Overview
- Utah sits No. 13 in the CFP rankings and remains mathematically alive for the Big 12 title after losses to Texas Tech and BYU left the Utes without control of their path.
- To stay in contention, Utah needs victories at Baylor, home vs. Kansas State and at Kansas, with ESPN analytics placing the sweep probability at about 54.3%.
- The most workable route involves Cincinnati defeating BYU, further results among BYU, Cincinnati, Arizona State and Houston, and potential advancement to a strength‑of‑schedule tiebreaker based on opponents’ conference winning percentage.
- Utah pairs a top‑six pass defense with a top‑10 scoring offense led by QB Devon Dampier and backs Wayshawn Parker and NaQuari Rogers, while Baylor enters seeking a bowl‑securing win behind prolific passer Sawyer Robertson.
- Coaches and players stress a one‑week focus, and coverage notes an outside at‑large CFP path remains possible if Utah finishes strong and higher‑ranked two‑loss teams stumble.