Red Flags: 5 college football teams on upset alert in Week 4
- Could Colorado shock the world in Eugene?
- Dissheveled Alabama could be in a world of hurt, courtesy of the Lane Train
- Kyle McCord and Ohio State get the first real test
3. Utah Utes
Opponent: 22 UCLA | Time: Saturday, Sept. 23, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX) | Spread: UTAH -4.5
The big question for the UCLA Bruins visiting the Utah Utes as the always-rowdy Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday afternoon is if Utah quarterback Cam Rising will make his season debut.
Rising was questionable as far back as the Week 1 win over Florida but has still not played. All signs point to him being on track with the reports of him practicing without limitations, but until there's an official word, we don't know for certain.
Whether or not he plays in this game, though, it's right to be worried about the Utes.
For one, if Rising does play, it's truly impossible to expect him to be playing at 100% effectiveness. Not only is he recovering from an ACL injury suffered on Jan. 1, but he hasn't played in a real game since then either. That's a tough ask. And if he doesn't play, the Utes offense has been getting the job done, but has essentially been a wildcat offense since moving to Nate Johnson over Bryson Barnes.
Then you have a UCLA team that seems to have found a stud in Dante Moore. The true freshman quarterback has been stellar to start his Bruins career and we know that Chip Kelly will dial up some explosive plays -- something he did last year in Los Angeles against the Utes. On top of that, the defense looks much improved and has plenty of real playmakers, particularly in the front seven.
Kyle Whittingham and Utah have earned respect from college football fans an analysts over the years. But this team might not be in the same position we've seen in years past. That could put them in trouble against a true sleeper in UCLA, even at home.