College Football Conference Title Futures for Week 9: Can Utah Make the Big 12 Championship?

We’re entering the final month of the college football regular season and have seen major movement in the rankings.

We are continuing to see ranked teams lose to unranked teams, and it looks like the rankings are playing Chutes and Ladders.

Let’s examine three conference title futures as we head into Week 9.

All odds via DraftKings

College Football Conference Title Futures for Week 9

Utah Utes (+182)

The Big 12 race has changed drastically in the span of a weekend. Last week, unranked Cincinnati upset Texas Tech, last year’s Big 12 champion. Then, coming off a win over Notre Dame, BYU fell to unranked Central Florida.

Utah faced its first major test of the season against No. 14 Houston. After trailing 13-7 going into the fourth quarter, it staged a comeback to win 21-13. This puts the Utes in first place in the Big 12.

Devon Dampier continues to rise as one of the country’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. In the matchup against Houston, he used his arm and legs, throwing for 206 yards, rushing for 150 yards, and scoring two touchdowns.

The defense has been stellar this season, ranking 12th in points allowed per game and 21st in defensive net EPA per play (-0.06).

The Utes can control their own path to the Big 12 championship game. They have a bye this week, giving them extra time to prepare for their matchup against BYU. A win over the Cougars will likely secure them a spot in the conference championship.

Oregon State Beavers (+175)

Oregon State might be the most exciting team you’re not paying attention to. It is one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, ranking fourth in points per game (42.7). They've been even better during their five-game winning streak, averaging 51.0 points.

It looks as though Braden Atkinson could be the first quarterback since Bailey Zappe in 2021 to lead the country in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He has almost 300 more passing yards than the second-place quarterback and two more touchdowns; if he keeps up that pace, he should be able to do it.

True freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree has benefited from the stellar passing game, as he is the only player with more than 1,000 receiving yards and also leads the country with 14 touchdowns. Normally, a rising star in a non-Power Four program would look for greener pastures, but Legree has already committed to staying with Oregon State for his sophomore season.

Oregon State still has to play No. 20 Boise State. The Broncos have scored 30+ points in six straight games, but if any team can keep up offensively, it’s the Beavers.

UCLA Bruins (+620)

It’s been a long time since UCLA had a competitive team, but they're not only a contender; they are in line to win the Big Ten. The Bruins and Ohio State are the only two teams that remain undefeated in the conference. However, the Buckeyes have recently lost Julian Sayin for the rest of the season.

The Bruins also lost their quarterback for the remainder of the season, as Nico Iamaleava is out with a knee injury.

OSU losing Sayin could have a bigger impact than UCLA losing Iamaleava, given how important each was to their offenses. The Buckeyes relied on the pass, ranking fifth in EPA per pass (+0.35), while UCLA ranks 70th (+0.06). UCLA’s offense emphasizes the run and is effective on the ground, ranking 11th in rushing yards per game (231.0).

The team can also rely on its defense, which has been locking down opponents. The defense ranks 19th in points allowed per game (16.1) and third in defensive success rate (35.0%).

Their mix of controlling the game with the run and their excellent defense has worked well this season, with the Bruins winning six of their seven games by at least two possessions.

This week, they face Nevada in a non-conference matchup, then finish their conference schedule without facing a ranked team. With that easier schedule, they are in a good position to make it to the Big Ten Championship.