What you need to know about Utah before it joins the Big 12

Utah has only been a power conference school since 2011, but the Utes’ football program has grown into one that could compete right away in the Big 12.

Here are five things to know about the Buffs as their new stint in the Big 12 begins.

THE HISTORY

Utah did not start out as the University of Utah. It was founded in 1850 as the University of Deseret and became the University of Utah in 1892, four years after Utah became a state. The campus has been on the same site since 1900.

Utah formed the state’s first medical school, has its own law school and is a member of the Association of American Universities. It is classified as a public research university and had more than 35,000 students in 2023.

Utah was an independent football team until 1909, when it joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, now a Division II conference. By joining the RMAC, the Utes were in the same league as Colorado at the time.

Utah joined the Mountain States Athletic Conference in 1938, followed by the WAC in 1962, the latter of which placed it in the same conference as Arizona and Arizona State.

The Utes left the WAC for the Mountain West in 1999 and then joined the Pac-12 in 2011.

THE SPORTS

Utah sponsors the following NCAA sports for men (baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, skiing, swimming and diving, and tennis) and women (basketball, cross country, gymnastics, skiing, football, softball, swimming and diving, tennis , athletics, volleyball and beach volleyball).

Like Colorado, Utah sponsors skiing and the program is very successful, with 14 co-ed titles and one each for men and women before the sport became co-ed.

The other big draw is women’s gymnastics, which attracts some of the best attendance in the country. The Utes have won 10 national titles and go to the national championships almost every year.

The men’s basketball team won the 1944 NCAA tournament and produced Wataru Misaka, the first person of color to play in the NBA. The Utes reached the 1998 national title game, but lost to Kentucky.

Most recently, the softball team reached the Women’s College World Series in 2023, and the men’s lacrosse team has found success in the ASUN, as the Big 12 does not sponsor lacrosse.

Andrew Bogut (NBA) and Alex Smith (NFL) were the No. 1 overall picks in the same year, the only time in the history of professional sports that has ever happened. Football hasn’t produced a Heisman Trophy winner, but Mac Speedie and Larry Wilson are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Smith and Ike Armstrong are in the College Football Hall of Fame.

THE RIVALITIES

In-state, the game is the so-called “Holy War” with BYU. The two teams first met in 1896, but BYU—then Brigham Young Academy—doesn’t count those games (the six games were split, 3-3). So the overall record in the series depends on who you ask.

Utah is 59-34-2 in games recognized by both schools, dating back to 1922. BYU snapped its nine-game losing streak to the Utes in 2021. Their meeting in Big 12 play will be their first since that contest.

Utah State is the other major in-state rivalry, dubbed the “Battle of the Brothers.” The Utes and Aggies first played in 1892 and played every year from 1944-2009. The rivalry is no longer an annual game, but the Utes lead the series, 79-30-4. They last played in 2015.

Colorado and Utah developed a rivalry that dated back to 1903, but ended in the early 1960s. When the pair joined the Pac-12, the rivalry restarted and Utah has a slim lead in the series.

THE TRAINERS

Kyle Whittingham has been with Utah since 1994, when he joined the program as the defensive line coach. When Urban Meyer left the Utes to take over Florida after the 2004 season, the Utes elevated Whittingham. Before joining the Power 5, Utah led the Utes to a 13-0 season in 2008, which led to a BCS Bowl berth, a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and a No. 2 position in the latest AP Top 25.

He is 162-79 at Utah and led the Utes to the 2021 and 2022 Pac-12 titles.

Craig Smith, formerly of Utah State and South Dakota, took over the Utes’ men’s basketball program in 2021. Last season was his best at Utah, leading the Utes to a 22-15 record and a trip to the NIT semifinals.

Lynne Roberts enters her 10th season as coach of the Utah women’s basketball team after a 10-year stint as head coach at Pacific. She has 162 wins at Utah, but she has led the Utes to at least 21 wins in each of the last three seasons, along with a Pac-12 regular-season title in 2022-23 and three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. The Utes reached the Sweet 16 in 2023.

Gary Henderson is the baseball coach. He was once head coach at Kentucky, has spent three seasons at Utah and is coming off his best campaign in 2024. The Utes won 33 games and finished seventh in the Pac-12. With Kentucky, he led the Wildcats to two NCAA regionals and as Mississippi State’s interim coach in 2018, he led the Bulldogs to the College World Series.

Former Utah softball player Amy Hogue has been coaching at Utah since 2008. She has won more than 450 games with the Utes and led them to the 2023 Women’s College World Series.

THE FUTURE

Utah is the most interesting school entering the league, as there was a lot of noise about the Utes wanting a spot in the Big Ten instead of the Big 12. Whittingham said last year that he didn’t believe the Utes were done playing UCLA, for example, which is going to the Big Ten. Some interpreted that as a sign that Utah was looking for a spot. The Big Ten showed no real interest in Utah, but some fans didn’t let it go.

It’s a shame because Utah is a great, competitive fit for the Big 12. Their football team could be ready right away. The softball team is a year away from the WCWS. The other three core sports should be able to compete right away as well.

Mark Harlan has been Utah’s athletic director since 2018, and the school has quickly become part of the power conference structure of college sports. He has a contract extension through 2028.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.