Note: With EA Sports’ College Football 25 bringing college football back to the video game world, the Deseret News is simulating every game Utah will play against an FBS opponent this season.

Utah begins a new conference era this weekend with a game against Oklahoma State.

Not only is it a contest between two ranked schools (Utah is ranked No. 12 and Oklahoma State is No. 14 in the latest Associated Press poll), but the two programs are also battling for the early lead in the Big 12 Conference race.

The winner also gets a major victory on his resume, which could prove beneficial in determining the twelve teams that participate in the College Football Playoff at the end of the year.

No pressure, right?

The Deseret News ran a simulation of Saturday’s game on the EA Sports College Football 25 video game, and it was an exciting game.

How the simulation is set up

There were a few basic rules: the simulation consisted of 10-minute quarters and I let the computer simulate the game without user intervention.

CPU ratings have also been adjusted slightly from the default to make pass defense more realistic. In my experience, passers were completing an unrealistic number of pass attempts in previous simulations, so I adjusted the passing accuracy from 50 to 35, and then adjusted the pass defense ratings from 50 to 75. That helped create more realistic numbers.

Injuries and changes to the depth chart were also made, with Utah being the most impacted this week.

Cam Rising is expected to return as Utah’s quarterback after a hand injury, replacing Isaac Wilson, who started last week against Utah State.

Since it’s unclear whether linebacker Karene Reid, who missed the game against Utah State, will be available, I’ve left him in the running for this week’s game.

No significant changes were needed to Oklahoma State’s depth chart.

I also compared the uniform combinations we will see in the game, as far as I know: Utah will be wearing an all-white uniform, while Oklahoma State will be wearing an orange helmet, orange jersey, and white pants.

How accurate was Utah’s simulation of the final game?

The actual score: Utah 38, Utah is 21

College Football 25 Simulation Final Score: Utah 40, Utah stands 17

My analysis: The margin of victory was similar between the real game and the simulation, though they were achieved in different ways. In the real game, Utah fell behind 14-3 before scoring 25 straight points at one point, while the Utes stormed out to a 21-3 lead and eventually won in the simulation.

In both versions, Wilson had a solid day in his first collegiate start. In the real game, the true freshman threw for 239 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. The simulation had him at 229 passing yards and two touchdowns.

How did the Utah vs. Oklahoma State simulation go?

Final score: Oklahoma State 12, Utah 6

Main series: Utah had two good chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Utes were unable to capitalize on them in Oklahoma State territory.

The Utes’ first drive of the final quarter took them deep into Oklahoma State territory before Rising connected with Money Parks for a 10-yard gain on third-and-11 at the Cowboys’ 30-yard line.

Instead of shooting a field goal in a game that ended 9-3, Utah tried it on fourth-and-1 and Micah Bernard was stopped for a loss of 1 yard.

On Oklahoma State’s ensuing possession, Lander Barton made a brilliant interception that, after an 8-yard return, put Utah ahead at the Cowboys’ 33-yard line.

Kuithe caught an 11-yard pass on third-and-inches to extend the drive, and Rising was roughed on the same play, putting Utah in a first-and-goal situation at the 5-yard line.

Rising attempted to hit Parks on first-and-goal, but with tight coverage, the Utah receiver couldn’t hold on to the ball. After a run play didn’t make it into the end zone, Rising was sacked for a loss of 7 yards on third down, and Utah was forced to kick a 30-yard Cole Becker field goal to make it 9-6 with 5:35 to play.

Although Utah had a chance to win the game later, these two attacks were excellent opportunities for the Utes to gain an advantage in a defensive battle.

How the simulation went: There was some tough defense in this game, but no touchdowns were scored.

Utah forced Oklahoma State into turnovers on each of its first two possessions — one an Ollie Gordon fumble that Barton recovered, the other an interception by Nate Ritchie — but Utah was only able to convert those turnovers into three points.

On the final play of the first quarter, Utah capped a 34-yard drive — following Ritchie’s interception — with a 32-yard field goal from Becker.

A problem for Utah throughout the game was third downs — the Utes were just 4 of 13 — and Bernard was stopped for minimal gain on a third-and-4 inside the Oklahoma State red zone, forcing a field goal.

The Cowboys were in control for the next two quarters, but neither offense really got going as both defenses struggled.

Oklahoma State tied the score with a 49-yard field goal by Logan Ward with 6:10 left until halftime.

The Utes had a promising drive late in the first half that looked like it could take a halftime lead. Utah went for it on a fourth-and-1 at the OSU 45 with 25 seconds left, and Rising was sacked for the first time, one of three Cowboy sacks of the game.

Oklahoma State quickly took advantage with some quick passes and fired in a short field goal late in the first half to put them up 6-3.

The Cowboys then built a 9-3 lead with 4:30 left in the third quarter on a sustained drive.

Unfortunately for Utah, little came of the offense in the third quarter, setting the stage for two promising drives by the Utes in the fourth quarter that ended with just three points.

After Utah’s field goal with 5:35 left made it a 9-6 game, Oklahoma State went on another sustained drive — including two third-down conversions — before Ward connected on a 50-yard field goal to make it 12-6 with 1:44 to play.

That gave Utah one last chance, but on a day when offense was sparse, the Utes couldn’t get the ball past their own 40-yard line before giving the ball away on downs, and Oklahoma State ran out of time.

Star players: Barton and Reid were stalwart defenders for Utah. Reid finished with a game-high 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack, while Barton had 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery.

The Utes’ offense faltered much of the day. Rising finished with just 104 yards passing and Bernard had 68 yards rushing, though he averaged just 2.7 yards per carry.

Aside from Kuithe’s 53 receiving yards, the Utes struggled to get the passing game going.

Gordon, last year’s Doak Walker Award winner, ran for 111 yards despite a costly fumble, while OSU teammate Brennan Presley had 10 receptions for 135 yards.

The Cowboys’ Alan Bowman threw for 235 yards but was also intercepted twice and tackled three times.

Key statistics: Neither team had very good offense: Oklahoma State finished with 313 yards, while Utah had 170.

The Cowboys had a slight advantage on third downs — they converted 5 of 11 points compared to just 4 of 13 for Utah — and that helped them score a couple of those key field goals.

Oklahoma State also tackled Rising three times, each time at a crucial moment.

How realistic was the simulation?

My analysis: To be honest, this match could go either way, just look at the changes in the betting line throughout the week.

However, it’s a bit baffling to see how both Utah and Oklahoma State struggled offensively in the simulation — especially the Utes. While I expect both defenses to play well on Saturday, I expect more offense — and more points — in the actual game.