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SALT LAKE CITY — Two local programs are on the radar with the release of the first USA TODAY/AFCA Coaches Poll of the 2021 season — or preseason, if you will.
The University of Utah will start the season with 145 total votes, just one spot outside of the coaches' top 25 after last year's 3-2 finish during the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season.
The Utes were also picked to finish second in the Pac-12's south division, behind Southern California.
BYU, which went 12-1 and a No. 15 final ranking, will start a few spots back. The Cougars received 53 votes in the poll, an unofficial mark of No. 31 in the first poll of the season.
BYU ran roughshod over a schedule that didn't include a Power Five opponent for the first time in its decade-long era as an FBS independent, losing just one game scheduled on 90 hours' notice at Coastal Carolina, which is ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll.
The Cougars also lost the most production from 2020 to 2021, according to ESPN's SP+ formula. The losses include quarterback Zach Wilson, offensive tackle Brady Christensen and wide receiver Dax Milne, who were drafted by the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and Washington Football Team, respectively, in April.
Oregon is the top-ranked team from the Pac-12 at No. 12, while USC is ranked 14th overall and Washington 21st. Alabama is No. 1, followed by Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia in the top five.
Both Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Utah State's Blake Anderson are listed among the 65 head coaches that submit a ballot each week to the organization, which also includes several top coaches in college football like Alabama's Nick Saban, Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly.
