When it comes to Utah football, nothing compares to a game day. Tailgating hours before with hundreds of your closest friends, walking through the gates of Rice-Eccles Stadium, taking in the beautiful sights of the mighty Wasatch mountains, and the sound of roaring thunder as 45,000 fans join in unison to cheer on the Uboyz as the game kicks off. Pure bliss. However, there are a few things that come close in comparison and one of those is the spring release of the fall football schedule, and this morning at 9 a.m. the Pac-12 released the 2021 Utah Football schedule.

Sept. 2, 2021 vs. Weber State

The Utes and Wildcats last met in 2018 where Utah floored Weber 41-10. This should be a great warmup for the Utes as they try to work out the kinks on offense and defense, especially on the offensive side of the ball as they will have someone new under center and several new ball carriers out of the backfield. Utah should win this game by multiple possessions as they prepare for a real test the following week against their in-state rival BYU.

Sept. 11, 2021 at BYU

With the cancellation of all non-conference games due to COVID-19 for the 2020 season, it will have been over two years since the last Holy War meeting where Utah spoiled BYU’s home opener, defeating the Cougars 30-12. It will have also been 4,305 days since the last time BYU defeated Utah and with the Utes elite defense and new offensive additions, not to mention the departure of Zach Wilson to the NFL, it will be difficult for BYU to end the nine-game win streak. However, this game is always a battle and you can expect no less this season.

Sept. 18, 2021 at San Diego State

It’s been over a decade since Utah has faced off against San Diego State, defeating the Aztecs in a shootout, 38-34. While San Diego State may seem like a simple opponent, Utah needs to take them seriously as they are coming off a 4-4 2020 season with notable victories against Utah State and Hawaii. The Aztecs also played BYU fairly well as they only lost 28-14. 

Sept. 25, 2021 vs Washington State

Utah will open conference play against Washington State at Rice Eccles Stadium towards the end of September. While the Utes only played five games last year, one of them was a 45-28 victory over the Cougars. But don’t forget Utah trailed 28-7 at halftime and without the heroics of Drew Lisk, that outcome may have been much different.

Oct. 9, 2021 at USC

After a week off, Utah will head to southern California to take on USC at the Coliseum. Since 2014 this matchup has mostly gone back-n-forth with the teams trading victories except for the last two seasons where the Trojans have come out victorious. Beating USC is never an easy task, especially on their home turf. Expect another battle with the outcome being decided on the last few possessions. 

Oct. 16, 2021 vs Arizona State

Utah will go from one tough opponent to the next as they welcome ASU to Rice Eccles just a week after facing USC. The Sun Devils have been a tough matchup for Utah since joining the Pac-12 as ASU leads the series 6-3. However, the last meeting in 2019 was a 21-3 victory for the Utes and they will be looking to replicate that performance.

Oct. 23, 2021 at Oregon State

Utah’s first victory in 2020 came against the Beavers as they held onto a 30-24 lead which came down to the wire. Oregon State has been a fairly easy north opponent as Utah has dominated the series 6-2 since joining the conference. With Utah maintaining their defensive weapons and adding a whole lot of new offense, we could see a blowout similar to that in 2019 where Utah dominated the Beavers, 52-7.

Oct. 20, 2021 vs UCLA

Utah hasn’t lost to UCLA since 2015 and in their four victories since 2016 have outscored the Bruins 190-75. UCLA has struggled to put together a quality football team for some time and nothing points to that changing anytime soon.

Nov. 5, 2021 at Stanford

Surprisingly, The Utes and Cardinal have only faced off a total of nine times in the program’s history with Utah leading the matchup 5-4. The last game was during the 2018 season where Utah took care of business, 40-21. Mind you, Stanford put together an impressive 4-2 2020 season with a notable victory over Washington, 31-26.

Nov. 13, 2021 at Arizona

Utah will remain on the road as they head to Arizona to take on the Wildcats. Arizona hasn’t proved to be much of an opponent over the last five years as the Utes have won four straight. This should be one of the easier conference games as not much has changed in Tucson. 

Nov. 20, 2021 vs Oregon

The battle of the birds comes to Salt Lake City as Utah hosts the reigning Pac-12 Champions. Rice Eccles and the Muss will need to bring it as two of the conferences best go at it for what could be a teaser for the 2021 conference championship. 

Nov. 26, 2021 vs Colorado

Utah will close out the 2021 season as they welcome Colorado to Salt Lake City for the famous “Rumble in the Rockies”. Although we may want to rethink what we call this game as Utah has dominated the matchup 8-2 since both schools joined the conference. The Utes will look to keep their four-game win streak going after defeating the Buffaloes last season in Boulder, 38-21.

While Utah will have their work cut out for them and will need to readjust to a full schedule after only playing five games in 2020 due to COVID-19 cancellations, with their new additions and all the key players returning, the Utes will be a strong competitor for not only the Pac-12 South but just might win their first-ever conference championship.

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