College football rankings 2023: 5 teams in Top 25 who will be the first to lose

College football rankings: Utah will be the 3rd ranked team to lose in 2023

The same concerns that have No. 14 Utah on upset watch in Week 1 against Florida will be in play in Week 2 against Baylor, but this time the Utes will get bit.

While Kyle Whittingham will be in friendly confines in that opening matchup, Week 2 sends the Utes to Waco to battle Dave Aranda’s Bears.

The Bears were one of the more disappointing teams in college football last year. They followed up their 2021 Big 12 triumph with a losing record in 2022 as the wheels fell off the defense and the offensive couldn’t make up for it. But Aranda is a strong defensive mind and he hired Oregon co-DC Matt Powledge to get things right.

Meanwhile, this matchup is still early enough in the season that Cam Rising’s knee will still be a worry for the Utes.

It doesn’t help that Utah has a mediocre history on the road. They lost to Florida last year in non-conference play and lost to BYU and San Diego State the year before. They have gone .500 away from home five times in the last six seasons.

This is simply a numbers game. The odds are in Baylor’s favor.