A pair of experienced college football coaches will face off on Saturday when No. 12 Utah visits No. 14 Oklahoma State in a Big 12 matchup that could affect the College Football Playoff.
Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy are both in their 20th seasons with their teams, and their records are nearly the same. Gundy has slightly more wins at 169-79, while Whittingham stands at 165-79.
“I’ve certainly been aware of his success, and he’s done a terrific job,” Whittingham said. “If you’re not successful, you’re not going to be in a job for very long. He’s done a good job of winning and being consistent. Every year you know what you’re going to get from them.”
Utah (3-0) is playing its first Big 12 game after leaving the Pac-12 at the end of last season. The Utes, who were favored to win their new conference, have one of the top defenses in the country.
They rank 22nd in the nation for yards allowed per game at 252.7 and are tied for 21st in scoring defense, giving up just 11 points per game.
Oklahoma State (3-0) brings back 21 of 22 starters from a team that played in the Big 12 championship last season. The Cowboys are coming off a strong win against Tulsa.
Gundy acknowledged that Saturday’s game is important but didn’t want to hype it up too much.
“It is (big), but they’re all big, right?” Gundy said. “That’s the good thing about college football; every game matters. You try to do the best you can; it’s week-to-week, but we’re playing a very good football team.
(A) very sound football team that plays physical, tough football, so it’ll be a real challenge for us this week. Obviously, looking forward to playing the game.”
