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NFL Football Network talent Joel Klatt is interviewed after a Play Football Prospect Clinic with Special Olympics athletes, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Detroit. | Carlos Osorio
Former college football quarterback and current lead Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt came out of the gates high on Utah in his post-spring Top 25 rankings, slotting Kyle Whittingham’s program at No. 6, one spot ahead of Alabama and one spot behind No. 5 Ole Miss.
Klatt dialed it back a bit in his fall preseason Top 25 rankings on “The Joel Klatt Show” but still has a very positive outlook on the Utes, picking them to win the Big 12 Conference.
Klatt ranked Utah No. 9 in the country, which is three spots ahead of the Utes’ preseason Associated Press ranking at No. 12, one spot ahead of No. 10 Penn State and one spot behind No. 8 Alabama.
Alabama (8), Michigan (7) and Notre Dame (6) all jumped ahead of Utah compared to Klatt’s spring rankings.
“Death, taxes, Utah football. This is my pick in the Big 12,” Klatt said. “Utah is really good, really tough.”
Klatt touted Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the Utes are 18-1 over the last three years (the lone loss coming to then-No. 6 Oregon), as the new toughest venue in the Big 12.
“I know the Big 12 teams are not going to want to hear this, and I understand that some of those places are tough to play in, but Salt Lake City — and Utah — is now the toughest place to play in the Big 12. Period. Period,” Klatt said. “That home-field advantage is real. They are incredible at home. This is one of the best teams in the country.”
It all starts with quarterback Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe at tight end. Rising, who has thrown for 5,572 yards and 46 touchdowns over his Utes career, led Utah to two Pac-12 titles in 2021 and 2022, and while Kuithe had a season-ending injury in 2022, he…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-joel-klatt-thinks-utah-013107518.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-08-15 01:31:07
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