Earlier this month Kyle Whittingham retired as head football coach at Utah after 21 seasons at the helm of the Utes, and then yesterday was hired as the head football coach at Michigan. The Utah Utes were 163-73 during Whittingham's tenure with the Utes. Following the production rank chart below is a short overview of the Utah Utes football program during his tenure as head football coach based on the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
Kyle Whittingham [2005-2025]
2008
The Utes finished
the regular season at 12-0 making them bowl eligible, where they
defeated #11 ranked Alabama by a score of (31-17) in their post-season bowl game to finish at 13-0 overall. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS), meaning that their SOS was plus or minus one standard deviation of the average SOS for the "league". Utah's best regular season win
was against #6 ranked TCU by a
score of (13-10) and they did not lose any games this season. Utah was the #8 ranked team overall, with the #19 ranked
offense and the #9 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 9-3 making them bowl eligible, where they defeated #35 ranked California by a score of (37-27) making
the Utes finish the season with a 10-3 win-loss record overall. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #12 ranked Air Force by a
score of (23-16) and their worst regular season loss was to #18 ranked BYU by a
score of (23-26). Utah was the #23 ranked team overall, with the #28 ranked
offense and the #32 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 10-2 making them bowl eligible, where they were defeated by #1 ranked Boise State by a score of (3-26) in their post-season bowl game to finish at
10-3 overall. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #24 ranked San Diego State by a
score of (38-34) and their worst regular season loss was to #39 ranked Notre Dame by a
score of (3-28). Utah was the #22 ranked team overall, with the #38 ranked
offense and the #16 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 7-5 making them bowl eligible, where they defeated #17 ranked Georgia Tech by a score of (30-27) finishing with an 8-5 win-loss record overall. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #28 ranked BYU by a
score of (54-10) and their worst regular season loss was to #116 ranked Colorado by a
score of (14-17). Utah was the #48 ranked team overall, with the #71 ranked
offense and the #28 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
2013
The Utes finished the regular season at 5-7 making them post-season bowl ineligible. The Utes played
against a “tougher” strength of schedule
(SOS), meaning that their SOS was between one standard and two standard
deviations lower than the average SOS for the "league". Utah's best regular season win
was against #23 ranked Utah State by a
score of (30-26) and their worst regular season loss was to #81 ranked Washington State by a
score of (37-49). Utah was the #78 ranked team overall, with the #90 ranked
offense and the #56 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 8-4 making them bowl eligible where they defeated #39 ranked Colorado State by a score of (45-20) to finish the season with a won-loss record of 9-4. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #20 ranked Stanford by a
score of (20-17) and their worst regular season loss was to #96 ranked Washington State by a
score of (27-28). Utah was the #62 ranked team overall, with the #68 ranked
offense and the #45 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
2015
The Utes finished
the regular season at 9-3 making them bowl eligible, where they
defeated #42 ranked BYU by a score of (35-28) in their post-season bowl game to finish at
10-3 overall. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #24 ranked Michigan by a
score of (24-17) and their worst regular season loss was to #70 ranked Arizona by a
score of (30-37). Utah was the #49 ranked team overall, with the #65 ranked
offense and the #30 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 8-4 making them bowl eligible, where they defeated #64 ranked Indiana by a score of (26-24) making
the Utes 9-4 overall. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #28 ranked Southern California by a
score of (31-27) and their worst regular season loss was to #105 ranked Oregon by a
score of (28-30). Utah was the #43 ranked team overall, with the #49 ranked
offense and the #49 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
2018 Pac 12 Runner-Up
The Utes finished the regular season at 9-3 and played in the Pac 12 Conference championship game where they were defeated by #12 ranked Washington by a score of (3-10). The Utes were also post-season bowl
eligible where they were defeated by #84 ranked Northwestern by a score of (20-31) to
finish the season with a win-loss record of 9-5. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #35 ranked Oregon by a
score of (32-25) and their worst regular season loss was to #55 ranked Arizona State by a
score of (20-38). Utah was the #30 ranked team overall, with the #50 ranked
offense and the #26 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 11-1 and played in the Pac 12 Conference championship game where they were defeated by #5 ranked
Oregon by a score of (15-37)! The Utes were also post-season bowl
eligible where they were defeated by #59 ranked Texas by a score of (10-38) to
finish the season with a win-loss record of 11-3. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #31 ranked Washington by a
score of (33-28) and their only regular season loss was to #52 ranked Southern California by a
score of (23-30). Utah was the #8 ranked team overall, with the #14 ranked
offense and the #7 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished the COVID-19 regular season at 3-2 palying against an “easier” strength of schedule
(SOS), meaning that their SOS was between one standard and two standard
deviations higher than the average SOS for the "league". Utah's best regular season win
was against #75 ranked Colorado by a
score of (38-21) and their worst regular season loss was to #73 ranked Washington by a
score of (21-24). Utah was the #62 ranked team overall, with the #106 ranked
offense and the #9 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 9-3 and played in the Pac 12 Conference championship game where they defeated #38 ranked Oregon by a score of (38-10)! The Utes were also post-season bowl
eligible but were defeated by #2 ranked Ohio State by a score of (45-48) to
finish the season with a win-loss record of 10-4. The Utes played
against a “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #38 ranked Oregon by a
score of (38-7) and their worst regular season loss was to #65 ranked Oregon State by a
score of (34-42). Utah was the #9 ranked team overall, with the #12 ranked
offense and the #18 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
2023
The Utes finished
the regular season at 8-4 and were bowl eligible
where they were defeated by #76 ranked Northwestern by a score of (7-14) to
finish
the season with a win-loss record of 8-5 overall. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #25 ranked UCLA by a
score of (14-7) and their worst regular season loss was to #39 ranked Oregon State by a
score of (7-21). Utah was the #61 ranked team overall, with the #92 ranked
offense and the #18 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.
The Utes finished
the regular season at 5-7 and were post-season
bowl game ineligible. The Utes played
against an “average” strength of schedule
(SOS). Utah's best regular season win
was against #42 ranked Baylor by a
score of (23-12) and their worst regular season loss was to #118 ranked Houston by a
score of (14-17). Utah was the #78 ranked team overall, with the #117 ranked
offense and the #15 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model using data provided by www.cfbstats.com.