ESPN dismisses Utah Utes as National Championship contenders despite big win over BYU: 'They won't win'

BYU immediately became a clear College Football Playoff contender, and staked their claim as a top-5 or top-10 team.The Cougars though, suffered a letdown against a very mediocre UCF team in Florida, taking a bit of the shine off their matchup against the Utah Utes on November 7.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.

If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.The quality of the "Holy War" though? Anyone watching saw that those were clearly two of the best teams in the country.

Yes, Utah won 28-20, but it was a back-and-forth battle in an intense rivalry game.And again, handed a big win to a Big 12 Conference team.NO 3 UTAH REMAINS UNDEFEATED WITH THRILLING WIN OVER NO 9 BYU BEHIND HEISMAN FINALIST DEVON DAMPIER'S EPIC DAYUtah quarterback Devon Dampier celebrates a first down run during an NCAA college football game against BYU on Saturday, Nov.

7, 2026, in Salt Lake City.(AP Photo/Tyler Tate)Utah's comeback catapulted them to No.

2 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, behind only the Georgia Bulldogs.They're 9-0 in a Power 4 conference, with wins over a quality top-15 Houston Cougars team and the BYU win.

They're odds-on favorites to reach the playoff, and now favorites to win the Big 12 Conference and likely secure a first-round bye.By any objective measure, they're legitimate contenders to win a National Championship.But ESPN is not objective.Senior analyst Heather Didich, one of the more prominent SEC boosters on a network known for them, threw cold water on Utah's hopes in a recent episode of ESPN's "Get Up" show."They are there by default because some other teams above them lost.

They have a great quarterback in Devon Dampier.This selection committee has a lot of respect for Utah.

They're a good football team.Are they a great football team? I don't think we know the answer to that.

I hesitate to say yes because they struggled to ...