Saturday’s Holy War carries more weight than ever, and for the first time, Utah and BYU will walk into it as top-10 teams.
No. 3 Utah, unbeaten at 8-0 and 5-0 in the Big 12, hosts No.
9 BYU on Saturday in Salt Lake City with conference positioning and College Football Playoff implications hanging over the matchup. The Cougars are 7-1 and 4-1, and they arrive trying to snap Utah’s three-game series winning streak.
Utah is one of three undefeated FBS teams, while BYU sits tied for second in the Big 12 with Texas Tech. That alone gives this meeting a different kind of shine, but the ranking adds another layer: this is the first time the rivalry has featured both teams in the Top 10.
“What makes it great is that it’s competitive,” said Utah coach Morgan Scalley. “Look at us, we’re in one state within 30 minutes of each other, and we’re both sitting here ranked in the top 10. That’s awesome.”
The Utes have opened 8-0 for the first time since 2010, and Scalley has made it clear he wants the rivalry to lose some of its edge. He and BYU coach Kalani Sitake both coached under Kyle Whittingham at Utah, and both are now leading their alma maters.
“At the end of the day, it’s mine and (Sitake’s) hope that this thing can be more civil,” Scalley said. “The hatred, the toxicity that is spewed from both sides to me, it’s not good for the rivalry.”
BYU’s path is more precarious because of its lone blemish, the 39-31 double-overtime loss to UCF on Oct. 24. That defeat makes Saturday feel like a must-win if the Cougars want to keep their Big 12 title and national championship hopes in realistic territory.
The early kickoff adds another wrinkle. ABC wanted the game for a national audience, so the teams will start at 10 a.m. local time in Salt Lake City.
“It’s a little bit different,” Sitake said. “The guys are really focused. There’s more energy and more effort towards the preparation for this game than ever before.”
BYU’s biggest concern is the run game, which has slipped since running back LJ Martin went down with a leg injury. Martin still leads the Cougars with 344 rushing yards and 7.8 yards per carry, but he hasn’t played since the 17-10 win over TCU on Oct. 3.
Without him, the ground production has dropped off game by game: 177 yards against Iowa State, 121 against Notre Dame, 116 against UCF and then just 47 in last week’s 27-20 home win over Arizona State. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier has picked up much of the slack, rushing for 336 yards and seven touchdowns on 80 carries while also throwing for 1,750 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Martin did return to practice this week, which at least gives BYU some hope.
“He’s looking better and we’re seeing him in lots of training,” Sitake said. “So, he’s getting close, but we want to make sure that it’s the right timing for him.”
Utah, meanwhile, has had to absorb its own blow up front. Right tackle Kelvin Obot is out for the rest of the season after suffering a lower-leg injury Oct. 17 against Colorado.
Even so, the Utes’ offense has kept rolling on the ground. Wayshawn Parker has powered the attack with 726 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, helping Utah rank eighth nationally with 226.9 rushing yards per game. BYU’s defense against the run has been sturdy, allowing 100.0 rushing yards per game, which ranks 20th in the nation.
Devon Dampier has been efficient for Utah as well, completing 69.6% of his passes for 1,876 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Utes also rank third nationally in third-down efficiency at 54.1%, and their defense has come up with nine interceptions, tied for 13th-most in the country.
In Other News...
BYU Just Got A Bigger Utah Test Than Fans Realized
The latest Big 12 power rankings from three KSL Sports reporters put the spotlight right where Utah fans expected it to land, on the rivalry game with BYU. The weekly list came with records, recent results and upcoming schedules for the leagues top teams, but the bigger takeaway was how much this matchup now means beyond bragging rights. It is the kind of November game that can reshape the conversation around the conference race and the postseason picture at the same time.
For Utah, the significance is obvious even before the teams take the field. BYUs place in the rankings only sharpens the stakes, because this is no longer just a rivalry meeting with local pride on the line. It is a game with real College Football Playoff implications attached, and the way the reporters stacked the league makes clear that the Utes are staring at a test with far more weight than a typical late-season showdown. [Read more 🡒]
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The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season already stirred up debate, but Robert Griffin III added another layer to it with his own version of the top 25. His list looked very different from the committees, and it gave Utah a prominent spot near the top while also underscoring just how much disagreement still exists over how teams are being judged this early in the season.
For Utah fans, the bigger takeaway is not just the placement itself but the kind of attention it reflects. The committee chair defended the rankings by pointing to quality wins and schedule strength, which only adds to the conversation around where the Utes fit in the national picture. For a program trying to earn respect on the CFP stage, seeing its name land so high in a national voices alternate rankings is the sort of validation supporters have been asking for. [Read more 🡒]
BYU-Utah Could Decide More Than Bragging Rights This Year
The latest BYU-Utah matchup is carrying a little more weight than the usual bragging rights, and Hans Olsen sees it as a game with ripple effects beyond one Saturday in November. The former BYU player pointed to postseason positioning and the battle for in-state recruiting as part of what makes this rivalry matter so much this year, while also noting how the teams recent form has shaped the conversation around the meeting.
Olsen also leaned on memory when talking about the rivalry, recalling BYUs 2000 win over Utah in LaVell Edwards final game as head coach. He believes the Cougars have the edge heading into this one, based on what he sees from both sides and the psychological side of a rivalry game, which only adds to the intrigue for Utah fans watching a familiar matchup with bigger stakes attached. [Read more 🡒]