The 2010 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by sixth year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their homes game in Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were members of the Mountain West Conference. 2010 was the Utes' final year in the Mountain West, as they began play in the Pac-12 in 2011.
Schedule
Rankings
Preseason
In the preseason Coaches' Poll, Utah was ranked No. 24 (tied). In the preseason AP Poll, Utah received votes, but not enough to make the top 25 list. The Mountain West Conference media picked Utah to finish second in conference. TCU was the unanimous choice to finish first in conference and received all 31 votes for first place. BYU was picked to finish third and Air Force was picked to finish fourth.
Recruiting
Rivals.com named Utah's 2010 recruiting class the best in the Mountain West Conference. The complete list is available below:
Coaching changes
During the offseason, Kyle Whittingham made several changes to his coaching staff. J.D. Williams, the cornerback coach in 2008, left the team, leaving an open position on Whittingham's staff. Whittingham hired Brian Johnson, the 2009 Sugar Bowl MVP, as the new quarterback coach. Johnson replaced Dave Schramm as quarterback coach. Schramm will now be the tight end coach and the co-offensive coordinator. Aaron Roderick will join Schramm as co-offensive coordinator and will continue his duties as wide receiver coach. Jay Hill will replace Williams as cornerback coach.
Preseason player awards
MWC All-Preseaon team
Utah had four players named to the Mountain West Conference's All-Preseason team. Three of the players are on the offense and one is on the defense. The players named are running back Eddie Wide, Caleb Schlauderaff and Zane Taylor from the Offensive line, and defensive back Brandon Burton.
Watch lists
Two Utes were named to the 2010 Outland Trophy Watch List: guard Caleb Schlauderaff and center Zane Taylor. The Football Writers Association of America votes on the Outland Trophy, which goes to college football's best interior lineman each year. The 2010 award winner will be announced on December 9, 2010.
Cornerback Brandon Burton was named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. The Jim Thorpe Association awards the Jim Thorpe Award each year to the player it votes as college football's best defensive back.
Wide receiver Shaky Smithson was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List. The award, in its first year, will be awarded to the college player that it deems the most versatile.
Placekicker Joe Phillips was named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List. The Lou Groza Award goes to the top placekicker in college football. It is named for Lou Groza who played 21 season in the NFL and graduated from Ohio State.
Running back Eddie Wide was named a candidate for the Doak Walker Award. The award goes to the nation's top running back.
Pac-12
During the offseason, Utah successfully negotiated with the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) to join the conference for all conference sports. Colorado also agreed to join the Pac-10, which increased the number of schools in the conference to 12. Once Colorado and Utah officially joined the conference, the conference changed its name to the "Pac-12 Conference" (Pac-12). The Utes football team began playing in the Pac-12 during the 2011 season. Consequently, the 2010 season was the last season Utah played in the Mountain West Conference.
The formal announcement was made on June 17, 2010 in a ceremony at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The ceremony included Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott, Utah Athletic Director Chris Hill, University of Utah President Michael K. Young, and Utah Governor Gary Herbert, among other dignitaries.
Game summaries
Pittsburgh
Utah leads series: 2 – 0 – 0
Utah defeated Pittsburgh 27–24 in overtime on September 2. Placekicker Joe Phillips successfully kicked a 21-yard field goal to secure the victory. The game matched Utah, from the Mountain West Conference (MWC), against Pittsburgh, from the Big East Conference in the season's first game for both teams. This was the second meeting between these two teams. The previous time they met was in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, a game Utah won 35–7 to complete Utah's 2004 undefeated season. Utah entered this game with a 17-game home winning streak and a 7–0 record against the teams that are currently in the Big East Conference.