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

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

Not only is this a contest between two highly ranked schools – Utah is ranked 12th and Oklahoma State is 14th 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 will also have an important win that could prove beneficial when it comes to determining the number of participants in the twelve College Football Playoffs at the end of the year.

No pressure, right?

The Deseret News ran a simulation of Saturday’s game in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game – and it was a real thrill.

How the simulation was structured

There were a few basic rules: The simulation was done in quarters of 10 minutes and I let the computer simulate the game without user intervention.

The CPU ratings have also been adjusted slightly from standard to make pass defense more realistic. I felt that passers in previous simulations were attempting an unrealistic number of passes, so I adjusted the pass accuracy from 50 to 35 and then adjusted the pass defense ratings from 50 to 75. This helped create more realistic numbers.

There were also injuries and changes in the roster, which had an impact on Utah this week.

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

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

No major changes to the lineup were necessary for Oklahoma State.

I also compared the uniform combinations that I know we will see in the game – Utah in an all-white uniform, while Oklahoma State wears an orange helmet, orange jersey and white pants.

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

The actual score: Utah 38, State of Utah 21

Final score of the College Football 25 simulation: Utah 40, Utah State 17

My analysis: The margin of victory in the actual game and the simulation were similar, although they came about differently. In the actual game, Utah fell behind 14-3 but rallied with 25 straight points, while in the simulation the Utes took a 21-3 lead and eventually won.

In both versions, Wilson had a solid day in his first college appearance. In the actual game, the true freshman threw for 239 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. In the simulation, he threw for 229 passing yards and two touchdowns.

How did the simulation between Utah and Oklahoma State go?

Final result: Oklahoma State 12, Utah 6

Keyboard shortcuts: Utah had two good chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Utes were unable to capitalize on either occasion in Oklahoma State territory.

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

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

On Oklahoma State’s next possession, Lander Barton made a brilliant interception that brought Utah to the Cowboys’ 33-yard line after an 8-yard return.

Kuithe caught an 11-yard pass on third-and-2 to extend the drive, and Rising was tackled hard on the same play, putting Utah in a first-and-goal situation at the 5-yard line.

Rising tried to hit Parks on the first attempt, but the Utah receiver was unable to hold onto the ball due to tight coverage. After a running play failed to get into the end zone, Rising was sacked for a 7-yard loss on the third attempt and Utah was forced to kick a 30-yard field goal by Cole Becker to make it 9-6 with 5:35 left.

Although Utah had chances to win the game later, those two possessions were prime opportunities for the Utes to take the lead in a defensive battle.

This is how the simulation went: The defense was very tough and there were no touchdowns.

Utah forced a turnover on each of Oklahoma State’s first two possessions – one an Ollie Gordon fumble recovered by Barton, the other an interception by Nate Ritchie – but Utah could only convert those gains into three points.

On the last play of the first quarter, Utah capped a 34-yard drive – after the Ritchie interception – with a 32-yard field goal by Becker.

A problem for Utah throughout the game was third downs – the Utes made just 4 of 13 – and Bernard was stopped on a third and fourth attempt in Oklahoma State’s red zone, allowing minimal gains and forcing the field goal.

The Cowboys remained in control for most of the next two quarters, although neither offense really got going as both defenses closed down.

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

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

Oklahoma State quickly took advantage of this with a few quick passes and kicked a short field goal at the end of the half to take a 6-3 lead.

After a sustained drive, the Cowboys extended their lead to 9-3 with 4:30 minutes left in the third quarter.

Unfortunately for Utah, they couldn’t get much going offensively in the third quarter, setting the stage for the Utes’ two promising drives in the fourth quarter that ended with just three points.

After Utah’s field goal with 5:35 left to make the score 9-6, Oklahoma State again launched a sustained attack – including two third-down conversions – before Ward made the game 12-6 with a 50-yard field goal with 1:44 left.

That gave Utah one last chance, but on a day when offense played a major role, the Utes couldn’t get the ball past their own 40-yard line without giving it up on downs, and Oklahoma State ran out of time.

Star players: Barton and Reid were the cornerstones of Utah’s defense. Reid finished with 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 sputtered for most of the day, with Rising managing just 104 passing yards and Bernard running for 68 yards, but only averaging 2.7 yards per carry.

Aside from Kuithe’s 53 receiving yards, the Utes had trouble getting their passing game going.

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

Alan Bowman of the Cowboys threw for 235 yards, but was also intercepted twice and sacked three times.

Key statistics: Neither team was able to achieve much on offense, with Oklahoma State totaling 313 yards and Utah totaling 170.

The Cowboys had a slight advantage on third downs – they made 5 of 11 to Utah’s 4 of 13 – and that helped them pull down the field and make some of the crucial field goals.

Oklahoma State also sacked Rising three times, each time at a critical time.

How realistic was the simulation?

My analysis: Honestly, this game could go either way – just look at how the betting odds have changed throughout the week.

It’s a little surprising, though, 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.