Unbeaten No. 3 Utah hosts No. 9 BYU on Saturday in the first meeting between the in-state rivals with both teams ranked in the top 10. Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff hopes ride on the result for both sides.
The game kicks off at 10 a.m. in Salt Lake City on ABC, a slot that pushed No. 7 Texas against No. 18 Missouri to another channel. BYU's move to the Big 12, followed by Utah's arrival from the Pac-12, has drawn more national attention to a series long followed mostly inside the state.
For BYU, the stakes are stark. Ninth in the playoff rankings, the Cougars would collect a third win over a Top 25 opponent and stay firmly in the conference title race with a victory, while a loss would likely end their playoff hopes.
The Utes are the Big 12's only remaining unbeaten team and return home after a key road win at Cincinnati. They average 38.9 points and give up 15.9 per game.
BYU, at 7-1, rebounded against Arizona State last week after an Oct. 24 upset loss at UCF. The Cougars score 32.4 points per game and allow 18.8.
Key players to watch
History cuts both ways. BYU has beaten Utah three years running, dating to 2021, yet its 2024 victory was its lone win at Rice-Eccles Stadium since 2006. Morgan Scalley, in his first season as Utah's head coach, gets his first shot at snapping the skid.
BYU running back LJ Martin, out injured for the past month, is listed as questionable on the team's availability report. His return would come at a pivotal moment for an offense that has stalled on the ground.
Before he got hurt, Martin, last year's top offensive player in the Big 12, was gaining close to 8 yards a carry. In his absence over the past two weeks, BYU has managed under 2.5 yards per rush.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier averages 234 passing yards a game and threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns at Cincinnati. He has topped 50 rushing yards only twice this season, but one of those outings was a 150-yard day against Houston, more than double his previous high of 71.
Scalley played down the religious angle often attached to the rivalry, noting that players and fans on both sides are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said the closeness of the schools and families with ties to both are what make the series special.
Yes, we have a predominant religion as part of one school, but I think we make too much of that.
Morgan Scalley, Utah head coach
Possible Big 12 title rematch
BYU coach Kalani Sitake, who grew up a Cougars fan and spent a decade coaching at Utah, said the rivalry game is different every year and that the Utes are undefeated for a reason.
With three regular-season games left, the teams could meet again in the Big 12 championship game on Friday, Dec. 4, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A BYU win Saturday would make that rematch, with an automatic playoff berth at stake, even more likely.
