SALT LAKE CITY — An iconic statue of Martha Hughes Cannon will soon leave Utah.

Cannon, who lived from 1857 to 1932, was Utah’s first female state senator and a pioneer in women gaining the right to vote. Her statute, currently sitting on the 3rd floor of the Utah Capitol, outside the old Supreme Court Chambers, will soon be on its way to Washington D.C. to take its place in the U.S. Capitol after a long Covid delay.

Per federal law, each state has two statues placed in the National Statuary Hall to represent it. In 2018 Utah passed a law to send Cannon’s statue to replace Philo Farnsworth and stand alongside Brigham Young. Farnsworth was the inventor of electronic television, his statue will now head to Utah Valley University.

“We want Utah’s women’s suffrage history to be acknowledged nationwide,” said Lt. Gov Deidre Henderson, who was instrumental in the legislation passed when she was a state senator.

Utah’s Congressman, Blake Moore also acknowledged the importance of Martha’s statue coming to D.C.

“[It’s a] pretty neat experience. Utah has a very rich history with the suffrage movement from Sarah Young again to Martha Hughes Cannon. That’s something that we need to celebrate,” Moore said.

Henderson and Moore say women in America have the right to vote because of women like Cannon, who was a leading voice to challenge the status quo. In 1896, Cannon beat out her husband to be elected to the state senate seat.

“(She was) a woman who, once she helped other women earn a voice in their state government, she showed them how to be a representative in their state government,” Henderson said.

She hopes that when Cannon’s statue is placed where the nation will see, it will continue to serve as the blueprint for American women.

“Utah women were far ahead of their time in terms of equality, in terms of voting rights, in terms of education, access…And that’s a fact that’s often overlooked and missed out on in the rest of the country today. And it’s time that we reclaim our history,” she said.

The statue will travel by truck to D.C. There will be a public send-off party at the Capitol on June 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. that the public is invited to attend. There will be live music, food from local food trucks, and activities for children and families.

The Big 12 enters the 2024 season as the most wide open major conference in college football. Out of 16 teams in the expanded league, eight hold at least 12-1 odds to win the conference as founding members Texas and Oklahoma abdicate to join the SEC. 

The Sunflower State makes its case as the center of the Big 12 world as Kansas State and Kansas both rank among the three programs with the best odds. However, the Pac-12 newcomers also give the conference some serious firepower in Year 1. Utah sits as a co-favorite with the ‘Cats, while Arizona is next in line at No. 4. 

Last season, heavy preseason favorite Texas captured the crown after fielding +125 odds. However, Oklahoma State rose up from +2800 to reach the Big 12 title game. The year prior, Kansas State had +2500 odds, but shocked TCU in the title game to win its first Big 12 championship in a decade. Unquestionably, a team from well outside the pack has a chance to make its mark in 2024; but making that choice more complicated, only six total teams have worse than 20-1 odds. 

Without further ado, here are the Big 12 title odds for 2024 according to SportsLine consensus and a few of the teams who could entice betters this offseason.

Best Bet — Utah (+350): On paper, Utah is the class of the Big 12. The Utes have won 39 games over the last four full seasons and won two of the three final Pac-12 titles. Utah’s offense was a liability last season, but get quarterback Cameron Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe back. USC transfer Dorian Singer headlines a trio of talented wide receivers who should immediately elevate what was the Pac-12’s worst passing offense. Under Kyle Whittingham, defense will never be an issue. Utah appears to be the most complete team in the conference and deserves top billing entering its first season in the Big 12. 

Worst Wager — Kansas (+650): Frankly, there isn’t a truly bad bet on the board. Eight teams — half the conference — have 12-to-1 odds or better, and deservedly so. Kansas emerging as the best team in the Big 12 wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Ultimately, the reason we have them as the worst wager comes down to one factor: Jalon Daniels. The Kansas quarterback is arguably the best offensive player in the conference when healthy, but missed the entire Big 12 slate last season with a nagging back injury. Unlike last season, Kansas does not have a clear backup plan, with former walk-on Cole Ballard as the likely backup. With such a big question mark, Kansas is slightly overvalued as the No. 3 betting favorite in the Big 12, ahead of Oklahoma State and Arizona.  

Value Pick — Oklahoma State (+1200): The Cowboys may not be a sexy pick fresh off a trip to the Big 12 title game last season, but enough to drop to the seventh-best odds in the conference? Oklahoma State boasts the third-most returning production in the nation, headlined by superstar running back Ollie Gordon II and star edge rusher Collin Oliver. Defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo went through some growing pains in his first season, but the Cowboys found their groove as the season went on. If Oklahoma State can at least split a Big 12-opening run against Utah and Kansas State, the Cowboys will be right in the driver’s seat to return to the Big 12 Championship Game — and maybe win their first Big 12 title since 2011. 

Long shot — Colorado (+4000): There are 10 teams with 20-1 or better odds, but for a true long shot, why not sprinkle a few dollars on Colorado? Granted, the Buffs’ path is incredibly difficult. There’s a chance things don’t click at all and CU is barely fighting for a bowl game. But if Colorado’s changes magically take hold, the Buffaloes boast one of the highest hypothetical ceilings in the Big 12. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback Travis Hunter are future first rounders, the skill positions are strong and the trenches have been built from scratch (though we’ll see if this is a good thing). Essentially, this is a +4000 bet that five new offensive linemen can build chemistry in one offseason. It’s not a great bet, but certainly worth a shot at such long odds. 

Imagine you’re at the happiest place on earth: Disneyland. You see a family next to you, and something about them reminds you of home. THEY HAVE TO BE FROM UTAH! 

HERE ARE THE BEST WAYS TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS FROM UTAH!

They’re white:

Yeah… That’s a good start for the most part! Utah is a WHOPPING 88% white! Followed by 3% asian, 2% Native American and 1.5% Black.

They’re wearing a BYU shirt:

Let’s be honest here… If you’re not from Utah, you wouldn’t be caught DEAD in a BYU shirt or hat. Not a chance in hell!

Mom, Dad, and WAY TOO MANY KIDS:

Utah loves procreating! If you’re from Utah, you probably know someone with at least 8 siblings! You’ve got two parents in the park trying to keep up with 8 kids? Seems nearly impossible!

They’re blessing their Disneyland Churro or Corndog:

If you’ve walked past them, and they’re blessing for that corndog to nourish and strengthen their body, I’m willing to bet that family is from Utah!

Mom’s face:

The lips are fake and huge, the cheeks are fake and huge, the eye skin has been pulled back so far she looks like she just saw a ghost, and OTHER THINGS are very clearly huge and fake… There’s a great chance they’re from Utah. I mean, Utah has the SECOND MOST Plastic Surgeons per capita in the entire United States!

Those cringy matching Disneyland t-shirts:

I’m not talking about the shirts that everyone has mickey on them. I’m talking about the “JENSEN FAMILY DISNEYLAND TRIP 2023!” T-shirts… Everyone is sporting one, and they’ll never wear it again. What a waste of money!