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Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and QB Cameron Rising listen to an official as Utah and Penn State play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. After missing the entire 2023 season due to injury, Rising will be back QB for the Utes as they embark on their first season in the Big 12. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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With Big 12 media days kicking off in Las Vegas — moving from its usual spot in Dallas for two years — in a little over a month’s time, win totals for the 2024 season have been released.
Utah has the highest number, with its win total set at 9.5, and Houston has the lowest of the 16-team conference, at four wins.
Here are five takeaways from the Big 12 win totals set by Vegas.
A favorable schedule for Utah
The Utes drew a favorable schedule in their inaugural Big 12 season.
Utah doesn’t leave the Beehive State until Sept. 21, opening the season with Southern Utah on Aug. 29 before playing Baylor in a nonconference contest — the series was scheduled prior to the Utes joining the Big 12 and both teams agreed to keep it as a nonconference game in 2024 — then heading north to take on Utah State in Logan.
Staying within the confines of Utah for the entire nonconference slate — something the Utes haven’t done since 2019 — is an advantage for Kyle Whittingham’s squad.
In conference play, Utah avoids some of the expected contenders for the Big 12 crown — Kansas State and Kansas — and has four conference games against teams with a projected win total of 5.5 or less (Colorado, Arizona State, BYU and Houston).
However, the Utes will be tested early, opening Big 12 play in Stillwater, Oklahoma, against Oklahoma State before heading back to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-shake-2024-where-030000781.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-06-01 03:00:00
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