ESPN Faces Backlash Following Stephen A. Smith's Utah Comments

No one will ever accuse Stephen A. Smith of being unopinoinated. Uninformed, perhaps. Illogical, frequently. But ESPN's most famous and infamous talking head is rarely caught without an opinion. Suffice it to say that Stephen A's latest proclamation probably left some at ESPN wishing he'd gotten a foot in his mouth instead of letting fly with his CFP take. Smith reviewed a list of top 5 teams from ESPN's Chris Canty and let fly.

Smith's Utah Take

"What the Hell is this team doing at No. 2?" Smith asked of Utah. "Your quality wins? I've got BYU, Houston, that's it. That's all it is. And Houston was suspect to begin with.... I'm not sold on Utah being the No. 2 team in the nation."

Utah's Situation

Smith had plenty more to say-- including that Alabama should be in the top 5, but it was his harsh take on Utah that left heads shaking and tongues wagging. Utah's resume is pretty impeccable. The 9-0 Utes have outscored their average opponent 38-16 on the season, and while admittedly not playing a who's who of top 10 opponents are generally perceived to have earned their spot as the current CFP No. 2 seed.

Plenty of folks around social media wanted to let Smith know exactly what they thought of his take.

Social Media Strikes Back at Smith

The Utah hate is unreal considering they let Notre Dame pass with a weak schedule every year.

- Corbin (@Corbin630) November 10, 2026

Indeed, 8-1 Notre Dame is No. 3 on Canty's list and No. 5 on the CFP rankings despite a schedule which isn't substantially more impressive than Utah's.

ESPN has ruined college football. Utah hasn't lost bama and Texas lost twice. The man that can't speak proper English is trying to sell 2 losses better than 0.

- Mac (@RyanMcC85016653) November 10, 2026

Indeed, Smith's pro-Alabama slant is a bit confusing as the only two teams the Tide played that are better than Utah's top competition are both losses.

Let's compare Notre Dame and Utah's common opponent...

- Peace, Love, & Utes (@peaceloveutes) November 10, 2026

Of course, that common opponent is BYU, which beat Notre Dame and lost to Utah.

Stephen A logic, being mad at Utah's inclusion and Bama's exclusion pic.twitter.com/4dQ4ZnbLY8

- Dallin Wright (@DallinWright10) November 10, 2026

As soon as you realize ESPN has an agenda the sooner you realize why these stupid takes exist. This clown hasn't watched Utah play once all year.

- Utah County Ute (@UtahCountyUte) November 10, 2026

This particular commentor was certainly not the only one to notice that ESPN's massive financial stake in the SEC just might have some impact in Smith's feelings.

"Suspect" Houston's two losses: at current #2 Utah and at current #10 Texas Tech. Both by one score, both came down to the final possession.
But sure, Screamin' A. Whatever you say.

- Aaron Newman (@coogrfan) November 10, 2026

As usual, the absence of facts for Smith's chosen narrative (that Houstin is somehow suspect) doesn't mean the opinon won't be floated out there-- or noticed by viewers.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq as ESPN Faces Backlash Following Stephen A. Smith's Utah Comments.