With the regular season down to its final month, BYU and Utah are both still sitting on a path to everything they want. The bigger question now is which side will carry the sharper edge into Saturday’s rivalry meeting in Salt Lake City.
The latest AP Top 25 gave both programs another boost, with Utah climbing into the top five and BYU inching up as well after a bounce-back win.
BYU checked in at No. 7, moving up one spot after surviving a tighter-than-expected battle with Arizona State on Saturday. Halloween turned into a little more trouble than the Cougars wanted, as the ground game was held in check. But BYU found enough from other spots - including Legend Glasker - to create the late separation it needed and improve to 7-1.
That win mattered even more because it came right after a road loss to UCF. The Cougars are now the No. 2 team from the Big 12 in the AP poll for a second straight week, though the official College Football Playoff rankings won’t come out until Tuesday.
Utah, meanwhile, made a much louder statement. The Utes wasted no time against Cincinnati, jumping on the Bearcats early and never letting up. They scored on every first-half possession and added two defensive touchdowns, including one that kept Utah’s 23-year pick-six streak alive, on the way to a 42-6 halftime lead.
That win pushed Utah to 8-0, its first 8-0 start since 2010, and sent the Utes up three spots to No. 3. It’s the highest ranking Utah has had since 2015, and it leaves the Utes as the top-ranked Big 12 team heading into Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings.
The rest of the Big 12 also saw movement. Texas Tech climbed to No. 13 after getting a lift from Thomas Castellanos, who rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown in a win over Arizona. The Red Raiders had been searching for answers on offense, and Castellanos gave them a much-needed jolt.
Houston moved up to No. 17 after its bye week, while Arizona slid to No. 24.
That gives the conference five ranked teams this week. Oklahoma State, which had been in the poll before, fell out after losing to Iowa State, though the Cowboys are still receiving votes.
In Other News...
Utah Just Sent A Clear Message Before The BYU Showdown
Utah walked out of Cincinnati with a 49-25 win and a performance that looked less like a tune-up and more like a statement. The Utes were sharp on both sides of the ball from the start, with Devon Dampier, Daniel Bray, Wayshawn Parker and Hunter Andrews all helping fuel an offense that kept the pressure on while the defense turned the game into a runaway early.
The first half was where Utah really separated itself, holding Cincinnati out of the end zone and piling up points in every direction. The Utes also kept their remarkable run of defensive scoring alive, extending an NCAA record that has become part of the programs identity, and they now head toward the BYU showdown with a little extra edge and a lot of momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Heads Into A Massive Holy War With Everything To Lose
The buildup to this Holy War has a little more edge than usual, with No. 6 Utah and No. 8 BYU both arriving off wins and carrying plenty of momentum into one of the biggest games on the schedule. Utah has looked especially imposing when it leans on its ground game, while BYU has shown flashes of the kind of team that can win in a hurry, even if its performances have not always been clean from week to week.
For Utah, the stakes feel especially high because the Utes know how much this one can shape the rest of the season. The matchup brings together contrasting styles, and the margin for error figures to be thin if the Utes cannot keep dictating terms the way they have in recent dominant outings. BYU has had its own issues to sort through, and the rivalry setting only adds to the pressure on a game that already feels like it could carry real consequences well beyond Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Looked Like A Complete Team In This Halloween Blowout
Utah made the kind of road statement that travels well, overwhelming Cincinnati 49-25 at Nippert Stadium and turning the game into a rout before halftime. The Utes led 42-6 by the break, with the defense doing plenty of the early damage after Elijah Davis jumped a route for a pick-six and Rabbit Evans added a scoop-and-score to keep the pressure squarely on the Bearcats.
Devon Dampier helped make the rest of the afternoon feel routine, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns as Utah stayed in control throughout. Cincinnati did get a spark in the third quarter when Jacob Finley returned an interception for a touchdown, but by then the gap was too large to change the tone of a game that showed just how complete the Utes can look when both sides of the ball are rolling. [Read more 🡒]