What Utah's "Preseason Championship" Means for BYU vs Utah Football Game

Utah Football was picked by the Pac-12 preseason media poll to win their division and the Pac-12 title. They're even being called by some as a dark horse to win the college football playoff.

So does all this matter for BYU Football's match up against Utah on August 29? 

The answer is no. 

Preseason hype is almost as sure as your "life plan" (unless you're Alabama, Clemson, or Ohio State). Because of that, you can't read too much into preseason predictions simply because no one has proven themselves yet. You don't really know definitively where a team is going in a season until after 4-5 games.

Because of this, anything could happen when the BYU vs Utah rivalry game comes to a head at the start of the season. It's the rivalry game that comes with bragging rights and is also a chance for BYU to snap the 8-game losing streak against Utah.

With all that said, Utah will still have a really good team this year. They're projected to win 9 games this year and they're coming back with a grueling defense. The Utes have ranked 38th or better in defensive S&P+ for 12 straight years. The Utes star running back, Zach Moss, will also be coming back healthy this time to face the Cougars. The question for the Utes ultimately lies with the offense which was ranked 77th in FBS and fifth in the Pac-12 South last year.

Just like Utah's season is ultimately unknown, so is BYU's. The Cougars return a lot of talented starters including the new face of the team, quarterback Zach Wilson. The thing that the Cougars have going for them is their offense. They'll return a hefty set at offensive line including Freshman All-Americans James Empey (center) and Brady Christensen (left tackle), who will now be sophomores. Returning a group like that should help provide ample protection for Zach Wilson to make his reads and increase the pass completion percentage.

Predictions will be made. Bets will be placed. Stat projections will be calculated. But no one really knows what the outcome of the BYU vs Utah game will be on Aug. 29. The Holy War seems to always be a toss up especially considering that the last 6 games have been decided by an average of 5.33 points.

Say what you will, but the Cougars have a chance against the Utes regardless of all the high expectations that have been set for the Utes. It'll be a really tough fight for BYU but let's just say we'll know more at about midnight on Aug. 30.