Utah
Predictions, picks for Utah vs. Colorado Week 9 college football game
The Utah football team returns to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday for a Big 12 matchup against Colorado.
The third all-time meeting between Kyle Whittingham and Deion Sanders comes a week after the Utes fell to BYU in a physical and tightly-contested affair between in-state rivals.
Following its second loss of the season, Utah will look to get back on track against a Colorado squad that’s entering the matchup with some momentum following its first Big 12 win over Iowa State two weeks ago.
“We got to be at our best and be ready,” Whittingham said regarding Saturday’s contest. “I know they’re 3-4, but the combined record of those four losses of the teams they played is 25-3. They played some really good teams, and so they are much better football team than their record indicates.”
As prognosticators send in their picks for Saturday’s matchup, let’s see how a few experts foresee the next installment of the Rumble in the Rockies rivalry game playing out.
Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic predicts the Utes will “get revenge” for the Buffaloes’ trouncing them at Folsom Field last season in a 49-24 win for Sanders and company with a double-digit win of their own on Saturday.
Of course, both sides look much different than when they last met. Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter has taken the helm under center for Colorado and is surrounded by Tulsa product Joseph Williams and third-year wideout Omarion Miller on the outside. Those two account for nearly 50% of the Buffaloes’ production through the air and rank in the top 20 in the Big 12 in receiving yards. Miller paces with 371, while Williams has 370.
Utah, meanwhile, has turned to junior quarterback Devon Dampier to lead one of the most potent rushing attacks in the country. Utah averages 245 yards on the ground per game — good enough for sixth-best in the Football Bowl Subdivision — with its dual-threat quarterback pacing the team with 442 rush yards through seven games (63.1 per contest).
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon has Utah picking up its seventh consecutive home win over Colorado by a margin of 14 points. All five of the Utes’ victories this season have come in double-digit fashion.
ESPN’s matchup predictor has been more favorable to the Utes since the start of the season, and that trend continues heading into their Week 9 matchup against the Buffaloes. Utah has a win probability rate of 83.3% according to ESPN’s advanced algorithm.
Utah, which was only favored in five of its 12 regular-season games heading into the 2025 campaign, according to ESPN analytics, is the favorite to win in all five of its remaining regular season games.
Bill Connelly’s SP+ model, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measurement of college football efficiency, predicts Utah will win comfortably over Colorado when they meet on the field Saturday.
Connelly’s metrics-based formulas have accurately predicted the winner in five of Utah’s seven games so far this season, with the exception being its losses to Texas Tech and BYU.
Odds Shark’s computer projections have Utah cruising to a 21-point win over Colorado on Saturday. That would be the Utes’ widest margin of victory over the Buffaloes since coming away with a 63-21 win in their 2022 matchup in Boulder, Colorado. If that prediction holds true, it would also be Utah’s sixth win of 20 or more points this season.
MORE UTAH NEWS & ANALYSIS
Utah
Teens airlifted to Utah County hospitals after rollover of at least 50 yards | Gephardt Daily
UTAH COUNTY, May 11, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Two males, ages 14 and 19, were transported to area hospitals Sunday after the side-by-side they were riding rolled down the side of a mountain.
Utah County Sheriff deputies and Santaquin police responded to the 6:07 p.m. call. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene, in the Pole Canyon area, as was a Department of Public Safety helicopter with a hoist in case it was needed, Sgt. Austin Edwards, Utah County Sheriff‘s Office, told Gephardt Daily.
“Eventually, rescue workers were able to make it to the spot on the hill where the vehicle had come to rest, and they were able to secure the victims, stabilize the victims, and get them back down the hill again to where the helicopters were waiting,” Edwards said.
“The 19-year-old male was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and the 14 year old was transported to Primary Children’s in Lehi.”
Both were said to have critical injuries, which were not considered to be life threatening, Edwards said.
“The cause of the rollover is still under investigation, so we don’t have that information available just yet.”
Photos: Utah County Sheriff
Utah
Utah Jazz jump to #2 in the lottery, plus full results
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
Utah
Provo’s new Boys & Girls clubhouse gives Utah youth more space to learn, grow and belong
PROVO — An organization that has been a beacon of hope for Utah children and families just got a big upgrade in Provo.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County on Friday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility, marking the start of a new chapter in providing support for those who need it the most.
The new Kent B. Nelson Clubhouse, 131 N. Olympic Blvd., replaces the organization’s former Provo clubhouse, which had been in operation for more than 50 years. Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County leaders said they had outgrown the aging facility and needed a larger, more modern space to support more community members.
“This new clubhouse is more than a building — it’s a central place where we can coordinate programs, support our staff, and amplify our impact across the region,” said David Bayles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County, in a statement.
The organization’s mission was something the late former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich was passionate about. His wife Marji and daughter Emily Sakievich attended Friday’s grand opening ceremony just as if he would’ve wanted to.
“He loved this project, and it meant the world to him,” Emily Sakievich told KSL. “This was actually one of the last places he went before he passed. (He) and my mom stopped by to just see how progress was going; he would be so excited to see this come together.”
The former commissioner died last December at the age of 72. Tom Sakievich resigned from the seat in September 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Emily Sakievich said her father was a big supporter of helping children in the Boys & Girls Clubs feel supported while he was in office.
“He would have all of them come to his office and talk about how government works and how they can be a part of it someday,” she said.
The new 20,000 square-foot facility expands on resources and programs offered at its previous site for community youth and families experiencing hardships.
The clubhouse will provide safe, engaging, and educational programs in a modernized building fit to serve more than 14,000 Utah children and teens.
A variety of programs including after-school, summer activities and STEM learning will be offered at the new facility. Other resources include internet safety programs, mental health support, nutrition initiatives, and housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness.
“We’ve been able to increase the capacity so much and add preschool and other things; we can even benefit more families — and we can benefit them for a longer period of time, from younger to older, where there are no gaps.” Provo City Council Chair Katrice MacKay told KSL. “So I’m really excited. It’s a fantastic thing for the city and for our residents.”
Leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County say the new $6 million Provo clubhouse was designed as a welcoming space where children and teens can explore new interests, build life skills, and receive mentorship from caring staff.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs have been a cornerstone of youth development in Utah County for decades,” said Janet Frank, board president, in a statement “This new clubhouse strengthens that mission, allowing the organization to extend its reach and impact across the entire region.”
Friday’s event took place while children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs were in school, so another ceremony for kids and their families is planned for the end of the month.
“The Boys & Girls Club is for every kid out there,” Bayles said. “We want to accomplish what every parent wants for their kids — we want them to have a safe place to learn and grow, to be successful in school, to build social skills and to go on and be great members of society.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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