This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
What's unusual about Saturday? It's the only day between now and Nov. 1 when Utah, BYU and Utah State all are playing, thanks a combination of open dates and Thursday/Friday games.
Even more rare is having BYU and Utah both play in the afternoon, kicking off at the same time. A closer look at the games:
Utah at Michigan, 1:30 p.m. MDT
Finally, we'll start to get some more meaningful answers about Utah's offensive improvement. Ute quarterback Travis Wilson and his receivers looked good against Idaho State and Fresno State, but Michigan will offer a tougher test.
This is not a vintage Michigan team overall, but the Wolverines are good enough against the run to make Wilson beat them. That's where receivers Dres Anderson, Kenneth Scott and Westlee Tonga come into play. Wilson and offensive coordinator Dave Christensen have more to work with than Utah did last season, and that should make the difference in the Big House. The pick: Utah 28, Michigan 24.
Virginia at BYU, 1:30 pm. MDT
BYU's season-opening game at UConn already was framed as a comparison to last year's opener at Virginia, and here comes another natural gauge of how far quarterback Taysom Hill and the Cougar offense have come.
Hill is not the same, erratic passer the Cavaliers met last season, when Virginia rallied for a 19-16 victory. But this also is a better Virginia team. The Cavaliers allowed only one offensive touchdown to UCLA in a tough loss and then beat Louisville, so they're capable of making things difficult for Hill.
BYU's defense will have to do its part in what shapes up as a fairly low-scoring game. The pick: BYU 24, Virginia 17.
Utah State at Arkansas State, 5 p.m. MDT
With quarterback Chuckie Keeton sidelined for at least this game with a knee injury, the obvious conclusion is there's pressure on Darell Garretson to repeat his fill-in performance of 2013. More accurately, the Aggie defense will have to come through. A third-quarter lapse aside, the defense was outstanding in last week's 36-24 win over Wake Forest, producing two touchdowns and allowing only 10 points via sustained drives.
That kind of effort will be required in Jonesboro, because unlike last year, USU can't rely on its running game to cover Keeton's absence. Judging by the way these teams played at Tennessee in the first two weeks of the season, the home team should have a slight edge. Mix in USU's quarterback situation, and winning this game would be an achievement for the Aggies. The pick: Arkansas State 21, Utah State 17.