Utah has not improved, while the rest of the Pac-12 has in 2022

What’s the biggest difference between this Utah team and the 2021 team?

We put that question to Utah analyst and Pac-12 football expert Matt Nigbur of the No Truck Stops Pac-12 podcast.

Here’s his answer:

“Kyle Whittingham actually stated in the UCLA postgame press conference that the team is in a very similar situation to last year. Win-loss record aside, I could not disagree more. Imposter syndrome is a very real thing and not something that the Utah program has often dealt with.

“This time last year there was also a rally around what ultimately was the first team All-Pac-12 quarterback, and we’ve talked about the differences in the defense, most notably the leadership from Devin Lloyd. I don’t think that this team is significantly worse than last year, but they certainly aren’t improved, and they most certainly aren’t improved in the areas that we felt they had the capacity to improve.

“All that is to say nothing about the rest of the Pac-12. Even if Utah had slightly improved, the reality is that USC has gone from a dead body last year to the perennial front runner that they should be. Chip Kelly has appeared to remember how to coach football again. Arizona is better, Wazzu is better, Oregon State is still solid and dangerous. The path through the season is much more difficult than last year, and games where you might have been able to get out with a win previously are turning into losses this season.”