This season was Ron McBride's last at Utah. The team won their first two games, before dropping six straight. At 2–6 with only three games remaining, the team was guaranteed a losing record and would be ineligible for bowl play. However, the team then won the final three games of the season, capped by a 13–6 home victory over their biggest rivals, the BYU Cougars, finishing the season with a 5–6 record.