Utah State Aggies quarterback Cooper Legas (5) is brought down by the BYU defense in Provo on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022.
Utah State Aggies quarterback Cooper Legas (5) is brought down by the BYU defense in Provo on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. The Cougars face Notre Dame this week. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

By Brandon Judd

These next two weeks could determine a lot for the postseason hopes of both Utah and BYU.

The Utes take on two other Pac-12 teams — UCLA and USC — that are currently unbeaten in conference play.

The Cougars face two of their most difficult opponents this season — Notre Dame and Arkansas — in back-to-back weeks, and with a loss to Oregon back in September, BYU’s hopes for making a New Year’s Six bowl lie with winning out.

Utah heads to California riding a four-game win streak, while UCLA is unbeaten and coming off a victory over then-No. 15 Washington — a win that vaulted the Bruins into the national rankings.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura said UCLA was the team that helped itself the most last week. 

“After a decisive win against surging Washington, UCLA looks more like a Pac-12 title contender. With Utah and Oregon up next, we’ll find out soon if the Bruins are for real,” Bonagura wrote.

BYU travels to Las Vegas to face a Notre Dame team that’s bounced back from an 0-2 start to beat California and North Carolina and is coming off a bye.

Saturday’s game provides the opportunity for BYU to earn just its third win over Notre Dame.

Here’s the latest bowl projections for Utah (a 42-16 winner over Oregon State), BYU (a 38-26 winner over Utah State) and Utah State after Week 5.

*-indicates same projection as last week.

Bowl projections for Utah football after Week 5

After a week where the number of bowl projections where No. 11 Utah (4-1) landed in a non-New Year’s Six bowl outnumbered the predictions they end up in a NY6 bowl, the pendulum swings back to the Utes making one of the premier bowls this week.

Right now, there’s a split on whether the Utes could play in either the Rose Bowl or Cotton Bowl, with the non-NY6 Alamo Bowl another popular destination.

Utah’s next two games — at UCLA, home vs. USC — will go a long way toward shaping the Pac-12 race and providing clarity to the league’s bowl situation.

Bowl projections for BYU football after Week 5

Because of BYU’s bowl tie-in this season — the school is contracted to play in an ESPN-owned bowl if it doesn’t make a New Year’s Six spot — there’s a variety of places the No. 16 Cougars (4-1) could land in the postseason, as evidenced by this week’s projections.

One destination that’s earning multiple votes is BYU traveling to Texas to play in the Armed Forces Bowl against a future Big 12 opponent, like Cincinnati (CBS Sports) or Kansas State (247 Sports).

Any remaining hopes the Cougars have of getting back into the New Year’s Six bowl conversation lie with earning wins over the next two weeks against Notre Dame and Arkansas.

Bowl projections for Utah State football after Week 5

The loss to BYU dropped Utah State to 1-4, inching the Aggies closer to elimination from bowl eligibility.

Utah State’s ability to make the postseason now hinges on if the Aggies can get something going in the next few weeks, with Air Force, Colorado State and Wyoming on the schedule the rest of this month.