Utah concluded the season 12-0, the school's fourth unbeaten and untied season. The Utes were one of three top-tier Division I FBS teams to finish the season unbeaten (the others being the USC Trojans and the Auburn Tigers.) In addition, they ranked second in both the AP and Coaches' polls. However, they failed to win the Pac-12 South title or reach a bowl game due to losing their last two games to rival Colorado. Still, the Utes finished with more wins than any other team in school history. They were led by first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham who accepted the position after leading the University of California, Los Angeles to a 10-3 record during his only season as its head coach. He was named the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by many analysts including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. He is the son of former BYU and San Diego Chargers head coach Mike Whittingham and the brother of New York Jets quarterback Josh Whittingham. In their final game of the season, the Utes defeated Colorado 34-31 in overtime to claim the Pac-12 South title and a spot in the Las Vegas Bowl against Georgia Tech. It was also senior night for the team and junior center Tyler Jones was named the most outstanding player of the season. This was also Utah's first undefeated season since 1992 when they went 11-0-1.