It’s rivalry week for BYU, and the Cougars are dressing the part for a top-10 clash with Utah.
On Monday, BYU announced it will go all royal in Salt Lake City, with royal uniforms and royal helmets for the matchup. It’s the third straight season the Cougars have used that look against the Utes, and they’ve been perfect in it so far, going 2-0 in the combination.
The setup adds another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight. Both teams are ranked inside the top seven, making this the biggest Holy War showdown in the rivalry’s long history.
The uniform choice also fits a familiar pattern for this series. Since 2011, when BYU went independent and Utah moved to the Pac-12, both teams have worn their home uniforms for the game. The result is a sharp visual contrast on TV, with BYU’s bright blue meeting Utah’s bright red.
BYU has leaned hard into uniform variety in recent seasons, and this year has been no different. The Cougars have used a different combination in each of their first eight games, including two different shades of blue along the way.
Here’s how the season has unfolded on the uniform front: against Utah Tech, BYU wore royal home uniforms with royal helmets, a look not used since 2022. Against Arizona, the Cougars paired royal uniforms with a white helmet and white facemask in a combination they had never worn before. Against Colorado State, it was all white with navy accents.
At TCU, BYU went with white away uniforms and royal helmets in a rainy game against the Horned Frogs. Against Iowa State, the Cougars wore the traditional navy home uniforms with white helmets, their primary home look from 2005 to 2019, and their first time in that combo since 2022 against USF.
Against Notre Dame, BYU stuck with its classic royal home uniform in a game that will be remembered for a long time in Provo. In a loss to UCF, the Cougars wore all white with royal helmets, another combination that had never been used before. Last week, in a bounce-back win over Arizona State, BYU went all navy on Halloween.
In Other News...
Bear Bachmeier Just Became Utahs Biggest BYU Concern
Bear Bachmeier has quickly become a central part of BYUs offense, and Utahs staff knows it. First-year Utes coach Morgan Scalley offered a pointed assessment of the Cougars quarterback after seeing how much he has grown, especially in the way BYU has leaned on him with running back LJ Martin out. For a team that has found recent success with Bachmeier steering the attack, his rise has changed the way opponents have to prepare.
Utahs defense is now treating him like the biggest problem on the board in the rivalry matchup. The Utes have had some success pressuring opposing quarterbacks, but Bachmeiers development has made him a tougher read than he was earlier in the season. For BYU, that only adds to the stakes, because the offense has become increasingly tied to how well he handles the moment when Utah comes after him. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Has One Real Opening In This Rivalry Upset Bid
BYU heads into the Utah game with the kind of rivalry backdrop that always sharpens the edges of a matchup, and this one comes with plenty of familiar tension. The Cougars are being sized up against a Utes team that has owned the series for stretches, while the broader college football slate around them only underscores how much these November games hinge on health, form and who can handle the moment best.
For BYU, the appeal of an upset bid is tied to finding the one opening that really matters in a game like this. The preview around the matchup points to the usual rivalry variables, from injuries to matchup quirks to the way recent history can shape expectations, and it places the Cougars in the same conversation as other high-stakes games like Missouri-Texas, LSU-Alabama and Tennessee-Kentucky. The question is whether BYU can turn that opening into something bigger before the rivalry pressure closes it back up. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs CFP Position Just Made The Utah Game Even Bigger
BYUs first College Football Playoff ranking came in a little lower than many around the program expected, with the Cougars landing at No. 9 despite the marquee win over Notre Dame. The committees first look made clear that the Irish victory still matters, but not nearly as much as it might have if Notre Dame had held a stronger place in the rankings, and the overall message was that the committee is weighing quality wins heavily.
For BYU, that puts even more pressure on what comes next, starting with the Utah game. The Cougars also have a Notre Dame-Miami matchup to watch closely, since movement there could affect how the Irish win ages in the committees eyes, but the bigger point is simple: BYU cannot afford to let the resume sit still, especially with the UCF loss still hanging over the evaluation. [Read more 🡒]