is they can go as far as a good QB can take them. Rising has 2 P5 chips. I can see why the Ute fans who are thinking about football in June are overly optimistic.

16-team conferences are tough. Especially with the parity. It's not like the other conferences where 2-3 programs have a huge talent advantage over everyone.

The programs that compete are the ones who stay healthy, get a few lucky breaks and introduce a few unexpected breakouts (like Utah had with Vaki and Ellis last year)

Utah has a good of a chance as anyone but that's still a low probability.

I do think the NIL and TP have changed the entire landscape. The early CFP and CCG programs in the first few Big 12 seasons can lock in a future recruiting, talent and transfer advantage going forward.

A winning season for Utah, they can potentially lock in more sustainable talent bumps going forward. Stay in the top 2-3 programs in terms of talent, star ratings, etc.