Morgan Scalley's first season for the Utah Utes has been a success thus far. To be sitting there undefeated, first in the big 12 and ranked sixth in the country, this isn't the same team Kyle Whittingham left at the end of last season. What does Scalley attribute that to? His players and staff have come together to hit the ground running.

"We did have some continuity," Scalley told ESPN this week. "We had some coaches that were here on the defensive side of the ball. Almost entirely knew offensive staff. But you know, I think it's just the buying in from everyone. It's not Morgan Scalley.

"I don't have the magic sauce. We have (two) great quarterbacks. But the volume of our players in terms of what we've been asking in terms of team football. If you ask anyone in our building, what's your culture? You won't get 10 different answers. It's RSBN."

What does that stand for? Relentless, Smart, Nasty, Ballhawks, which serve as the core defensive identity. This starts with a team first mentality. These things are just skill sets or mindsets. Scalley has made it part of the Utes culture.

The proof shows up in the results. Utah has won 13 straight games dating back to the 2025 season, the longest active winning streak in the FBS. The Utes have won nine straight Big 12 games, trailing only Texas Tech (9).

Scalley became the first Utah head coach in program history to start 7-0 in his first full season leading the Utes after defeating No. 16 Houston last week. Utah is 7-0 for the first time since 2015 and has an 18.2 average margin of victory through seven games so far this season, seventh best in the FBS.

Quarterback Devon Dampier has been the orchestrator of one of college football's most dynamic offenses. He had accounted for 1,964 total yards and 20 touchdowns. Being able to have multiple quarterbacks in the offensive game plan is what sets the Utes apart from other programs. If this team does make a College Football Playoff run, the multiple looks by Dampier and Ficklin could be a game-changer against opponents.

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Utah joins Miami and UCLA as the only teams without a loss in college football. The 100th straight sellout at Rice-Eccles was electric against Houston. Utah took a bit to get going, but they're the Big 12's top ranked team going into Saturday. There's no question this is due to Scalley and his leadership.

Utah heads to Cincinnati next Saturday. The Bearcats are coming off a 37-24 upset over No. 8 Texas Tech. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Source: Yahoo Sports