Utah will open its season against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp.

It’s a game against one of the SEC’s premier opponents. It’s in one of the toughest environments to play at in all of college football. And it’s arguably the biggest game in the program’s history. No pressure on the Utes, right?

Utah has eyes for the College Football Playoff in 2022 after a Pac-12 title and Rose Bowl appearance in 2021. It’s the Pac-12’s best shot at ending a drought on the CFP stage that extends back to the 2016 season. But the Utes will have a very tough road to march down in order to get there.

In that way, the Pac-12 has done its top teams no favors, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt said Thursday.

Utah’s road schedule this season features Florida, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington State on a Thursday night (gross), Oregon, and Colorado.

By comparison, Alabama is playing its first true road game against an out-of-conference opponent from another Power Five conference since 2011 this season.

The Pac-12 is in a difficult spot when it comes to scheduling. Given the time difference, most folks on the eastern part of the country won’t see the bulk of its games. Relying on non-conference games against top-tier competition gives you a chance to beef up your résumé for postseason selections, but it also opens you up to an early loss. Add nine league games to the mix and you’re playing a much more demanding schedule than some of your peers.

That’s why you’ve seen the Pac-12 be more open to a discussion about reducing the number of league games — which the head of football ops just recently alluded to during a radio interview with John Canzano.

If Utah beats Florida and runs the table, it should be a shoe-in for the CFP. Given this schedule, maybe it should be even with a loss on the ledger.

But, as Klatt argues, a little help from the league would probably be greatly appreciated.