Utah took eight years to win a Pac-12 South football championship. In their ninth season of conference membership, the Utes undoubtedly will receive their first No. 1 forecast in the division.
Ordinarily, that development would become the biggest Utah-angle news to emerge from the Pac-12 Football Media Day, being staged Wednesday in Hollywood, Calif. Yet during a summer when the Utes are almost universally being picked to win the South by magazines, websites and other analysts, these are the bigger questions that the official media poll will answer:
Who will be picked second in the South? Who will be favored in the North? And will Utah or the North's contestant be chosen as the Pac-12 champion?
For the first time, a preseason all-conference team also will be announced. Utah has several prime candidates, including defensive linemen Bradlee Anae, Leki Fotu and John Penisini, defensive backs Jaylon Johnson and Julian Blackmon, running back Zack Moss and offensive tackle Darrin Paulo.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE UTES
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, defensive end Bradlee Anae and running back Zack Moss will appear on the Pac-12 Networks’ Media Show at 4:30 p.m. MDT Wednesday.
Anae and Moss will represent the Utes during the interview sessions. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham often has chosen an offensive lineman to join him at Media Day. Moss joins former running backs Devontae Booker and John White and tight end Jake Murphy as a skill-position player being promoted by Utah as one of the Pac-12′s top performers.
That’s another illustration of how well this Utah team is positioned to succeed in 2019, with offensive personnel capable of doing more to support what is perennially one of the Pac-12′s top defenses. The Utes’ No. 1 pick in the South will be more than merely an acknowledgement of them as defending champions.
“We quietly and humbly believe we could be really good this year,” said junior receiver Britain Covey.
As for the No. 2 team in the South, USC is the likely pick, even after a 5-7 season. UCLA, Arizona State and Arizona also should get a fair amount of second-place votes. Colorado’s Mel Tucker is the Pac-12′s only new coach in 2019; the Buffaloes are the likely last-place choice.
Utah's conference schedule begins with a Sept. 20 visit to USC.
The North's first-place votes will be split between Oregon and defending champion Washington, with Stanford and Washington State also receiving considering. Even though Utah will get more first-place votes as the dominant team in the South, the projected North winner probably will be picked to win the Pac-12 championship game, Dec. 6 at Santa Clara, Calif.
That's partly because North teams have claimed seven of eight titles in the Pac-12 era, including Washington 's 2019 championship via a 10-3 win over Utah last November.
The related question, to be answered only as the season unfolds, is whether the conference can place a team in the College Football Playoff after a two-year absence. The consolation is this is not a season when the Rose Bowl is hosting a CFP semifinal game, so a berth in the iconic bowl is available to the Pac-12 champion.
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott will open Media Day with his annual update of the conference’s landscape. Subjects this year may include the potential for an equity investor in the Pac-12′s media rights, the future site of the championship game and issues with football officiating and replay reviews, which evoked considerable criticism of the conference last season.
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