SALT LAKE CITY — This week on the Crimson Corner Jeremiah Jensen, Robert Jackson, and Mike Grant were at Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles. Trevor Reilly tells us the Utes need to win now, Jake Murphy explains why the offense will be better, and JJ has a conversation with Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham.

CULVER CITY, Calif. — After struggling in its initial two seasons in the Pac-12, members of the media picked Utah to finish second to last in the South Division, the conference announced Friday.

The Utes are coming off a 5-7 season in which they missed making a bowl game for the first time since 2002.

SALT LAKE CITY — While the Utes have struggled offensively in their first two years in the Pac-12, with just a few tweaks from new co-offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson, Ute fans were able to witness what actually resembled a college football offense during the Red and White Spring Game.

Simple, short passes to the running backs out of the backfield and perfecting the zone read option drastically improved Utah's offensive output.

How much of that success can we expect to translate over into the regular season? That remains to be seen, but fans should be comforted in knowing that the offense is heading in the right direction.

SALT LAKE CITY — This week Mike Grant takes a look at the top five most talented players the Utes will face this fall and Jason Shepherd catches up with Utah basketball great Alex Jensen.

SALT LAKE CITY — The football season is about six weeks away when Utah fans will get to see some of the best players in college football.

SALT LAKE CITY — This Saturday, Christian Cox, Braden Godfrey and Mike Wright will help kids learn how to get recruited.

They are holding a combine-style camp at Olympus High School in Holladay to teach kids how to become better at six events that are also held at the NFL combine.

SALT LAKE CITY — This week on the Crimson Corner, Utah Athletics Director Chris Hill clarifies the future scheduling with BYU, Kenneth Scott joins us in studio, Paul Soliai donates to Utah, The Whittingham boys remember their dad, and Trey Nielsen signs with the St. Louis Cardinals.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah football season is just under seven weeks away. Utah wide receiver Kenneth Scott was nice enough to come in to the KSL studios and spend a few hours with us to talk about the upcoming season.

"The grind is already underway," Scott said.

The 2012 season did not go as planned for the Utes. A losing (5-7) season will never be good enough, and if that isn't enough, the national media is not very high on the Utes.

SALT LAKE CITY--Former University of Utah all-conference defensive tackle Paul Soliai—now a franchise player for the Miami Dolphins—has pledged $250,000 to the University of Utah's new football center. His contribution will fund the Paul and LeTasha Soliai Player Lounge.

"I'm thankful I can donate and help out the University of Utah football team and give back to the school. They gave me the opportunity to play, and as a kid from Samoa, it's something I'm thankful for every day. Without the University giving me a scholarship to play the sport I love, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Soliai played in 24 games for Utah from 2005-06, after redshirting in 2004, and was named second-team all-Mountain West Conference as a senior. He was then selected in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by Miami, where he is preparing for his seventh season.

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah baseball player Trey Nielsen signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, and will forgo his senior season at Utah. Nielsen was a 30th round draft pick to the Cardinals in last month's Major League Baseball Draft.

Nielsen hit .232 for the Utes this season with a team-high 13 doubles. He also led Utah with 24 RBI and tied for the team lead with three home runs. He had a .367 slugging percentage and was 6-of-8 in stolen bases. Nielsen had Utah's longest hitting streak of the season, a 14-game hitting streak. Drafted as a pitcher, he made just four appearances on the mound this year for the Utes due to injury, and had seven strikeouts over six innings.

For his career, Nielsen has hit .259 with 47 doubles, 14 home runs, 85 RBI and a .422 slugging percentage. He was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2011, in addition to being named second-team all-conference at third base.

SALT LAKE CITY — As the Utes have witnessed in their first two seasons in the Pac-12, wins are a lot harder to come by.

SALT LAKE CITY — It's the news that fans of the rivalry wanted to hear.

Though not official (pending Pac-12 approval), it appears that the Utes and the Cougars will continue their annual rivalry with additional games scheduled in 2017 and 2018.

Utah Athletic Director Chris Hill made the announcement in a video posted on the school's YouTube account Tuesday morning.

SALT LAKE CITY — This week on the Crimson Corner, the Utes move into their new state of the art football facility. Jeff Rudy from the Utah football program took us for a tour back in February. The grand opening will be August 15th. Robert Jackson also breaks down one of the Utes biggest strengths coming into the 2013 season - the tight ends.

SALT LAKE CITY — "Our strength right now is that we've got two tight ends that I think are as good as anybody in our league." -Utah co-offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson

"I think they could be one of the best tandems in the conference this year if they continue to develop." -Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham

"They run great routes. They know how to get open. They're big targets and they're definitely people that I trust throwing to." -Utah QB Travis Wilson

SALT LAKE CITY — This week in the Crimson Corner we break down a couple of players the Utes cannot afford to lose, Kyle Whittingham is a guest speaker, Larry Krystkowiak breaks a record, and Connor Van Brocklin joins the basketball team.

LAYTON — A coach is only as good as his players. Kyle Whittingham understands that recruiting is the lifeblood of his program and it never stops.

The search for elite talent is the reason Whittingham makes attending the All-Poly Camp a priority for him and his staff.

This last week the All-Poly camp took place at Ellison Park in Layton.