now to college football it's game week and for the youths and Southern Utah game day is just four days away on Thursday night the two instate teams will Clash at rle Stadium to kick off the 2024 season the hype and expectations for Utah have never been higher thanks to their move to the Big 12 the returning players on the roster and the new 12 team playoff the youths are the favorite to win the conference and earn a top four spot in the playoff and that work begins Thursday night there'll be a chance to show what they've got it's a matter now now of details and fine-tuning these last we got what six practices left before we line up and play so it's all about the details from this point forward it's time to hit somebody else and and to compete and uh and the offseason has become so voluminous now with all the player run practices as well I mean they've played a lot of football just on their own not played but but practiced a lot of football the the last uh what eight months and so they're definitely ready to line up and and play somebody this will be the third meeting all time between the UTS and Thunderbirds Utah won the first meeting back in 2016 24 to nothing Tim Patrick had two touchdowns including a 57 y from Troy Williams they met again in 2022 and it wasn't as close cam Rising had three touchdowns Dalton concade had seven catches for 107 yards and two scores that was the second game as the head coach of the Thunderbirds for Delane Fitzgerald and he believes youths are better than they were two years ago that's a top eight may maybe a top six program there in Salt Lake City uh my my prediction is that they win the Big 12 and and make the college football playoff um just just an exciting group and man we're we've sit here for the last three months and off and on I've watched them on film it's the best front seven that I've ever prepared for