Colorado still hasn't washed off last year's 53-7 nightmare, and Utah's rolling back into Boulder with a new head coach but the same swagger that produced the worst beatdown in this rivalry's history.
Bush’s Picks
UTAHCOLO
UTAHCOLO
OverUnder
Best BetUtah
Utah's the pick here even accounting for the coaching change, mostly because the quarterback continuity gap between these two rosters is enormous. Dampier and Ficklin have already run this offense together; Julian Lewis is stepping into full-time duty for the first time against a program that just hung 53 on Colorado. Until the Buffaloes prove the new coordinators have fixed what was broken, backing Utah to win outright is the low-risk read.
Utah
+Dampier and Ficklin both return, already know the two-QB scheme
+New OC McGiven brings a proven target in Pegan
+Blew out Colorado 53-7 in last year's meeting
−Replacing five starters on the offensive line
−First year under new head coach Morgan Scalley
Colorado
+66 new roster faces via an offseason overhaul
+New OC Marion and DC Marve bring fresh schemes
+Julian Lewis flashed as a freshman: 4 TDs, 0 INTs
−Coming off a 3-9, 1-8 Big 12 finish
−First-year starter Lewis behind a rebuilt line
−Defense was torched for 53 points in last meeting
Utah walks into this one under a different name at the top of the depth chart but a familiar formula. Morgan Scalley takes over for Kyle Whittingham, who left for Michigan after 21 seasons, and the transition is softened by the fact that Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin are both back running the two-QB attack that produced 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns from Dampier alone last season. New offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven arrives from Utah State with receiver Braden Pegan in tow, giving the Utes a fresh outside threat to pair with a run game that's carried this program for years.
Colorado's rebuild looks a lot more dramatic. Julian Lewis is now the guy after a freshman year spent bouncing behind Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub, and Deion Sanders brought in two new coordinators — Brennan Marion on offense, Chris Marve on defense — along with 66 new roster faces to try to erase a 3-9, 1-8 Big 12 finish. Lewis flashed real polish in limited snaps, but asking a first-year starter to hold up behind an overhauled line against a Big 12 schedule is a lot to bank on this early.
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UTAH Utah
COLO Colorado
The uneasy part for Colorado is that this exact matchup is the one that broke them wide open a year ago. Utah's 53-7 win in Salt Lake City was the largest margin of victory in the history of the Rumble in the Rockies, and Sanders has spent the offseason insisting his program 'won't be in this position again.' Whether that talk translates to Boulder against a Utah team that's owned this series for over a decade is the whole story here.
