As the college football season inches closer and closer, everyone seems to have a clear idea of who will be among the final four teams standing in the College Football Playoff.

One of ESPN's newest analyst for the sport, Ryan Leaf, on Wednesday picked a team not many others would consider. Florida? Auburn? Nebraska? Texas?

Nope.

"I think that Utah could be the team, the dark horse that actually throws their hat into the ring – simply because of what their schedule is and who they have coming back," Leaf told Playbook on SiriusXM's ESPNU channel. "They don't have to play Oregon or Stanford this year. And they have an opportunity with the South (Division) being kind of discombobulated. And the North is simply just going to beat up on one another. They really are.

"So I think if there is a team, I think it could be Utah."

The Utes broke through for coach Kyle Whittingham in 2018 by winning their first South Division title before losing in the Pac 12 championship game. The offense returns every major contributor, including star running back Zack Moss and starting quarterback Tyler Huntley.

Despite losing both starting safeties, the secondary will still be a major strength for Utah in large part to projected first-round pick Jaylon Johnson at outside cornerback, Javelin Guidry in the slot and Julian Blackmon moving to free safety.

Utah ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 against the run and No. 5 overall in college football last season and welcomes back three potential early-round draft picks on the defensive line. A team that should fall in the preseason top 15, Utah needs a hot start — specifically the Pac-12 opener at USC in September — to stay in the selection committee's crosshairs approaching the meat of the schedule.

Another vital element to this team's success this year is limiting giveaways. The Utes were able to overcome 26 turnovers last fall, second-most in the conference.

Utah is an 80-to-1 bet to win college football's national championship. Conference rival Oregon is at 40-to-1.

"Now the team with the highest ceiling? The highest ceiling is Oregon," Leaf said. "They have the opportunity to really crash that party if they beat Auburn and are able to dominate in the North and win. So their ceiling, I think, is much higher than Utah's, but I think the realistic possibility of a team from the Pac 12 of getting into the College Football Playoff this year is Utah. But I don't think it's a high chance that a team from the Pac 12 is going to the College Football Playoff scenario."

Utah opens the year with its rivalry game at Brigham Young. It also faces Southern California and Washington State before October, but Washington is the only major roadblock after that.