This is the eighth post in a twelve-post series that gives a preseason analysis of what to expect from every opponent the Cincinnati Bearcats take on this upcoming college football season. We last looked at the Bearcats' seventh opponent, the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The Cincinnati Bearcats' eighth game of the season is against the Utah Utes on October 31st at Nippert Stadium, a Halloween game in Cincinnati. The Utes are ranked as the No. 21 team in the nation coming into the season and have a lot of potential to increase their ranking. With this being their first season since 2009 with Kyle Whittingham as head coach, the Utes could take a step back, but their roster has too much talent to count them out as Big 12 contenders.
Utah lost 26 players to the transfer portal and added another 18 through the transfer portal. Their biggest additions are Utah State receiver Braden Pegan, who had 60 catches for 926 yards and 5 touchdowns. They also add a defensive lineman from North Texas, Ethan Dey, and cornerbacks Elijah Reed from Akron and James Chenault from South Florida. Their most underrated addition might be Steve Chavez-Soto, a running back from San Jose State who ran for 448 yards and 7 touchdowns last season.
Their most impactful returning players this season are Devon Dampier, who passed for 2,490 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He added 835 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, probably the best dual-threat quarterback in all of college football. Running back Wayshawn Parker is in for a big season after rushing for 981 yards and 6 touchdowns last season. Wide receiver Creed Whittemore has been making eyes turn this offseason too.
The Utes were ranked fourth nationally in yards and points this past season, averaging 41.3 points per game and 482.9 yards per game. The Utes' defense will take this team as far as they allow them to go. Teams are going to have a hard time keeping up with this offense, but the defense needs to play a lot better than expected if the Utes want to be a serious Big 12 contender.
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