend, then win the rest. Oregon has a great team, but LSU's defense is just too good. The last time Oregon played against a similar defensive line was in the national championship against Auburn, where they lost the battle up front. Oregon also only returns 2 offensive linemen, which will make this game even more tough.

In the end, Houston will probably lose a BCS game (depending on who they play), so Alabama will be the national champs and only undefeated team at 14-0. It should be a great season and I can't wait for it to start in just two days!

Conference Preview - Pac-12

The Pac-12 has two legitimate national title contenders in the North division, Oregon and Stanford. USC seems to be the best team in the South division, but they are under NCAA sanctions and cannot advance to the Pac-12 Championship. This leaves the door wide open for the rest of the division, and I think that Arizona State and Utah have the best chances to make the conference championship as the second place team in the division.

Oregon played for the national championship last year, and lost by three on a last second field goal after a contraversial call put Auburn close enough to kick a field goal. Oregon returns 11 starters from that team, including 2 possible Heisman candidates, QB Darron Thomas and RB LaMichael James who are both juniors. Thomas completed 61.5% of his passes for 2,881, 30 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He also rushed for 486 yards (5.2 YPC) and 5 touchdowns. James was a Heisman finalist last year after rushing for 1,731 yards (5.9 YPC) and 21 touchdowns along with 208 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. They will absolutely miss top WR Jeff Maehl, who had 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns and was a play maker all over the field. They also lose WR D.J. Davis (470 yards, 3 touchdowns). Oregon returns just 2 offensive linemen, so James might get off to a slower start running the ball, but I think Thomas will be an improved passer. His stats may not reflect that, however, as they lose 3 offensive linemen and their top two receivers. On defense, they return 5 starters but will need to replace LB Casey Matthews (leading tackler) and DE Kenny Rowe, among others. Oregon also returns 68% of their lettermen. The schedule for Oregon is tough, as they play LSU (in Arlington) and travel to Arizona and Stanford.

Stanford has the leading Heisman candidate heading into the season, senior QB Andrew Luck. Luck was also a finalist last year and completed 70.7% of his passes for 3,338 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions and added 453 yards rushing (8.2 YPC) and 3 touchdowns. 8.2 yards per carry for a quarterback is very high. The yards per carry won't be as high for him as I think he will get sacked more times this year with just two returning offensive linemen. Junior RB Stepfan Taylor is also back, who rushed for 1,137 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Like Oregon, Stanford loses their top two receivers, Doug Baldwin (857 yards, 9 touchdowns) and Ryan Whalen (439 yards, 2 touchdowns). Stanford returns more lettermen than Oregon, at 74%. They return 6 starters on defense, including their top 4 tacklers, but will miss LB/FB Owen Marecic. Stanford would be my favorite to win the division with playing Oregon at home, but they will have a new coach. David Shaw has been the offensive coordinator the last 4 years, and is now the head coach. There is some getting used to a new coach, even if he was promoted from within. They play Oregon on November 12, so it may be late enough in the season that it doesn't matter.

In the south, USC will likely be the top team but cannot advance to the conference championship. They return 13 starters including QB Matt Barkley (62.6%, 2,791 yards, 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions), RB Marc Tyler (913 yards, 9 touchdowns), and WR Robert Woods (792 yards, 6 touchdowns). They also return the top tackler, FS T.J. McDonald, who also had 3 interceptions last year. I think USC will come in first in the South division but Arizona State or Utah will be playing Oregon/Stanford for the conference championship.

Arizona State returns 15 starters, but will be breaking in a QB who played little last year. QB Brock Osweiler threw 109 passes, compared to Steven Threet's 336. Threet retired due to concussions. The offense returns all 5 offensive linemen, which will help them a lot, as well as all rushers from last year. RB Cameron Marshall led the running backs with 787 yards and 9 touchdowns. They will be replacing top WR Kerry Taylor (699 yards, 3 touchdowns) but return 7 players who had over 200 yards receiving last year. The defense had LB Vontaze Burfict back, who was the leading tackler last year and is expected to be even better this year. They get USC at home, but have to travel to Utah and Oregon. However, they don't have to play Stanford, so that will help them out quite a bit.

Utah will be playing an AQ schedule for the first time, and it's hard to determine exactly how they'll do. They have a new offensive coordinator in Norm Chow, who is familiar with Pac-12 schools after coaching at USC and UCLA. QB Jordan Wynn completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,334 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He should be able to improve that quite a bit as he was playing through a shoulder injury for almost all of last year. He will also be playing in an offense that he feels more comfortable in. WR DeVonte Christopher is back (660 yards, 6 touchdowns), as well as a few new receivers like Dres Anderson and Reggie Dunn (played last year, mostly on special teams and got a lot of carries). The rushing attack is mostly new, but JC transfer John White was the leading rusher in JC football last year and is expected to do well. RB Tauni Vakapuna only carried the ball 19 times last year, but is back. Newcomers Harvey Langi and Thretton Palamo will add to what should be a deep rushing attack. The offensive line returns 3 starters, including all-MWC tackle Tony Bergstrom. The defense will have an entirely new secondary, but returns the top two tacklers in LB Chaz Walker and LB Matt Martinez. Sophomore Brian Blechen has been moved from safety to linebacker. Utah's conference schedule will give them an opportunity to compete for the Pac-12 South, as they play Arizona State at home and miss Oregon and Stanford. They do have to travel to USC early in the season, but it might be better for them to play USC before getting into the grind of Pac-12 play.

Picking between Oregon and Stanford is so tough. Both teams have a lot of big playmakers on both sides of the ball. I think one team will be 9-0 in conference and the other will be 8-1. It will all come down to the game on November 12. Oregon has had contraversy swirling around the program and Stanford is breaking in a new coach (who has been with the program for 4 years already). With the game being late in the season, it's unlikely that either of those issues will have a factor. If this game was at Oregon, I would absolutely feel confident picking them. But while it is at Stanford, they don't provide much of a home field advantage. Last year at Oregon, Stanford jumped out to a 21-3 first half lead. Oregon battled back and it was 31-24 at halftime. Oregon outscored Stanford in the second half 28-0 to win 52-31. If this was earlier in the season, I would probably pick Stanford as it's a home game for them, Oregon has all the contraversy, and Stanford has more guys on the team that have played. But with it being late in the year, none of those things will matter, and I think Oregon wins again this year in a close game with Thomas and James leading the offense.

In the South, I think it will probably come down to the Arizona State at Utah game. ASU has been very inconsistent in recent years and hasn't lived up to their potential. Utah's schedule will help them a lot, and may end up in a 6-3 tie with ASU, but beating them in Salt Lake will give them the tie breaker and put Utah in the Pac-12 Championship in their first year in the conference.

The Pac-12 Championship game will not be very close, as either Oregon or Stanford would have home field advantage and likely dominate Utah or Arizona State. I'm picking Oregon over Utah by at least 20 points.

Conference Preview - SEC

Last year's national champion, Auburn, came from the SEC. It could come from the SEC again for the sixth straight year. Alabama is looking like a top contender for the championship, and I think they'll win the west. In the east, it looks like South Carolina is going to be the top team.

Alabama lost three games last year. They were all against top-20 opponents and two were on the road. The other loss was to national champion Auburn in a game where they led 24-0 in the first half. They return 17 starters from that team, and that could almost be considered 18 returning starters because RB Trent Richardson saw so much playing time last year. Richardson carried the ball 112 times for 700 yards (6.2 YPC) and 6 touchdowns. The hardest players to replace on offense will be QB Greg McElroy and WR Julio Jones. Sophomore QB A.J. McCarron played some last year, completing 62.5% of his 48 passes for 389 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receivers Darius Hanks (456 yards, 3 touchdowns last year) and Marquis Maze (557 yards, 3 touchdowns) will not be able to completely make up for the loss of Julio Jones, but they should provide a good enough effort that the passing game will still be effective. With 4 returning starters on the offensive line, the offense should be just fine. The defense returns 10 starters from a group that was 5th in total defense (286.4 YPG) and 3rd in scoring defense (13.5 PPG). It's going to be difficult for anyone to put up many points on Alabama. This year, I think Alabama will have a top 5 defense and a top 20 offense, and their schedule is nice. They do play at Penn State in the second game of the season, so getting McCarron up to speed will be very important in the season opener against Kent State. But in conference, they don't play Georgia or South Carolina and they get LSU and Arkansas at home. If McCarron does well early in the season, I see Alabama going 12-0 in the regular season.

I know that a lot of people are picking Georgia to win the east, and I disagree. They were 6-7 last year and only return 12 starters and just 63% of their lettermen. They did have four losses by 7 or less points. In the SEC East, my pick is South Carolina. They return 13 starters, including sophomore RB Marcus Lattimore who rushed for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns. Junior WR Alshon Jeffrey (1,517 yards, 9 touchdowns) is also back, and he should be Garcia's top target again. Garcia was a pretty inconsistent quarterback last year, but completed 64.2% of his passes for 3,059 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. His biggest problem has been turnovers - fumbles and interceptions. South Carolina also has a favorable schedule this year. Their toughest non-conference game is at home against Clemson, and is the last game of the season. They do have to play at Arkansas and at Georgia, and I expect them to lose one or both of those games. They get the benefit of not playing Alabama or LSU from the west division.

South Carolina will make it two straight trips to the SEC championships, and two straight bad losses. I think Alabama is going to steamroll right over South Carolina on their way to play for the national championship.

Conference Preview - Big Ten

The Big Ten (with 12 teams) changed a bit over the offseason. Ohio State looked to contend with Wisconsin for the Leaders division, but then Terrell Pryor left the team and Jim Tressell was fired due to the violations. In the Legends division, Nebraska could win in their first year in the conference. Michigan State looks somewhat promising, but I think last year was so good because of their schedule (started out with 5 home games, didn't leave the state until game 8, played Wisconsin at home, didn't play Ohio State) and then they got creamed by Alabama in the Capital One bowl.

Wisconsin lost QB Scott Tolzien, but was very fortunate to pick up Russell Wilson, who left NC State. Wilson is going to be the starter and will be a dual threat player. Last year he completed 58.4% of his passes for 3,563 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also rushed  for 435 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wisconsin returns three starters on the offensive line, as well as two of their three running backs who saw a lot of playing time last year. They had an incredible backfield with Jamies White (1,052 yards, 14 touchdowns), John Clay (1,012 yards, 14 touchdowns), and Montee Ball (996 yards, 18 touchdowns). While they lost Clay, Ball could be even better this year in his sophomore season. They'll have to replace quite a few people on offense, including the top 3 tacklers from last year, but they are returning 78% of their lettermen, which is second in the Big Ten (Northwestern is higher). In October, they host Nebraska and also play at Michigan State and at Ohio State in back-to-back weeks. I expect Wisconsin to drop at least one of those games, and maybe even two. That should still be good enough to win the Leaders division, especially if they win at Ohio State.

I don't see anyone challenging Nebraska for the Legends division. Michigan State will only win 7 or 8 games as their schedule is much more difficult than last year, and Iowa lost too much on both sides of the ball. Michigan will be much improved with Brady Hoke and they benefit from an easier schedule, playing Ohio State and Nebraska at home and not playing Wisconsin. I think they'll finish in the top half of the division, but not first. Northwestern will be even better, especially if his Achilles is completely healed and he stays healthy. However, they play Nebraska on the road and benefited from an easy schedule early and some close wins last year. They've only won 10 games in a season twice, and even though they return almost the entire offense and most of the defense, I think their best case scenario is 9 wins.

Nebraska only returns 5 starters on offense, but the most important player returning is sophomore QB Taylor Martinez. He had a great start to a freshman season, but really struggled down the stretch. He'll be much improved this year, and though the offensive line only returns 2 starters, Nebraska has always been solid on both sides of the line. The offense may take a small step back, but the defense was 9th in the nation in scoring defense last year (17.4 PPG) and I think they'll be top-10 again this year. If the division was better, I'm not sure Nebraska would win the division. Especially with the schedule, as they play on the road against Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan. I think the Legends division is going to be a mess this year, with the top 5 teams (everyone but Minnesota) will be beating each other week in and week out, and Nebraska will come out on top (maybe tied with Michigan or Iowa).

While Wisconsin vs Nebraska in the first Big Ten championship seems a little lopsided, Nebraska played in the last two Big 12 championship and lost by a total of 4 points. Nebraska was the lower ranked team in both games, and one of those games was a one point loss on a last second field goal by national runner-up Texas. I think this game is close, but Nebraska loses their third straight conference championship game to a 10-2 Wisconsin team.

Conference Preview - Big 12

The Big 12 (with 10 teams) has one clear leader and a couple of possible contenders. Oklahoma should win the conference, but Texas A&M and Oklahoma State could be in the mix at the end of the season.

Oklahoma lost 1,000 yard rusher DeMarco Murray, but returns a wealth of talent with 16 starters (8 offense, 8 defense). Last year, they were 3rd in passing yards (343.4 YPG), 14th in scoring offense (37.2 PPG), and 33rd in scoring defense (21.8 PPG). I think the scoring offense and scoring defense will both be ranked higher this year. QB Landry Jones is a junior, and last year completed 65.6% of his passes for 4,718 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He should have another huge year with WR Ryan Broyles returning (1,622 yards, 14 touchdowns last year). I wouldn't be surprised to see Jones in the Heisman race, but I doubt he'll win it with guys like LaMichael James and Andrew Luck on the ballot. The defense lost some key players, but they have a lot of returning talent and Bob Stoops is a great coach with a very good staff. Brent Venables has consistently had good defenses here and they should have a top-15 defense this year. The current Oklahoma depth chart calls for only 5 senior starters this year, so they could win a national championship either of the next two years, depending on how many guys leave early for the NFL after this season. In the current defense starting lineup, only DT Casey Walker and CB Gabe Lynn have not seen much playing time. Oklahoma really has only three games this year that could be potential losses: at Florida State on September 17, vs Texas A&M on November 5, and at Oklahoma State on December 3. I think they'll win at least two of those, and they could have a rematch with Florida State in the national championship. While that would be great for OU fans, I think FSU gets revenge and knocks Oklahoma off, then Oklahoma goes 10-2 or 11-1, wins the Big 12, and gets left out of the championship by a couple of undefeated teams. They'll finish the season in the top 5 and will be set up to compete for a national title in 2012.

Texas A&M only needs to replace a lineman on offense, and they bring everyone else back. QB Ryan Tannehill took over for Jerrod Johnson mid-season last year and played pretty well. He threw for 1,638 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in 6 1/2 games. Returning RB Cyrus Gray rushed for 1,133 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. If Texas A&M can win more turnover battles (-5 last year), they should have a great season. They do have to travel to Oklahoma, but get Oklahoma State at home. With 8 returning starters on defense, they should improve a bit on both sides of the ball. I think Texas A&M gets to 9 wins again, but with games against Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Baylor, Missouri, and at Oklahoma, I think they're going to drop a few of them even though most of their tough games are at home.

If anyone can really contend with Oklahoma for the Big 12 title, it's Oklahoma State. QB Brandon Weeden is now a senior and last year threw for 4,277 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. His top target, WR Justin Blackmon, is also back (1,782 yards, 20 touchdowns last year). Blackmon is a very explosive player any time he touches the ball. The biggest question for OSU is the defense, which allowed 26.4 PPG last year and returns just 5 starters. Oklahoma State gets Oklahoma at home, and they could win that game. Even though they have lost 8 straight to Oklahoma, 3 of the 4 home losses have been by 6 points or less. I would not be surprised to see Oklahoma and Oklahoma State with 1 conference loss and this game being the deciding factor.

I still think Oklahoma is definitely the best team in this conference and will win the conference title for the 8th time since 2000.

Conference Preview - Conference USA

The Conference USA West division just got even more clear. Tulsa's top WR Damaris Johnson has been suspended indefinitely. Last year he caught 57 passes for 872 yards (15.3 YPC) and 4 touchdowns. Johnson is the NCAA all-purpose yardage record-holder. In addition, they lost their next two receivers. So it seems that Houston has the West division pretty much locked up, as long as Case Keenum stays healthy.

Houston's season started off with a bang, until they lost QB Case Keenum for the year against UCLA. They also lost backup QB Cotton Turner in the same game. Keenum was granted a 6th year of eligibility and I don't see anyone challenging Houston for the division. In 2009, Keenum threw for 5,671 yards with 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. And in 2008, he threw for 5,020 with 44 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Houston also returns their top two rushers, Bryce Beall (870 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Michael Hayes (629 yards, 8 touchdowns). Probably the biggest challenge will be replacing three starters on the offensive line. Houston returns 6 starters on defense, including the top 5 tacklers from last year. Houston will have a chance at home against UCLA to gain some early attention and the schedule is pretty much a breeze after that. Out of the east division, they don't play Southern Miss or UCF who should be the top two teams in the division.

In the east, Southern Miss and UCF look to be the top two teams. UCF was 8th in the nation in scoring defense last year (17.1 PPG), but they only return 4 starters from that squad. They do return 2 of the top 3 tacklers (who also combined for 3 interceptions), but the defense will likely take a step back. The offense returns 6 starters, including QB Jeff Godfrey who threw for 2,159 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Under George O'Leary, UCF has focused more on the running game, and they ranked 26th in the nation in rushing offense last year (187.6 YPG). They return 3 starters on the offensive line, as well as a stable of running backs lead by Ronnie Weaver (890 yards, 11 touchdowns last year) and Latavius Murray (636 yards, 11 touchdowns last year). UCF will have a couple chances to prove themselves as they host Boston College on September 10 and travel to BYU on September 23. Their toughest conference game is on the road, however, at Southern Miss on November 12.

The biggest problem for Southern Miss last year was their defense, allowing 29.5 PPG (81st in the nation). They allowed over 40 points five times (1-4 record in those games), and over 50 points twice. One of the 50 point games was a double overtime game, and they only allowed 35 points in regulation. Three of their five losses last year came when they allowed over 40 points in regulation. The defense looks to improve this year, as they return 7 starters, including MLB Korey Williams who had 92 tackles, with 3 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss as well as an interception. Look for the senior to be the anchor of the defense and lead them to a better season. On offense, they return senior QB Austin Davis who threw for 3,103 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions last year. He also rushed for 452 yards and 10 touchdowns. They'll have to replace a few targets, as they lose two of their top four receivers, but still have WR Kelvin Bolden (722 yards, 6 touchdowns last year). They also return the duo of RB Kendrick Hardy (903 yards, 7 touchdowns) and RB Desmond Johnson (611 yards, 8 touchdowns). Three starters return on the offensive line. If Southern Miss can run the table in the division, they could go 12-0. Their hardest non-conference games are at Virginia and vs Louisiana Tech.

While I'm tempted to pick UCF to have another big season (11-3 last year), I think their defense is not going to be as good as they were last year. I also think Southern Miss will be even better on offense and the defense will be much improved. Southern Miss also gets UCF at home late in the season, and I think that will be the difference. I wouldn't be too surprised to see Houston and Southern Miss both undefeated in the conference championship, but I think Southern Miss slips a game or two during the season. They'll still have 10 wins in the regular season, but Houston will be the team that is 12-0 (assuming Keenum doesn't get hurt again). I also think Houston wins the conference championship and goes to their first BCS game at 13-0. This conference could surprise a few people this year with Houston, UCF, and Southern Miss all looking to do pretty well.

Conference Preview - WAC

With Boise State out of the WAC and Nevada losing a lot of talent, there isn't a clear pick to lead the WAC this year. There are three teams that I could see winning it, and each for a different reason. Nevada because of their schedule, Fresno State because of their returning rushers, and Hawaii for their returning QB Bryant Moniz.

Nevada lost their two best weapons on offense: QB Colin Kaepernick and RB Vai Taua. Taking their places will be QB Tyler Lantrip who only threw 13 passes last year, and RB Mike Ball who carried the ball 38 times for 259 yards and 4 touchdowns last year. They do return three offensive linemen and 7 players on defense, so that will be helpful. I still think that there will be too much lost by Kaepernick and Taua to give them much of an advantage. The advantage that Nevada has is their schedule. They play four home conference games, and the three road conference games are against San Jose State, New Mexico State, and Utah State who are all in the bottom half of the WAC. They get big advantages over Hawaii and Lousiana Tech at home, as those teams are at a much lower altitude and have to travel a very long distance.

Fresno State is only returning 10 starters, and they don't return QB Ryan Colburn. Replacing him is sophomore Derek Carr, who redshirted last year. Carr played in 2009 as a freshman, but only threw 14 passes. The advantage I see with Fresno State is returning junior RB Robbie Rouse, who rushed for 1,129 yards (5.5 YPC) and 8 touchdowns last year. Fresno State does have to travel to Hawaii but gets Louisiana Tech at home. Rouse is a very fast and explosive player and I think he'll make a big different for Fresno State.

Hawaii QB Bryant Moniz had a fantastic season in 2010, completing 65% of his passes for 5,040 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He threw for over 500 yards twice last year, both at home. Hawaii led the nation last year in passing yards (5,520 yards - second was Oklahoma with 4,807) and passing touchdowns (42). The big problem for Hawaii is that they lost pretty much all of that offense except for Moniz. They return one starter on the offensive line, lose their top two rushers (including 1,000 yard rusher Alex Green), and lose 5 of their top 6 receivers. Last year's 10-win team was a pretty stacked team. They also have 4 road conference games, including Louisiana Tech.

It's hard to pick a conference winner between these three teams. I want to pick Hawaii, but the big losses at receiver and 4 road conference games make me think they'll have a hard time coming out on top. Nevada has the most favorable schedule of the three by far, but I think life after the Kaepernick/Taua duo is going to be tough. I think Pat Hill will win the conference in Fresno State's last year in the WAC.

Conference Preview - Sun Belt

The Sun Belt usually doesn't get much attention, but they can provide some entertaining football to watch. I'm tempted to go with Troy to win this conference, but I think it will just be too hard to win it while they replace 3 offensive linemen and their top three receivers from last year. I'm going to go with Louisiana-Monroe and Florida International as the top two teams here.

Louisiana-Monroe only loses their starting running back from last year, and returns every other person on offense. On defense they return 7 starters, as well as the kicker and punter. QB Kolton Browning had a good season last year as a redshirt freshman, completed 61.9% of his passes for 2,552 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions as well as 385 yards rushing for 4 touchdowns. With the young quarterback returning with his entire offensive line, I expect ULM to be pretty good on offense.

Florida International also returns their starter at quarterback, senior Welsey Carroll. Last year he completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,623 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. His stats are very similar to ULM's Browning but the TD-INT ratio is not quite as good. The offense replaces two offensive linemen as well as their second receiver from last year, while the defense returns 7 starters.

This conference title could be decided in the second-to-last game of the season, Florida International at Lousiana-Monroe. I think ULM is a better team, and having that game at home will also give them the win. I'm picking them to win the conference and go bowling for the first time in school history.

Conference Preview - MWC

The Mountain West is in a big state of transition this year. This year they lost Utah and BYU and gained Boise State. Next year they lose TCU and gain Fresno State and Nevada. It looks like there will be three teams fighting for the conference crown this year, Boise State, TCU, and San Diego State.

San Diego State is on a bit of a lower level than Boise State and TCU. They'll miss NFL WR's Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson, as well as RB Brandon Sullivan who caught 26 passes for 383 yards and 3 touchdowns. They do return 4 starters on the offensive line, as well as RB Ronnie Hillman. Hillman is a home run hitter in the backfied and last year rushed for 1,532 yards (5.8 YPC) and 17 touchdowns. Senior QB Ryan Lindley is a good NFL prospect and last year completed 57.7% of his passes for 3,830 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. The defense returns 5 starters, but Rocky Long (defensive coordinator last year, head coach this year) said that between 22 and 24 guys saw playing time because they alternated so much. I expect SDSU to have a pretty good season, but I don't think they're as good as Boise State and TCU. They do have a lot of weapons, but the main reason I think they can contend for the MWC title is because they get Boise State and TCU at home. They'll win one of those games and lose the other, and then possibly lose either at Air Force or at Colorado State. I think they'll go 5-2 in conference, but if things fall their way or they go 6-1, they could definitely end up in a tie with Boise State and TCU.

TCU won the Rose Bowl last year and finished the season 13-0. However, they only return 8 starters from that team. The offense was 4th in the nation in scoring (41.6 PPG), and the defense was 1st in the nation in total defense (228.46 YPG) and scoring (12.0 PPG). The defense loses S Tejay Johnson, among others, but they also return LB's Tank Carder and Tanner Brock (team's leading tackler). The defense has led the country in total defense for three STRAIGHT seasons. So while they lose a lot of players on defense, I have to think that Gary Patterson will have a top ten defense this year, especially with Carder and Brock returning. On offense, they'll really miss QB Andy Dalton. As a four-year starter, he got better every year. Last year he threw for 2,857 yards with 27 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also rushed for over 400 yards each of the last three seasons. Sophomore QB Casey Pachall threw just 9 passes last year, and only played in blowouts. They do welcome back junior RB Ed Wesley who rushed for 1,078 yards (6.5 YPC) and 11 touchdowns last year, as well as leading receiver Josh Boyce. WR Jeremy Kerley will missed, as he was a playmaker all over the field. TCU starts off the season tough, with their first two games being at Baylor and at Air Force. I could see TCU starting out 0-2 as the defense and new QB may need some time to gel, but Gary Patterson usually does a good job of getting the team ready. They also play at San Diego State and at Boise State. I think TCU drops two of those three conference road games and also finishes 5-2 in conference.

Boise State has gained a lot of respect from outsiders over the last 5 years. In the 8 years they spent in the WAC, they compiled a 62-2 record and had 11 or more wins in all but one season (9-4 in 2005). Boise State has lost just 2 games in the last 4 years, losing to Nevada last year in overtime and to TCU in the Rose Bowl by one point after the 2008 season. BSU returns 14 starters this year, but they will absolutely miss some of the players they lost, including WR Titus Young, WR Austin Pettis, and S Winston Venable, who are all now in the NFL. They do have 3 returning starters on the offensive line and welcome back the most important player and Heisman finalist from last year, senior QB Kellen Moore. Last year, Moore completed 71.3% of his passes for 3,845 yards (10.04 YPA) with 35 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Kellen Moore has been phenomenal in his three years starting at Boise State. I think he'll have another huge year. Senior RB Doug Martin also rushed for 1,260 yards  (6.3 YPC) and 12 touchdowns last season. Boise State does return 7 starters on defense, but did lose some key players and will be playing against tougher offenses such as TCU and San Diego State. I don't think BSU goes undefeated this year. They play vs TCU and at San Diego State in back to back weeks, and I think they'll drop one of those games. They start the season at Georgia, who is ranked in the top 25 despite going 6-7 last year and lost the top two 2 rushers and top two receivers from last year (and they'll be without the third best RB from last year for at least the first game). Boise State may win that game but a few touchdowns, and since it is a game on the road on such a big stage, it could give them a win that seems better than it really is. I'm calling for them to go 11-1 with a loss to TCU or San Diego State.

I think the MWC title will go to Boise State (6-1) with TCU and San Diego State being tied for second (5-2). I could see this ending up in a three-way tie at 6-1 or 5-2, but I don't see TCU or SDSU winning the conference outright.

Conference Preview - MAC

The MAC East and West division races will probably be two different stories. I think that Miami is going to cruise through the East as they return 17 starters, including QB Zac Dysert. Dysert missed a few games at the end of last year, and backup Austin Boucher did a good job winning the MAC title game and bowl game. Dysert completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,406 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 starts. Miami replaces just one player on the offensive line and brings back virtually the entire defense. 9 starters return on defense, and the two players that are new each started two games last year. Miami does play a tougher MAC schedule with Toledo, Temple, and Ohio on the road. Despite the schedule, I think Miami wins the East by a game or two.

The West has a few capable candidates with Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and Toledo. Toledo has the edge with the schedule as their road games are against Temple, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Ball State. They get Northern Illinois and Western Michigan on the road. Western Michigan will have road games against Northern Illinois, Toledo, Miami, and Eastern Michigan, meaning the three hardest conference games will be on the road for them.

Northern Illinois will be breaking in a new coach in Dave Doeren, who was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin for the past three years and co-defensive coordinator for two years before that. NIU will be going to a no-huddle offense, but they will also have 4-year starter (31 total starts) QB Chandler Harnish running the show. Last year Harnish completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,530 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Northern Illinois will sure miss RB Chad Spann, but Harnish rushed for 836 yards last year. They also return RB Jasmin Hopkins (366 yards, 2 touchdowns last year) and QB Jordan Lynch who rushed for 362 yards (11.7 YPC) and 3 touchdowns last year. Northern Illinois will put up a lot of yards and a lot of points this year, but they might struggle on defense. They were 14th in the nation in scoring last year (18.9 PPG), but they only return 4 starters from that defense. They need to replace 6 of the top 7 tacklers from last year. The defense may come around and do fine, but they could also struggle a lot all season.

Western Michigan returns a wealth of offense this year. The main task is to replace two offensive linemen. They will be without WR Juan Nunez (who had over 1,000 yards receiving last year), but they welcome back top WR Jordan White. White caught 94 passes for 1,378 yards (14.7 YPC) and 10 touchdowns. Junior QB Alex Carder completed 63.1% of his passes for a whopping 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. They also return all of their rushers, with 5 players rushing for over 150 yards last season (including Carder). Top RB Tevin Drake carried the ball 40 times last year for 405 yards and 4 touchdowns. That's 10.1 yards per carry and he only lost a total of 8 yards on those 40 carries. I expect his carries to go up and his YPC to go down, but he'll still be an effective runner. The defense lost a couple of key players, but do return 8 starters. The biggest problem they face is their schedule, with their toughest MAC games on the road.

Toledo returns 15 starters this year, 8 on offense and 7 on defense. The biggest loss is LB Archie Donald who had 146 tackles and 3 interceptions last year. Due to injury, they played two QBs last season, Austin Dantin and Terrence Owens. Dantin is a solid rusher and Owens is a better passer. Dantin completed 66.1% of passes for 1,254 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions while Owens completd 59.5% for 1,244 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Dantin also had more attempts. They'll both probably see a lot of playing time. As of the depth chart on 8/24, Dantin was listed first but they're both listed as the starter. Pretty much all rushers and receivers are returning, while two interior linemen need to be replaced. Senior RB Adonis Thomas rushed for 1,098 yards and 8 touchdowns. The top WR last year was junior Eric Page, who had 1,105 yards and 8 touchdowns. The offense should have a great year and really improve on last year (only 27.9 PPG). The best player on defense will probably be junior LB Dan Molls, who recorded 143 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 interceptions last year manning the interior linebacker position along with Donald.

The West could really be a close race between the three teams. Northern Illinois will struggle too much with not enough returning defenders and a new coach and offense. Western Michigan has the toughest conference schedule of the bunch. Of the three, Toledo has the easiest conference schedule and has enough returning offense and defense to feel confident in picking them to win the West. Miami will win the East but won't win back-to-back conference titles. The MAC championship will be a close game, but I'm giving Toledo the edge.

Pivotal Games in 2011

I have quickly compiled a list of games that are either big non-conference games or a possible pivotal game for a conference. This is definitely not an inclusive list and will change as I look at some of the conferences more closely and as the season moves along. But here's a general idea of some games to watch out for. There is a pivotal game for each conference (or division).

Update: I had some MAC games differently, but had to revise after looking deeper into that conference. Also, I removed Miami at Virginia Tech for now. That was the pivotal game for the ACC Coastal division, but with 12 Miami players waiting to be re-instated they may not be a factor.

September 3
Oregon vs LSU - One of the biggest non-conference games I can remember, and on the first weekend, too.
Boise State at Georgia - Big stage for Boise State to prove themselves early.
UCLA at Houston - If Houston wins this game by two possessions or more, they're off to a good track to bust into the BCS.

September 10
South Carolina at Georgia - Could decide the SEC East. Also would give Georgia a lot of momentum if they start 2-0.

September 17
Oklahoma at Florida State - This could be a preview of the National Championship. I think it will be for at least one team, and maybe both if some things happen.

September 24
Florida State at Clemson - Could decide the ACC Atlantic. Clemson is the only division team to challenge FSU, and it's in Death Valley.

October 1
Nebraska at Wisconsin - Important Big Ten cross-division game in Nebraska's first year.
Texas A&M vs Arkansas - Big non-conference game that could really boost the winner's resume for an at-large BCS berth.

October 8
Arizona State at Utah - With USC unable to play in the Pac-12 championship, this could decide who represents the South.

October 15
Western Michigan at Northern Illinois - WMU needs a win here to have a chance at the MAC West.

October 22
Wisconsin at Michigan State - Possibly a trap game for Wisconsin on the road with Ohio State the next week.

October 29
Wisconsin at Ohio State - A win could give OSU a shot at the BIg Ten Leaders division.

November 5
LSU at Alabama - Could decide the SEC West.
Texas A&M at Oklahoma - Could help decide the Big 12 winner if OSU also beats Oklahoma.
(Tuesday) Northern Illinois at Toledo - May determine the winner of the MAC West.

November 12
Oregon at Stanford - Will decide the Pac-12 North, and possibly a National Championship berth will be on the line.
TCU at Boise State - Will decide the Mountain West, and will be the only team they play as a conference game.
UCF at Southern Miss - Could decide the C-USA East.

November 19
Nebraska at Michigan - Might be the best opportunity for someone else to tie for the Legends division (and win the head-to-head tiebreaker).
Fresno State at Hawaii - Going across the ocean could de-rail Fresno State's WAC title.
Florida International at Louisiana-Monroe - Could decide the Sun Belt.

November 26
(Tuesday) Miami (OH) at Ohio - Could give someone besides Miami a chance at the MAC East.
(Friday) Pittsburgh at West Virginia - Will likely decide the Big East champ.
Houston at Tulsa - Might be only chance for Houston to lose a conference game, and could decide the C-USA West

December 3
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State - Could decide the Big 12 winner, depending on the Texas A&M games.

Conference Preview - Big East

The Big East seems to be up for grabs this year. There are three new coaches in the conference: Todd Graham at Pittsburgh, Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia, and Paul Pasqualoni at Connecticut. Three others are in their second year: Skip Holtz at South Florida, Butch Jones at Cincinnati, and Charlie Strong at Louisville. I could see half of the teams winning the conference this year. USF, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh all seem to have a legitimate shot at winning it. All four teams have something in common: a returning starter at quarterback.

South Florida returns 11 players, including junior QB B.J. Daniels, who was out the last couple games of last year with an injury. Daniels can be really good at times, but he also really struggles at times. Last year he completed 58.4% of his passes for 1,685 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 259 yards and 5 touchdowns. While his stats aren't great, he is a playmaker and I think he'll be much improved this year. They do need to replace three starters on the offensive line as well as their top rusher, receiver, and tackler. Their key games will be September 29 at Pittsburgh and December 1 vs West Virginia (home team has won the last 4 games). Both games are Thursday night games. The non-conference schedule is manageable but includes Miami and at Notre Dame.

I expect Cincinnati to really improve upon last year's 4-8 record. Butch Jones had a lot of success at Central Michigan and I think he'll turn it around in his second year here. QB Zach Collaros is a senior and completed 58.7% of his passes last year for 2,902 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also ran for 202 yards and 4 more touchdowns. They return 10 starters on defense, but only 5 on offense. They do return their top rusher, Isaiah Pead, who ran for over 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns last year with an average of 6.6 yards per carry. However, I expect that to go down this year as they need to replace 3 starters on the offensive line. They also need to replace 3 of their top 5 receivers. Their three biggest conference games come all in a row and two are on the road: October 22 at USF, November 5 at Pittsburgh, and November 12 vs West Virginia. Cincinnati can build momentum in September with wins at Tennessee and vs NC State, but I think the middle stretch of conference games will get them.

West Virginia went through an unexpected coaching change. Dana Holgorsen had been hired as the offensive coordinator and was going to take over for Bill Stewart after this year. Over the summer, they asked Stewart to resign and Holgorsen took over. I really like what Holgorsen is doing at WVU. The biggest obstacle for West Virginia is replacing RB Noel Devine. Freshman RB Andrew Buie could make an immediate impact. He drew interest from Auburn and Arkansas and received offers from Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh, among others. He is a fast, physical runner similar to Steve Slaton. Returning 4 starters on the offensive line will help a lot, too. Returning QB Geno Smith completed 64.8% of his passes for 2,763 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions while rushing for 217 yards.  Dynamic WR Tavon Austin returns as well. The defense may take some time as they only return 4 starters. West Virginia will probably get blown when they host LSU but has a fairly easy non-conference schedule besides that. Their final three games of the season will be the toughest, as they play at Cincinnati on November 12, vs Pittsburgh on November 25, and at USF on December 1. Despite the tough schedule down the stretch, I think Holgorsen is doing a great job and the offense should be the most potent attack in the conference.

Pittsburgh will surely miss RB Dion Lewis, who left early for the draft. He rushed for 1,061 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. But they also welcome back RB Ray Graham, who got 2/3 as many carries as Lewis and rushed for 922 yards (6.2 YPC) and 8 touchdowns. Another big loss is Jonathan Baldwin who brought in 53 catches for 822 yards and 5 touchdowns. They do bring back two receivers who had an impact last year in Mike Shanahan and Devin Street, who were the second and third leading receivers last year. The offensive line is in good shape, bringing back four starters who are all seniors. 6 of the front-7 on defense are returning, and are seniors as well. This is a veteran Pitt team with 11 starting seniors who are all returning starters. They also have 7 starting juniors. Junior QB Tino Sunseri completed 64.5% of his passes last year for 2,572, 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. The non-conference schedule could be rough for Pitt, as they play at Iowa, vs Notre Dame, and vs Utah on October 15.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a 2- or 3-way tie for first place in the conferenece. I think that West Virginia and Pittsburgh will tie for the title, and possibly Cincinnati as well. West Viriginia and Pittsburgh have one important thing in common: 4 returning starters on the offensive line. Continuity on the offensive line can be very important in college football. While they both have first year coaches, I think that Holgorsen (WVU) is a great coach and Graham (Pitt) has enough talent to compete. The big game to watch here is going to be Pittsburgh at West Virginia on November 25. I think that game will decide the Big East champion. West Virginia goes 10-2 and takes the conference crown.

Conference Preview - ACC

The ACC seems to be a bit of a two horse race this year. I'm picking Florida State vs Virginia Tech in the conference championship and here's why.

Florida State is the clear favorite to win the Atlantic Division. They return 16 starters, 8 on offense and 8 on defense. Christian Ponder will be tough to replace, but E.J. Manuel saw a lot of playing time last year and is very talented. He completed 69.9% of his passes for 861 yards with 4 touchdown and 4 interceptions. He can improve, and I think he is set to have a great junior year. Florida State also returns it three leading rushes from last year - Chris Thompson, Ty Jones, and Jermaine Thomas. The fourth and fifth leading rushers last year were Ponder and Manuel. FSU also returns virtually all of their receiving corps from last year as well. The only offensive starters being replaced are Ponder at QB, and two linemen.

On defense they're replacing two linebackers and one defensive end, but are returning 3 of their top 4 tacklers, including play maker Greg Reid. Reid broke up 14 passes, had 3 interceptions, and was a great returner as well. He averaged 23.9 yards per kick return, 10.1 per punt return, and took one punt back for a touchdown. The kicker (Dustin Hopkins) and punter (Shawn Powell) are also returning, and they were both solid last year. Hopkins made all 53 PATs and was 22-28 on field goals with a long of 55. Powell averaged 39.0 net yards per punt and had 16 of his 50 downed inside the 20.

The conference schedule is also favorable for Florida State. From the Coastal Division, they play Virginia, Miami, and at Duke. Their other road conference games are Clemson, Wake Forest, and Boston College. The game to keep an eye on there is Florida State at Clemson. If Florida State wins that game, I think they'll take the Atlantic Division because I don't see them losing any other conference games. Even if they slip up somewhere, they'd still have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Clemson.

Virginia Tech is the favorite for the Coastal Division, but for a bit of a different reason. They only return 12 starters, 7 on offense and 5 on defense, and they need to replace QB Tyrod Taylor. This year's starter, Logan Thomas, was just 12-26 passing last year for 107 yards. VT will also be replacing their three of their top four rushers (which includes Taylor). They have 4 returning starters on the offensive line, so that should help things as well as an experienced receiving corps. The kicker and punter will also need to be replaced.

Virginia Tech has two things going for them: an easy schedule (especially in September) and trouble at Miami. They start out with games against Appalachian St, at East Carolina, Arkansas St, and at Marshall. The cross-division games they play are Clemson, Boston College, and at Wake Forest. Their other road games are at Duke, at Georgia Tech, and at Virginia. The toughest games will likely be back to back in October when they play Clemson and Miami, both at home. If they start 6-0, they'll probably finish 12-0.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see two undefeated teams in the ACC championship. Virginia Tech could be 12-0 but I think they will be very exposed by Florida State in the conference championship and Florida State will win by double digits to take the conference title. There could be a national championship berth on the line in this game, too.

I could really see Florida State going 12-0 in the regular season this year. They have all the pieces and so much talent coming back. Their biggest obstacles of getting to the national championship will be at home against Oklahoma on September 17 and on the road at Florida on November 26. Florida is in a state of transition, but Oklahoma is at the top of many preseason polls. September 17 will be a revenge game for Florida State, after they got blown out at Oklahoma last year 47-17. Even with a loss against Oklahoma, they could still get to the national championship because it is so early in the season. I'm picking Florida State to go 11-1 with a loss somewhere along the way, possibly against Oklahoma, and then go on to win the ACC championship.

EDIT: Well, I changed my mind about Florida State. I'm picking them to beat Oklahoma and go 12-0.

Utah Position Reviews - Overview

Last night I completed the position reviews. Here is a brief overview.

Backfield: B+
Jordan Wynn has been throwing well in practice and should be 100% by next Thursday. The running backs should be extremely good this year, with "Wolfman" John White currently leading the race.

Receivers: B+
Anthony Denham hurt his hamstring, but Dres Anderson has really shined in practice as well as Reggie Dunn. Returning starter DeVonte Christopher is also a big boost.

Offensive Line: A-
Injuries have plagued the offensive line this fall, and I mentioned there isn't a whole lot of depth here. But tackles John Cullen and Tony Bergstrom are phenomenal.

Defensive Line: A-
There is a lot of depth on the defensive line and we should see quite a few growing stars here including Joe Kruger and Star Lotulelei.

Linebackers: A-
Returning starters Chaz Walker and Matt Martinez combined with Brian Blechen (started at safety as a freshman last year) will make for a very solid linebacker group. There is also a lot of depth here.

Secondary: B-
Keith McGill could be a really good safety this year as a JC transfer, and hopefully corners Conroy Black and Ryan Lacy can use their speed well. This is probably the area I'm most nervous about.

Special Teams: C+
The battle for place kicker is ongoing between Nick Marsh and Coleman Petersen.

In all, I feel pretty good about Utah this year. The front seven on defense will be a good anchor for the team. As long as Jordan Wynn and the offensive line stay healthy, the offense should be able to put up enough points to win at least 7 games.

Utah Position Review - Special Teams

Special teams could be Utah's achilles heel again. In the past, special teams at Utah were terrible. But since Urban Meyer arrived, that had all changed until last year. Utah had three punts blocked last year. Hopefully that will get better this year.

Punter Sean Sellwood and kicker Nick Marsh are both back. Marsh should be doing the kickoffs this year, but the place kicking is a little up in the air right now. It looks like newcomer Coleman Petersen was overtaking the place kicking duties, but in the last scrimmage he went 1-4 on field goals while Marsh made all 8 of his, including two from 50 yards. I'm pretty unsettled about the kickers, so hopefully they improve.

The returners should be fine again, as they were last year. Reggie Dunn will be returning kickoffs again, this time with Ryan Lacy. Griff McNabb will be returning punts. I don't remember Lacy or McNabb returning any kicks, but I know they are both very fast as is Dunn. The return game has been pretty solid as of late so I think they should be fine again this year.

I'm worried about the kicking end of special teams. Field goals and punting can end up having a big effect on a game, and Utah needs to pull it together to have a successful first season in the Pac-12.

Grade: C+

Utah Position Review - Secondary

And now the secondary. I really am not sure what to expect here.

The starting corners will be Ryan Lacy and Conroy Black, with Reggie Topps listed as the starting nickel back. The good news here is that Lacy and Black are (I believe) 2 of the 3 fastest guys on the team. Black saw quite a bit of playing time last year, but I thought that his corner skills looked pretty bad. Hopefully he has been able to work on those in the offseason. At least all three of these guys have played some for Utah. The backups at corner will be Wykie Freeman and redshirt freshman Mo Lee, with Mike Honeycutt the backup nickel back. Mo Lee has received a lot of praise from fall camp, so I wouldn't be surprised if he plays quite a bit.

There are three safeties on the depth chart, and two of them are brand new to the program. Neither safety spot seems to be locked up yet. Keith McGill is a co-starter at free safety and Michael Walker is a co-starter at strong safety, with Eric Rowe listed as co-starter at both positions. McGill is a highly touted JC transfer who just made it to Utah in the fall. Being listed on the depth chart after the spring before he even arrived on campus was either a good sign of his talent or a bad sign of the talent Utah has at safety. The coaches have been very impressed with him so far, and it sounds like he'll probably end up as the starter. Eric Rowe is a true freshman out of Texas. Utah had a pretty good true freshman safety last year in Brian Blechen, so maybe Rowe will end up doing pretty well. He did make the first-team all-Texas defense, so he seems to have a lot of talent. Michael Walker is the only safety who has played for Utah at all. He played in the final 12 games last year as a freshman, but didn't start.

Conroy Black is the only senior listed on the two-deep depth chart in the secondary. While that's worrisome that there is not much experience at all back there, they should grow together as a unit and get better as the season goes along. The next couple years should be bright for the secondary as well. The coaches talked very highly of the secondary during fall camp, and I really hope they're right. I'll wait until September 10 at the Colliseum to really make a judgement on that. The low grade here is mostly because of the inexperience. They could end up being a lot better, but I expect a shaky start.

Grade: B-

Utah Position Review - Linebackers

The next group for review is the linebackers. These guys might be the most solid group of the entire team. This front seven is deeper than most teams I remember Utah having. The starters are all familiar guys. Brian Blechen (started at safety as a freshman last year), Chaz Walker (senior, started last year), and Matt Martinez (senior, started last year).

Blechen played safety last year, and did a good job for a freshman. He made some big plays (one of the biggest in his first college game) but also found himself out of position many times. I think that linebacker is a better fit for him and he'll really excel there. The backup is listed as a tie between Trevor Reilly and Nai Fotu (also listed at left end). Reilly played 11 games at defensive end last year. He had 11 solo tackles (5 for loss) and assisted on 8 tackles (1 for loss). He also blocked a PAT against Iowa State. I always felt like he was a pretty solid player when he was on the field and he should be a reliable backup if Blechen gets hurt or needs a breather.

Chaz Walker led Utah and finished second in the Mountain West last year in total tackles. He had 50 solo tackles (5 for loss) and 93 assisted tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks for 14 yards, a pass defened and a forced fumble. While he really racked up a lot of stats last year, I felt like a lot of was because he's the middle linebacker, which is the position that often leads the team in tackles. However, he is still a very good linebacker and should be even better than he was last year. The stats probably won't show it because of the improved defensive line, but I think he'll be a better all around player. Backing him up is a tie between freshman V.J. Fehoko and junior Boo Anderson. Anderson has played in all 26 games in his career at Utah and has a total of 37 tackles (10 solo).

Matt Martinez started all 13 games last year and was Utah's second leading tackler. He recorded 17 total tackles (7 solo) against BYU, and on the season ended up with 37 solo tackles (2 for loss) and 54 assisted tackles (7 for loss). He also recorded 2 sacks (1 solo) and returned an interception for a touchdown against New Mexico. Even though the stats don't say it, I think that Martinez was probably the best linebacker last year. He also has senior J.J. Williams as a backup, so there is a lot of experience at rover linebacker. Williams played every game in 2006 and 2009 but injured his leg, limiting him to 2 games last year.

Overall, I feel very good about the linebackers. I feel very good about the front seven, which will be important moving into a tougher conference. The three linebackers all started every game last year (though Blechen started at safety), and that should really help the defense. I look for the front seven to be the anchor of this team, and could make some big plays to help Utah win a couple games this year.

Grade: A-

Utah Position Review - Defensive Line

Only 9 days until football. It's unbelievable that it's so close! I'll finally continue with the defensive position reviews now by doing the defensive line.

There is quite a bit of youth on the defensive line, but the two-deep at every position is a familiar face. In the middle we'll see James Aiono/Dave Kruger and Star Lotulelei. Behind Lotulelei is Tevita Finau and LT Tuipulotu. Tuipulotu hasn't yet played for the Utes but was on the team the last two years.

Dave Kruger has a lot of experience as he has played in every game the last two years for Utah. Last year he had 6 solo tackles and assisted on 21 others. Tied with him at the tackle position is James Aiono, who played in 10 games last year (was hurt for Air Force, TCU, and Notre Dame). Through the first 5 games of the season, he had 4 tackles and 4 assisted tackles. He is a senior but has only played one year with Utah. He has come a long way and is currently tied with Kruger.

Star Lotulelei has received a lot of praise this offseason and has solidified his starting position at nose tackle. He played in every game last year and came away 7 solo tackles and 14 assisted tackles. I honestly don't remember him last year but the coaches are pretty high on his for this season and I'm buying into it for some reason. Tied for the backup nose tackle role are Tevita Finau and LT Tuipulotu. Tuipulotu has not yet played for Utah, but Finau played in the final 8 regular season games last year. He didn't play very much, though, and only had 3 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles. At 6'4", 283 lbs Finau will have to use his height and speed to make a difference. Because of his height and lower weight, I expect him to end up playing on the end, where is currently listed as the backup at right end.

On the ends the starters will be Joe Kruger and Derrick Shelby. Shelby seems to be a lock for the right end starting spot. He has played in 34 games over the past 3 seasons for the Utes and was extremely good last year. In 12 games, he had 19 solo tackles and 20 assisted tackles. Of those 19 solo tackles, 6 were for loss for a total of 34 yards. He also had 2 sacks. In addition, he forced 3 fumbles and defended 3 passes. He is one player I always love to see on the field, as he makes a lot of plays.

Joe Kruger also seems to be a lock for starter on the left end, but Nai Fotu has returned to the team and is being thrown into the mix. Fotu played in every game in the 2007-2009 seasons, but hasn't played since the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl. When he played, he was very good. Even with how good he was, it might be hard to knock Kruger out of the starting spot. Younger brother to Paul and Dave, Joe is said to be the best of the three and is a huge guy at 6'7", 270 lbs. Joe played in all 13 games last year, but didn't make much of an impact. I think he has a bright future at Utah and will have a big year.

The defensive line is deep and guys can be moved around to play a number of positions. At the end of spring a couple guys were listed at end and tackle, and Finau is still listed as that. I think we'll see a lot of subbing in and out on the line and a lot of different looks depending on who the opponent is. Hopefully they'll be able to stay fresh and get some pressure on the great quarterbacks in the Pac-12. I think they'll be able to, and there are a number of future NFL players here.

Grade: A-

Utah Depth Chart - August 22

Here is the report and depth chart from the end of fall camp.

Not a whole lot has changed, other than the running backs. John White is now the #1 guy heading into regular practice with Vakapuna #2. Langi and Palamo are tied for #3. All three fullbacks (Matthews, Rogers, Asiata) are tied for #1. Reggie Dunn has pulled ahead of Dres Anderson at the Z Wide Receiver position, but I have a feeling they will end up rotating very often.

On defense, most everyone has stayed the same, with the exception of Eric Rowe. He is now tied for #1 at free safety and strong safety.

One big thing I notice when looking through the depth chart is the youth that Utah has. As I mentioned before, they could be set up for a great year in 2012.

Utah 2011 Depth Chart - August 8

As expected, the depth chart has changed a little bit since the end of spring. You can see the new depth chart here, and below are the changes and some analysis.

On the offensive line, Percy Taumoelau was the starting right guard, but has moved to right tackle and backs up Tony Bergstrom. Jeremiah Tofaeono moves up to the starting right guard spot. Tofaeono played in all 13 games last year, but did not start. I don't expect this to be much of a drop off at the right guard spot.

At quarterback, Jon Hays (JC transfer) has arrived and is looking good. He has moved ahead of Tyler Shreve for the #2 spot. This is good news in case Wynn gets hurt.

Harvey Langi now has the #1 running back spot with White and Palamo both listed as #2. Dallin Rogers and Luke Matthews have moved to fullback and the battle continues there. It will be good to have a clear #1 running back, but it's also good to have two other guys who can share the carries.

Anthony Denham has a hamstring injury and has been removed from the depth chart for now. Jake Murphy (redshirt freshman) has moved into the #2 tight end spot, replacing Westlee Tonga. Denham is a transfer and missing fall camp and the first part of the season could really hurt him.

That's all for the offense. There isn't really anything big, but the backfield is taking shape with Langi pulling away from the other two backs and Rogers and Matthews moving to fullback.

The defense has changed quite a bit, and in a good way.

Derrick Shelby moved from right end to left end and is tied for the starting spot with Tevita Finau. James Aiono and Dave Kruger are now tied for the tackle spot, and Kruger is no longer listed as a possible left end.

The starting linebackers are the same, but you'll notice a familiar name backing up Brian Blechen. Nai Fotu has been reinstated, and I think this is a huge lift for the defense. JJ Williams has moved from middle linebacker to rover linebacker and Boo Anderson or VJ Fehoko will back up Chaz Walker in the middle.

The cornerbacks are the same, but there is separation with the safeties now that Keith McGill has arrived on campus. McGill was a transfer and has already had some strong practices. He is now the clear starter at free safety with Eric Rowe still #2 at that spot. Quade Chappius moved ahead of Greg Bird for the #2 strong safety spot, where Michael Walker is still the starter. Bird was a good special teams player last year.

The defense seems to be in really good shape. I was worried about the secondary, but they have had a strong fall so far. McGill playing well gives me a lot more confidence. More good news about the secondary is the youth. In the top 6 cornerbacks and top 6 safeties, there are only 2 seniors. Of those two, only one is starting (Conroy Black). Every starter will also have some experience, although McGill's only experience is junior college. The front 7 is deeper than I can ever remember for Utah. They will potentially lose a lot of guys up front after this year, though. Shelby, Finau, Aiono, Martinez, Walker, and Fotu are all seniors and should all see a lot of playing time this year. The good news is that there are two proven sophomores in Dave Kruger and Brian Blechen.

I know this is early to be even thinking about this, but looking through the depth chart and thinking of the schedule next year, Utah could be set up for a very good season in 2012. They will be returning 9 starters on offense (losing two tackles will be tough), and the defense should be returning at least 6 starters. Of the players they'll lose, most of the positions will be filled by guys who have played quite a bit of football. In addition, they'll miss Oregon and Stanford on the schedule again and play USC at home. They will have 5 road conference games instead of 4, which will be UCLA, Arizona State, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon State. But they could be set up for a great year in 2012. That said, let's just keep the focus on 2011 and hope for at least 8 wins in the first year in the Pac-12.