College football preview 2018: 10 unranked teams most likely to surprise

Utah’s defense has been the program’s strength under head coach Kyle Whittingham for most of his 13 seasons. His team had the second-best defense in the Pac-12 last year, behind only Washington, in terms of points allowed. They’ll be replacing three starters on the defensive line, six in total but have plenty of talent and youth waiting in the wings. A sound defense can be expected in 2018 but is nothing new.

To his credit, Whittingham has recognized the need to adapt and evolve on the other side of the ball which could start to really show in 2018. Offensive coordinator Troy Taylor brought a dramatically different spread offense to Utah with a first-year starter at quarterback in 2017.

Tyler Huntley returns at quarterback with a year in Taylor’s spread offense. He can make every throw in any system and should be ready to let everyone else see that this year. Running back Zack Moss had 1,400 all-purpose yards last year and is one of several weapons joining him.

As much as all the first-year factors (new offensive coordinator, system, quarterback, running back) combined to hurt last season, all the experience, continuity and familiarity the Utes will have in 2018 could lead to a huge step forward.

Utah has the talent to compete with the top of the Pac-12. If they put everything together, buckle up.