CFB Preview: Utah opens 2018 season a Pac-12 contender

SALT LAKE CITY — Technically, the University of Utah isn’t the favorite to win the Pac-12 football championship in 2018.

Washington was voted the preseason favorite by league media, and Southern California holds the favorite tag in the South. But everyone is taking notice of the Utes, who received their most first-place votes at the conference's annual media day Wednesday since joining the league in 2011.

Now they just have to go out and live up to those expectations.

"It's going to be special," USC coach Clay Helton said of the Pac-12 South race. "Every game feels like the Super Bowl, every game was hard (last year)."

Utah football has been down this path before, though. The Utes have had…