There's absolutely nothing boring about Pitt football in style, seasons, and wild mood swings.

That's why it's among the ACC's biggest wild cards.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi proved that Pitt can win an ACC Championship, but lately, just when it seems like something fun is about to happen ... nope.

Can the Panthers Put It All Together and Win an ACC Championship?

It wasn't all that long ago when the Panthers won the 2021 ACC Championship, and that's why it always seems like they're this close to pulling off something big.

Coming off a 3-9 clunker, the 2024 Pitt team started 7-0 and looked like a true championship contender - and then lost its last six games.

The Panthers started 2-2 last season with heartbreaking close losses to West Virginia and Louisville.

They found their quarterback in Mason Heintschel during a five-game winning streak, and everyone started to get on board. And then they closed losing three of their last four.

This season's team has enough talent back to be terrific at times, but it's Pitt. It's going to be an interesting ride.

- 2026 Pitt Schedule Analysis

Pitt Quick Hits

• Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi (12th year: 80-61)
• Best Case / Worst Case: Win the ACC Championship/Struggle to stay in the ACC race
• Key Player: Mason Heintschel, QB Soph.
• 2025 Record: 8-5 
• Biggest Question: Can Pitt do all the little things right and win all of the games they're supposed to?

Pitt Key 2025 Stats

• Average Yards Per Carry: Pitt 3.5, Opponents 2.7
• Sacks: Opponents 44 for 325 yards, Pitt 31 for 274 yards
• 1st Quarter Scoring: Pitt 100, Opponents 48

Offense

Offensive coordinator Kade Bell has found his stride. 

There are plenty of things to work on, but he's got the quarterback, the style, and the pop to make Pitt a threat to crank up the production every time out.

Now the Panthers have to be more consistent, and they have to be stronger against the better teams. They have the personnel to do it.

What’s Working

Mason Heintschel. The 6-2, 215-pounder isn't all that big, and he doesn't run, but the guy can spin it.

With a big-time arm and a maturity to his game, the sophomore came up large last season with 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns, even though he didn't fully take over the job until mid-October. 

He's the franchise, and Texas State transfer Holden Geriner is coming in to be the emergency option.

The ground game will take off. Heintschel will get the spotlight and the press, but the Panther rushing attack has the potential to carry its weight after a rough season.

The 1-2 rushing punch of Ja'Kyrian Turner and Western Kentucky transfer La'Vell Wright should combine to push for 1,500 yards.

When Pitt scores, Pitt wins. It was a true feast-or-famine team, going 8-0 when scoring 30 or more, and 0-5 when scoring fewer. 

Over the last four years, Pitt is 22-1 when coming up with 30 or more, and that one loss was in the six-overtime insanity against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

What Needs Work

Third down conversions. The Panthers were explosive, and scoring wasn't much of an issue, but they were the worst in the ACC in third down conversion, hitting them just 33% of the time.

The offensive front should be better, but it still has a long way to go. Three starters are back, with 6-7, 325-pound tackle Ryan Bare the best of the bunch, and with help coming in from the transfer portal.

However, it's still going to take some work after the Panthers were among the worst in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss allowed.

Avoid the mega-turnover games. The Panthers were tied with Syracuse with the most turnovers - 23 - giving it up five times against Louisville, and five more times in the Military Bowl against East Carolina. They lost both by one score.

Player to Watch

Ja'Kyrian Turner, RB Soph.
He's only 5-9 and 180 pounds, but he's tough, lightning quick, and he'll be used even more after leading the team with 745 yards and seven touchdowns, and catching 25 passes for 150 yards.

Defense

As always, Pitt is Pitt on defense.

It's always bringing the heat as one of the best pass rushing and attacking defenses in America, and it's always giving up a ton of passing yards, and it's always coming up with takeaways.

The aggressive style doesn't stop now, especially with a relatively loaded group of veterans who should keep the production going.

What’s Working

The pass rush. Every year under Pat Narduzzi - seriously, every year.

The Panthers find the right players for the system - the statistical stars don't really translate to the next level - and they keep coming in waves.

Be stunned if Pitt isn't first or second in the ACC in tackles for loss per game again.

The defensive front will be a plus. The production comes from all sides, with ends Isaiah Neal and Jimmy Scott combining for eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss, and the defensive tackles can move, too.

Nick James and Sean FitzSimmons are veterans who should combine for way over ten tackles for loss.

The takeaways allow for the offense to take more chances. No one likes turning it over, but Pitt is almost always able to let the offense go full throttle thanks to a defensive style that takes it away every game.

The Panthers only failed to come up with a turnover in one game last year - the 61-9 win over Duquesne from the FCS.

What Needs Work

The linebacking corps. The combination of Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles was dominant, and now Louis is a Miami Dolphin and Biles is a Texas Longhorn.

Alex Sanford Jr. is a ready-made outside linebacker from Purdue, and the return of Braylon Lovelace in the middle - coming off an 80-tackle season with two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss - will be a steadying force.

Giving up yards is part of the cost of doing business for the Pitt corners, and it'll be trial by fire for the new starters.

Shadarian Harrison got his feet wet on one side with 30 tackles and an interception, and in comes big transfer Raion Strader from Auburn along with Kanye Thompson from Syracuse.

The amazing run defense has to keep holding up. Thanks to all the tackles for loss, Pitt usually has a strong statistical run defense.

When opposing ground games are working, they keep handing it off. Pitt went 6-0 when teams ran it fewer than 34 times, and was 2-5 when offenses ran it more.

Player to Watch

Alex Sanford Jr., LB Sr.
How ridiculous was Rasheem Biles last year in Pitt's Money position?

101 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, two interceptions - both for touchdowns - four broken up passes, and two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for a score.

Just do that, Alex, in that same Money spot - he came up with 46 tackles last year for Purdue.

Keys to the Season

• Keep quarterback Mason Heintschel from getting popped.
• The offense has to keep up the pressure - the scoring has to be consistent.
• Be sharper - fewer penalties, fewer turnovers, more third down conversions.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Mason Heintschel, QB Soph.
Pitt usually has a few quarterback options, but with all due respect to Texas State transfer Holden Geriner, the entire season is about Heintschel.

He had problems against Notre Dame and Miami, and his production fell off late, but when he was on - he lit up NC State for 423 yards, and cranked out 300 yards in four of his first five starts - he was special.

Biggest Concern

Running through the tape - have a good November.

Over the last three years, Pitt is 3-10 in the final month of the regular season.

Pitt lost a few early games, found their groove, got to 7-2, and then it all fell apart, losing three of the final four. 

To be fair, two of those losses were to Notre Dame and Miami, but the Panthers weren't even close.

The 2024 team started 7-0 and finished 7-6. 

What does this November look like? Florida State, at Louisville, at Cal.

Biggest Game

at Virginia Tech, October 2
As long as Pitt doesn’t biff the home games against UCF and Syracuse, it has a serious shot at starting 6-0 if it can get by the Hokies.

With the next road game at Boston College, 7-0 isn’t a crazy dream before going to Miami.

Transfer Portal

Pitt got better this offseason.

It brought in several players who fit the style - lots of help for Mason Heintschel - and went heavy with bulk talent over star power.

There were a few massive losses - there's no replacing Francis Brewu or Rasheem Biles on the defensive side - but overall it was a good run in the portal.

Best Signing

Raion Strader, CB (Auburn)
The Pittsburgh native started out his career at Miami University and was fantastic with 110 tackles and a ridiculous 31 broken up passes in two years.

He left for Auburn, but didn't do much last year. Now he's back home as a perfect fit for the Panther secondary. 

Biggest Loss

Francis Brewu, DT (Notre Dame)
Losing Rasheem Biles to Texas is every bit as big, but it's a bit easier to find playmaking linebackers than disruptive forces at tackle.

Brewu isn't massive, but the 6-1, 280-pounder can move, with 51 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and ten tackles for loss over the last two years. He'll be great for Notre Dame.

Other Names to Know

• Alex Sanford Jr., LB (Purdue)
• Jeremiah Warren, DT (Illinois)
• DeMarco Ward, LB (Memphis)

CFN Season Prediction

It's interesting with Pitt, because in some ways, it's among the most predictable of ACC teams.

You know what it's going to do on both sides of the ball. It's just a question of execution.

But on the flip side, it's nasty to figure out this bunch over the last few years, because it will lose to mediocre teams like 2025 West Virginia and 2024 Virginia, and Cincinnati and Wake Forest in 2023 (all of them finished with losing seasons).

CFN Prediction: 7-5

Here's the massive plus - and remember that Duke and Virginia played in the ACC Championship last year. Who do the Panthers miss?

Clemson, Duke, NC State, SMU, Virginia, and a great-looking Wake Forest team. (And Stanford, too, by the way.) 

And the biggest miss this year is Notre Dame, who was on last year's schedule.

The problem is the ACC road slate - at Virginia Tech, Boston College (both should be far, far better), Miami, Louisville, and Cal.

That doesn't even include home dates against UCF, Syracuse, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Florida State.

So like the last two years when Pitt hovered around the seven-to-eight win mark, expect that again.

Related: ACC Football Rankings 2026: Where Things Stand Before Spring

Violent  celebrations overshadowed France's quarter-final victory over Morocco at the FIFA World Cup on July 9, but social media posts claiming to show footage of related fire and rioting in Paris are false. The videos were filmed weeks earlier during unrest following Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) UEFA Champions League win on May 31.

"Fire reported near Eiffel tower amid Paris celebrations," claims an Instagram post shared on July 10, 2026.

The attached footage shows a plume of smoke near the Eiffel Tower.

Another  Instagram post from July 10 shares a video compilation of rioting on the streets. 

"Paris is burning as the Moroccan migrants have started riots after Morocco lost to France by 2-0 in the World Cup knockouts," reads text superimposed on the video.

The visuals circulated online after France advanced to the World Cup semi-finals after beating Morocco 2-0 in a quarter-final played in the US state of Massachusetts ( archived link ).

The resulting celebrations turned deadly in France and descended into chaos on the streets of London.

A 17-year-old girl died in northern France after falling from a truck during post-match celebrations.  The tragedy came as hundreds of people danced in the streets of Paris following the victory, watched by thousands of police on security duties ( archived link ).

France had  urged its football fans to be responsible after previous high-profile matches led to unrest. Morocco won independence from France in 1956 and has a mostly settled relationship with the former colonial power, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Moroccans or French citizens of Moroccan descent ( archived link ).

In central London, British police battled football fans early on July 10. One police officer was injured and four people were arrested following what police described as “violent disorder".

Xenophobic comments in Arabic and Hindi from users on Facebook ,  X and Instagram sharing the supposed visuals of the unrest in Paris suggest they believed they were related to the World Cup.

But they are not -- the clips predate France's quarter-final victory by several weeks.

Footage from PSG win

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video of the Eiffel Tower led to the same  footage published in an Instagram post on May 31 ( archived link ).

A reverse image search for keyframes from the second video surfaced an Instagram post published by The Wall Street Journal  on June 1 ( archived link ).

Both captions indicate they depict  unrest that marred Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League in late May.

Police detained 890 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted on the night of May 30 following the local team's victory. Authorities said a man in his twenties died in a motorbike crash in the capital ( archived link ).

Both clips are credited to freelance journalist Luc Auffret, who confirmed to AFP that he filmed them on May 31 amid clashes following PSG's victory.

"It shows the Eiffel Tower momentarily shrouded in smoke for several minutes following a fire nearby, on the banks of the Seine, whilst there were numerous incidents of tension that evening," Auffret told AFP on July 10.

He also said he filmed other rioting videos that were later distributed by The Wall Street Journal via social media intelligence company Storyful.

AFP has debunked several other claims about the 2026 World Cup .

The Los Angeles Dodgers will once again be one of the most heavily represented teams at the Midsummer Classic, sending a star-studded group to the 2026 MLB All-Star Game as they continue to pace the National League.

Official 2026 MLB All-Star Game & Home Run Derby gear is available now for purchase.

The defending World Series champions have six All-Stars heading to Philadelphia: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Justin Wrobleski.

Shop: 2026 MLB All-Star Gear

Click on any of the links in this post to place your order now for 2026 MLB All-Star gear.

Ohtani, Freeman, Muncy, and Pages were voted into the National League starting lineup, while Yamamoto earned a pitching selection after another dominant first half. Wrobleski was later added as a replacement, giving the Dodgers one of the largest All-Star contingents in baseball.

Shop: 2026 MLB All-Star Gear

Click on any of the links in this post to place your order now for 2026 MLB All-Star gear.

The Dodgers enter the All-Star break with the best record in Major League Baseball, and their strong showing in Philadelphia reflects another impressive first half on both sides of the ball. With multiple starters taking the field and manager Dave Roberts leading the National League, Los Angeles will once again have a major presence on baseball’s biggest summer stage before turning its focus to another postseason run.

Shop: 2026 MLB All-Star Gear

Click on any of the links in this post to place your order now for 2026 MLB All-Star gear.

Shop: 2026 MLB All-Star Gear

Click on any of the links in this post to place your order now for 2026 MLB All-Star gear.

Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

The FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals are right around the corner. With it, the expectation of finding out which two teams will duke it out for the Jules Rimet Trophy.

The final four, France, Spain, England, and Argentina, are all worthy champions. They have the talent and the pedigree to become the world champions.

But looking at a more objective measure of victory, the AI models by the folks at Oddschecker have revealed which team has the best chance of winning the FIFA World Cup 2026. The results are hardly surprising.

Here are the data the AI model projects based on the probability of winning it all:

• France 42%
• England 25%
• Spain 19%
• Argentina 14%

It’s interesting to see the defending champs ranked the lowest among the final four. The numbers likely reflect the struggles the South American side has had in its knockout round matches.

Argentina needed extra time to get past Cape Verde and Switzerland, while pulling off a stunning last-minute comeback against Egypt. That situation seems to have weighed on Lionel Messi’s chance of making it back-to-back championships.

Meanwhile, the relative ease with which France and England have reached the semis likely boosts their chances of emerging victorious at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The wild card, it seems, is Spain. If they can upset France, all bets will be off.

Messi Overwhelming Favorite to Win FIFA World Cup 2026  Golden Boot

Paradoxically, the overwhelming favorite to take the Golden Boot at the FIFA World Cup 2026 is Messi. Oddschecker’s model shows at 71% probability of the Inter Miami star beating out French striker Kylian Mbappe. The model showed Mbappe with a 23% of taking home the honors.

Harry Kane rounded out the top three, garnering an 11% chance of bringing home the Golden Boot.

As Oddschecker spokesman Chris Rogers noted, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot looks to be landing with Messi.

“Leo Messi has been in sensational form for Argentina and is tied with Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot. Bookmaker odds and Oddschecker AI projections are conflicted on the eventual winner.”

It seems the AI models favor Messi to win a major individual award, even if his team may not be in the best position to take home another championship. Still, it seems like another France-Argentina clash might be on the horizon in this year’s championship match.

What to read next:

Argentina Banking on Another Gutsy Performance from Messi

The Argentine side will be banking on one last gutsy performance from Messi. He’s been solid in this year’s tourney, seemingly defying his 39-year-old body. He hasn’t shown signs of slowing down despite playing a high-tempo game throughout the tourney.

However, it was the supporting cast that came up big in the quarterfinal match against Switzerland. Alexis MacAllister, Lautaro Martinez, and Julian Alvarez were the strikers in the 3-1 win on Saturday night.

But it will take more than just Messi’s magic to get past Harry Kane and the English. The entire Argentinian squad will have to be perfect if they plan to advance to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final.

Like HEAVY's content?Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

The post FIFA World Cup 2026 Winner AI Projections Favor France appeared first on HEAVY.

No pressure, Morgan Scalley, but win the Big 12, go to the College Football Playoff, and be legendary along the way.

Try this for a coaching run at Utah.

Ron McBride won 88 games in 13 years before being replaced by some Urban Meyer guy who went 22-2.

Meyer didn't coach in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2004 season, but Kyle Whittingham did - he did okay for himself over 21 years before moving on to Michigan.

As good as Whittingham was, though, he never got the Utes to a College Football Playoff - Utah is one of the winningest programs never to get into the CFP.

Can Utah Keep Winning Under Morgan Scalley?

As good as he was, it's been forgotten that Whittingham needed a few years to get up to speed, going 15-10 in his first two full seasons.

Scalley will be expected to make Utah amazing immediately, with a relatively favorable schedule and ton of young talents ready to show what they can do.

For all of the discussion about Texas Tech last season, and BYU just missing out on the playoff, Utah went 10-2, was a dominant force by the end of the season, and the only losses were to the Red Raiders and Cougars.

Just do that, Morgan, and a little bit more.

- 2026 Utah Schedule Analysis

Utah Quick Hits

• Head Coach: Morgan Scalley (1st year, 1-0)
• Best Case / Worst Case: Win the Big 12 Championship/Be realistically out of the College Football Playoff hunt before October.
• Key Player: Zereoue Williams, OT Sr.
• 2025 Record: 11-2
• Biggest Question: Can the new coaches and players keep the elite production going?

Utah Key 2025 Stats

• 1st Quarter Scoring: Utah 113, Opponents 41
• Sacks: Utah 34 for 252 yards, Opponents 14 for 80 yards 
• Rushing Touchdowns: Utah 41, Opponents 18 

Offense

Utah didn't go far to get its new offensive coordinator.

Kevin McGiven made Bronco Mendenhall's offense crank out the numbers at Utah State last season.

The Aggies finished third in the Mountain West in total offense with 410 yards per game, and were second in scoring, averaging 31 points per outing.

No, he wasn't with Mendenhall at New Mexico in 2024, but it's the same sort of style that made a superstar out of ...

What’s Working

Devon Dampier. When he's on, he's among the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football.

He ran for almost 1,500 yards and 23 touchdowns at New Mexico, and last season he ran for 835 yards and two scores, and threw for close to 2,500 yards and 24 scores, with the Utes. 

The running game should be even more amazing. The Utes averaged six yards per carry thanks to Dampier, and leading rusher Wayshawn Parker, a quick back who led the Big 12 averaging 6.6 yards per carry on his 981 yards.

Backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin averaged 8.4 yards per carry with 513 yards and ten scores.

The Utes landed a few wonderful receivers from the portal. JJ Buchanan took off to Michigan, but Utah State star Braden Pegan followed McGiven over to Salt Lake City.

Getting Kyri Shoels from San Jose State and Ricky Johnson from Mississippi State might not be an upgrade overall from last year's Ute receiving corps, but these guys catch passes.

What Needs Work

The offensive line. Yeah, okay, it's Utah. It's got a big front five, and it'll be just fine with upperclassmen about to step into big roles, but losing NFL blockers Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu is a problem.

Cedric Jefferson is a ready-made starting tackle from Montana State, and there has to be a spot somewhere for guard Isaiah Kema from Ohio State, but true freshman Kelvin Obot might be the new star at one of the tackle gigs.

Always dominate on third downs. This means Dampier has to be consistently accurate, and the running game has to turn in good plays early to set up easy third down chances.

Utah led the Big 12 and was third in the nation converting 53% of its third down tries, but Texas Tech allowed the Ute attack to convert 29% of the time.

That was one loss, and the other loss came to BYU when the offense had its second-worst third down day when Dampier was under center.

Be mistake-free. That's asking for way too much, and turnovers certainly weren't a problem, but again with the losses to Texas Tech and BYU, those were two of the three days the Utes gave the ball away multiple times. 

The season-high 12 penalties against the Cougars didn't help.

Player to Watch

Braden Pegan, WR Sr.
The 6-3, 210-pound veteran led the Utah State offense with 60 catches for 926 yards and five scores. He's a matchup nightmare with his size - Dampier will keep pushing the deep shots to him.

Defense

Colton Swan moves up from coaching up the linebackers to being Morgan Scalley's defensive coordinator.

He has to make this group better with a whole slew of new players.

The transfer portal isn't helping as much as it is for the offensive side. It's mostly up to in-house players to take over and improve a defense that finished a pedestrian eighth last year after ending up third in 2024.

What’s Working

The linebackers are good. Leading tackler Johnathan Hall is back after making 67 stops with six tackles for loss, and while Cyrus Polu, Trey Reynolds, and Elijah Elliss were backups, there's great upside with this group.

Utah, as always, has the beef up front. It might not be experienced, and there might need to be a decent rotation, but the tackles are full of plenty of 300-pounders to work with.

6-6, 305-pound Karson Kaufusi, 6-2, 298-pound Pupu Sepulona and transfers Jireh Moe (San Jose State) and Lucas Samsula (Wyoming) are all young, and they'll all grow into the gigs.

Scoring defense. Yes, this is a new group with a ton of new parts and lots of work to do on the depth, but for all of the flaws and yards allowed, it gave up 14 points or fewer seven times, and the team was 9-0 when allowing fewer than 24.

What Needs Work

The Utah secondary lost a ton of talent. No, the Utes didn't lose a ton of talent to Michigan, but they took a hit here.

Smith Snowden was a whale of a corner for the Utes, and Salesi Moa was an elite recruit who never saw the field.

Veteran safety Tao Johnson left for UCLA, and backup corners Don Saunders (Purdue) and Jason Stokes Jr. (Colorado) also left.

The run defense has to be far, far better. Utah was third in the Big 12 against the run, allowing 1,559 yards, and last year it was 14th, giving up 2,355 yards.

The Utes allowed over 200 rushing yards five times last season. It gave up over 200 once in 2024, and in 2023, the defense didn't let anyone get past 150 yards.

How fast can the pass rushers step up? John Henry-Daley made 11.5 sacks last year - he's off to Michigan.

Ethan Day is coming in from North Texas, and Kash Dillon was third on the team with 3.5 sacks, but there's not a lot experience-wise to count on from the other side.

Player to Watch

Johnathan Hall, LB Sr.
A bulked up safety, the 6-1, 226-pound Hall has gotten better and better over the last three seasons. He has the quickness to make 16 tackles for loss, and the upside is there to be more of a pass rusher, but no matter what, he'll be the all-around statistical star in the middle of the linebacking corps.

Keys to the Season

• Get the offensive line up to the 2025 level as soon as possible - if it's possible.
• Be better overall against the run, and be consistent about it.
• Don't get too crazy about changing up the style with the coaching changes. All the new assistants have to fit in right away.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Zereoue Williams, OT Sr.
There's a chance this is Kelvin Obot's left tackle job after fall camp, but no matter who takes this spot, it'll be asking a lot to replace Caleb Lomu.

One of them might take over for Spencer Fano at right tackle if it's not Cedric Jefferson.

Williams is a 6-8, 305-pound mountain who served last year as Lomu's understudy. He might be tall and rangy, but he can run block.

Biggest Concern

Bring back the nasty on defense.
There were times when the Utah defense was a brick wall, and the other side had no chance whatsoever. 

UCLA couldn't move a lick, Arizona State couldn't go anywhere, and to be nice about it, Utah's defense made Colorado look like it wanted to go do something else with its life.

And that needs to be more of the norm.

Utah gave up over 420 yards five times last season. It gave up more than that a grand total of zero times in 2024, and twice in 2023.

Biggest Game

BYU, November 7
You can make a case for either one of the back-to-back road games against Arizona or TCU, and the date against Arkansas in Week 2 is big, but ...

Come on. Utah needs to win the home game against the hated rival before going to Tucson and Fort Worth.

Transfer Portal

The loss of players to Michigan and Kyle Whittingham was minimal - just five players at last count. It wasn't nearly as bad as, say, Matt Campbell taking 24 Iowa State players with him to Penn State.

Overall, the portal experience was a net negative, but only slightly. The star power isn't there, but there's depth.

Best Signing

Ethan Day, EDGE (North Texas)
There was a little bit of production in his two years at Wyoming, and then he turned into a star last season at North Texas with 53 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and seven tackles for loss.

Biggest Loss

Tao Johnson, S (UCLA)
A key part of the Utah defense over the last three years, he leaves after making 154 tackles with six tackles for loss, three picks, and 13 broken up passes.

Other Names to Know

• James Chenault, CB (USF)
• Lucas Samsula, DT (Wyoming)
• Steve Chavez-Soto, RB (San Jose State)

CFN Season Prediction

This isn't the Utah team of last year, and the Big 12 is dangerous from top to bottom, but the chip on everyone's shoulder is for real.

Yes, there are a whole slew of backups needing to play key roles now, but they're going to bring the energy to go along with the great production from the backfield.

But, like it is for everyone, it's all about the schedule. Utah doesn't have to deal with Texas Tech.

Not playing Kansas State this season will be huge as the season goes on, and missing Arizona State is a plus, too. 

CFN Prediction: 10-2

Arkansas will be a terrific early test, and dealing with a trip to Iowa State for the Big 12 opener will be tricky. But BYU and Houston are home games, and Colorado and Cincinnati aren't bad to deal with on the road.

There will be slip-ups, and they'll likely come late at Arizona and TCU.

But the schedule progresses well enough that the team should be jelled by the time the Big 12 season starts, and there's no reason to shoot for anything less than last year's 10-2 regular season record.

By the way, do that, and it'll almost certainly be a better season record-wise than what Whittingham is about to have at Michigan.

Related: Big 12 Football Win Totals 2026: Spring Predictions for All 16 Teams