Utah climbed to No. 2 in the AP Poll after a 28-20 win over BYU and is 9-0 in a Power 4 conference. ESPN analysts Didich and Finebaum say Utah is not good enough to win the title, citing a close Colorado game and BYU's mistakes.
ESPN Analysts Doubt Utah's Title Hopes Despite No. 2 Ranking and Win Over BYU
ESPN would not be dismissing their chances if they wore a different patch.
Mark
Utah is 9-0 and ranked second. Why is there any argument here?
Mimi
Because two ESPN voices, Heather Didich and Paul Finebaum, said on air that Utah isn't title material. Didich said Utah is second by default, and Finebaum said flatly they won't win it.
Luke
Worth noting that's an opinion piece answering other opinions. Finebaum's claim is a prediction, not a finding.
Mark
What was Didich's actual evidence?
Mimi
The close call against Colorado, and that BYU's Bear Bachmeier threw four interceptions and the Cougars committed a lot of penalties in the 28-20 game.
Luke
Those are real facts about the game. Whether they outweigh a 9-0 record is judgment, and the piece doesn't prove otherwise.
Mark
And the author's counter is Georgia?
Mimi
Yes. Georgia lost at home to Auburn, which is 5-4 with several lopsided losses. The author says Georgia gets a pass Utah doesn't.
Luke
Fair point, but the author admits Georgia's schedule is tougher. That cuts against the bias charge, and the bias claim itself is inference, not something anyone confirmed.
Mark
What about the SP+ numbers?
Mimi
Utah is ninth at 21.5. Texas is sixth at 23.5, so about a two-point edge on a neutral field. Alabama is eighth.
Luke
Those are ESPN's numbers, which is a nice touch, but SP+ ranks Utah ninth, not second. It supports contender status more than it supports the idea Utah is the second-best team.
O Pulso
- Utah beat BYU 28-20 on November 7 and is No. 2 in the AP Poll
- Utah is 9-0 in a Power 4 conference
- SP+: Utah No. 9 (21.5), Texas No. 6 (23.5), Alabama No. 8
- Bachmeier threw four interceptions in the loss
Utah climbed to No. 2 in the AP Poll after a 28-20 win over BYU and is 9-0 in a Power 4 conference. ESPN analysts Didich and Finebaum say Utah is not good enough to win the title, citing a close Colorado game and BYU's mistakes.
ESPN analysts Heather Didich and Paul Finebaum question Utah's title hopes after its 28-20 win over BYU, while the author argues the network's skepticism reflects bias.
On November 7, Utah beat BYU 28-20 in the Holy War, and by the time the new AP poll came out, the Utes sat at No. 2, behind only Georgia. They are 9-0 against Power 4 competition, with wins over a top-15 Houston team and now the Cougars. They are odds-on favorites to make the College Football Playoff and, according to the piece, now favorites to win the Big 12 and likely earn a first-round bye.
The game itself was a back-and-forth rivalry fight. BYU arrived with its own credentials. Earlier in the 2026 season the Cougars had beaten Notre Dame in Provo, a result that made them a Playoff contender and gave the Big 12 national relevance. A letdown against a mediocre UCF team in Florida took some shine off the matchup, but the author's view is that anyone watching saw two of the best teams in the country.
ESPN's analysts were less convinced about Utah. Senior analyst Heather Didich, speaking on the network's "Get Up" show, said the Utes are at No. 2 by default because teams above them lost. She called quarterback Devon Dampier great and said the selection committee respects Utah, but she said she does not know whether Utah is a great team. She pointed to its struggle to beat Colorado. She also said the BYU win, which she called Utah's first real big win, was helped by four interceptions from BYU's Bear Bachmeier and a boatload of penalties. She said Utah can compete for a national title but she does not know if it is good enough to win one.
Paul Finebaum went further. He told host Greeny that Utah is not good enough to win it and said flatly that the Utes will not win the national championship.
The piece, published by Fox News's OutKick and labeled as opinion, argues that this skepticism reflects bias toward the SEC. Its main example is Georgia: the Bulldogs, ranked ahead of Utah, lost at home to Auburn. Auburn is now 5-4, with a home loss to Florida, a loss at Tennessee, a 38-17 home blowout loss to LSU, a 30-point loss to Ole Miss, and a close home win over a bad Arkansas team. The author concedes Georgia has played a tougher schedule, but notes Utah has played its schedule without losing. In the author's view, dismissing Utah over a close Colorado game while overlooking Georgia's slip, or those of other teams, can only be explained by bias.
The author then turns to ESPN's own SP+, an opponent-adjusted, efficiency-based rating built on success rate in offense, defense and special teams. This week Utah is No. 9. Alabama is No. 8. If Alabama is a title contender, the author says, so is Utah. Texas is No. 6 with a rating of 23.5, against Utah's 21.5, which implies Texas would be only a two-point favorite on a neutral field, close to a toss-up.
The author does not claim Utah will win it all. The road through the Playoff is long, and injuries or a single bounce can change a game and a season. The claim is narrower: ESPN would not be dismissing the Utes if they wore a different conference patch. What to watch is whether Utah keeps winning through the Big 12 stretch, and where the rankings put them when the committee releases its own.
Citações Notáveis
Utah can compete for the national title, but I don't know if they're good enough to win it.— Heather Didich, ESPN senior analyst (paraphrased)
Utah will not win the national championship.— Paul Finebaum, ESPN
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