The stakes around Saturday’s Holy War are already enormous. No.
3 Utah and No. 9 BYU are set for a prime-time collision on ABC, and the game could draw the biggest television audience this rivalry has ever seen.
It should be one of the Big 12’s most-watched games of the season.
But there’s another storyline hanging over Rice-Eccles Stadium: officiating.
The conference has spent the past three weeks dealing with three major replay mistakes, and all three went in BYU’s favor. That alone has made the buildup to this matchup unusually tense. Add in the fact that the Cougars are returning to the same stadium where a controversial call helped decide last year’s game, and the optics are impossible to ignore.
That Nov. 9, 2024 finish is still fresh in Utah’s memory. On a fourth down deep in his own territory, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sacked in what looked like the final play.
Instead, Utah was flagged for defensive holding, the Cougars got an automatic first down, and they eventually turned that into the winning field goal. Afterward, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan went after the officials publicly and was reprimanded.
Now the Cougars are back in Salt Lake City with the conference trying to clean up a mess that has followed them for three straight weeks.
The first issue came against Notre Dame, when officials ended the game with the Irish in the red zone, trailing by four and with one second left. The Big 12 later admitted the clock should not have expired.
“Following the Big 12's review of the final play of Saturday's Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew.”
A week later at UCF, BYU benefited from a 10-second runoff that should not have happened. NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay called it out on X, writing: “At the end of regulation in BYU/UCF, there should not have been a 10-second runoff.
The clock stopping for the helmet off was not the only reason it stopped. It also stopped because it was the end of a legal kick down.”
Then came last week’s game at Arizona State, where BYU tailback Sione Moa recovered his own fumble near the goal line, was ruled down, and then advanced the ball into the end zone. Replay awarded a touchdown that should not have stood in a game BYU won by seven.
Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira said, “You can give a recovery, but you can’t give an advance unless we’ve come up with a new rule here.”
McAulay also weighed in, calling it “a stunning rules error by Replay.”
The conference issued another statement after that one: “Replay was incorrect in awarding a score. The correct ruling should have been BYU ball for a third-and-goal attempt from the 2-yard line.”
To be clear, the Big 12 is not alone in dealing with officiating breakdowns this season. The Big Ten had its own clock fiasco late in the Western Michigan-Michigan game, then later had to explain an incorrect spot in Oregon-UCLA. The Pac-12 also acknowledged a play clock problem during Oregon State’s possession in the loss at Fresno State.
Still, the fact that all three Big 12 errors involved the same team, and happened in three straight weeks, has created a very specific kind of noise around this game. McAulay summed up the run this way: “Damndest thing I’ve ever seen,” McAulay wrote on X. “Three significant Replay rules errors in three consecutive weeks involving the same team is insane.”
The conference knows exactly what’s out there, and it’s trying to get ahead of it. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, an executive meeting has been called this week with everyone tied to the officiating operation. The timing hasn’t been disclosed, but the goal is to address every part of Big 12 football officiating before the conference’s biggest game of the year.
That doesn’t mean Saturday morning will be calm.
There could still be a judgment call that sparks debate, the kind of penalty that can swing a game in an instant. But in theory, the conference’s all-hands meeting should at least lower the chances of another replay blunder.
Because another one would be too much.
Not this week. Not this game.
In Other News...
BYU Is Making A Visible Helmet Change Fans Will Notice
BYUs football helmets are about to look a little different, with the school and Trucordia announcing an expanded multiyear corporate sponsorship agreement that will put the companys logo on the helmet bumpers beginning Nov. 7. It is a visible addition, one that will be hard for fans to miss once the Cougars take the field.
The move is part of a broader effort to raise Trucordias profile among BYU fans while also providing support for the football program. For a team with a passionate following, even a small change to the helmet carries extra attention, and this one will be part of the look from here on out. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Utah Hopes Suddenly Center On One Crucial Return
A viral snap from former BYU offensive lineman Connor Pay has given Cougar fans something unexpected to argue about online, with the clip drawing more than 3 million views and turning a routine football exchange into a minor social media debate. The video shows the ball landing in a throwing position with the laces on the fingers, and while some viewers hailed it as a perfect snap, others pushed back on that description.
All the while, BYU is getting ready for Utah with a much more consequential storyline on the field: the possible return of running back LJ Martin from injury. In a rivalry game where every healthy body matters, Martins status could end up carrying far more weight than any viral highlight ever will. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces Its Biggest Test Yet With One Major Concern
BYU heads into its showdown with Utah with plenty on the line and just as much attention, as the matchup brings together two top-10 teams in one of the most anticipated games on the schedule. The Cougars have spent the week preparing for a Utah defense that has been sturdy and a Utes offense that presents its own challenges, while offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick is already looking at ways to adjust the running game if needed.
The biggest concern for BYU is the likely absence of key offensive player LJ Martin because of injury, a development that could force the Cougars to lean on depth and creativity in a game where every possession matters. Coaches have talked through the preparation and the strategy, but the real test will come on the field, where BYU will have to find answers against a rival that rarely makes things easy. [Read more 🡒]