Saturday marks the 103rd playing of the Holy War, the bitter, hate-fueled rivalry between Utah’s two marquee universities. The 23rd ranked Utah Utes will undertake the hour-long pilgrimage to Provo to take on the undefeated and highly touted BYU Cougars.
This iteration of the rivalry features two ranked teams for the first time since 2009 as bad blood between the two fanbases boils as hot as ever. FOX Big Noon Kickoff will be on site for this one, emphasizing that the national media has come to respect the bitter feud.
Utah holds an all time record 62-36-4 over the Cougs but hasn’t won since 2019 after rattling off nine straight victories during their time in the PAC-12. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, a former Cougar himself, has compiled an impressive 12-5 record against his alma mater but sits at just 1-2 since BYU brought in his former pupil, Kalani Sitake to oversee the program back in 2016.
Leaving LaVell Edwards Stadium with a win is critical for both sides. The No. 15 Cougars enter at 6-0 and can solidify their place near the top of the Big 12 alongside Texas Tech with another victory, fresh off a double-overtime escape against Arizona last week. A 7-0 BYU team would likely break into the top ten and strengthen the conference’s bid to place two teams in the College Football Playoff. Big 12 favorite Texas Tech ranks 7th nationally and is still unbeaten in 2025. They’ll host the Cougars in Lubbock on Nov. 8th.
From BYU’s perspective winning this game is pivotal for a handful of reasons aside from the obvious desire to take down your most hated rival. A win on Saturday effectively puts the nail in the coffin for Utah’s season as it would give the Utes two losses against the two programs it would have to overcome to win the Big 12.
Victory would also give the Cougars some breathing room in the race to the Big 12 championship game; they’d have a two game advantage over Utah and hold the tiebreaker in case they stumbled in November. Even if BYU were to lose to Tech, they’d still be in that two or three team mix with Cincinnati and Houston to challenge Tech in the conference championship game.
This game is huge for BYU in the national conversation as well. In the College Football Playoff rankings, where resume is everything, BYU doesn’t have any edge whatsoever on competing programs fighting for the 12 spots. So far BYU hasn’t had a win that the committee would call “quality,” their best have come against Colorado and Arizona on the road. CU had them on the ropes and Arizona took them to two overtimes.
The Holy War will undoubtedly be BYU’s biggest test of the season so far, while Utah already had theirs back in September where Texas Tech kicked their teeth in. The Utes have bounced back in dominant fashion since that loss, steamrolling every opponent including a ranked Arizona State team. The final score against Tech doesn’t exactly tell the full story, either. Utah was right in it until midway through the fourth quarter, but a mix of costly turnovers and big plays from the Red Raiders caused things to unravel late on the defensive side.
A win Saturday would give BYU its first ranked win this season, while Utah recently notched its own during the aforementioned ASU blowout. A win is equally important for Utah. It would move both teams to 6-1, giving the Utes an edge not only through the tiebreaker but also in strength of schedule. Utah’s remaining challenging games are limited to Colorado and Cincinnati, whereas BYU still faces tough tests against Iowa State, Texas Tech, TCU and Cincinnati consecutively following the Utah game.
If BYU manages to rattle off five straight wins, they’ll be getting a first round bye in the College Football Playoff whether they win the conference or not. We saw a similar scenario play out with a 12-0 TCU team back in 2022 that didn’t win the Big 12 but was still chosen to play Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl before being tarred and feathered by Georgia in the title game.
As Vegas favorites this weekend, Utah is likely to be favored in every remaining game and has a legitimate chance to finish 11-1 regardless of Saturday’s outcome. Winning out would award Utah with their best regular season since the undefeated 2008 Sugar Bowl campaign.
The 3.5-point line feels aggressive; sharp bettors would be wise to take BYU with the points. Historically, these matchups often come down to the final drives: nine of the 11 meetings since 2000 have been decided by a single possession, with six settled by a field goal or less. If you’re on Utah, consider buying the line down to -2.5.
This game will be won by each defensive front seven’s ability to contain the rushing attack of their adversaries. BYU has been a force on the ground putting up a staggering 238 rushing yards per game. This number could be inflated as the Cougars have played a favorable schedule, affording them the luxury of putting on cruise control early.
The true Freshman Bachmeier has eclipsed 1200 passing yards through six games and added eight touchdown passes with three on the ground versus three interceptions. He hasn’t been tasked with going out and winning a game aside from the Arizona game and they got a lot of help from officiating down the stretch, getting a questionable roughing the passer call.
BYU’s soft schedule opens up a path to victory for Utah: overwhelm the inexperienced Bachmeier, use the size of your pass rushers to get to him early and often, preventing BYU from getting into any sort of rhythm in the pass game.
Proportionally, my analysis of Utah’s offense is quite similar. The Utes have rushed for 248.2 YPG with the transfer QB Dampier leading the team in total rushing. BYU is going to use a spy to contain Dampier so Wayshawn Park and Na’Quari Rodgers are going to be crucial in blitz pickup for the pass game to work.
All of Utah’s wins have come in blowout fashion so Dampier has seen a lot of time on the bench late in games. Despite Byrd Ficklin seeing a substantial amount of snaps, Dampier’s still accounted for 1509 yards of total offense (251 per game) and 16 total touchdowns against three picks, no fumbles. He’s been lucky at times, a lot of times this season when he’s thrown ducks, they’re misplayed by defensive backs or in one instance against Arizona State, called back for a weak DPI.
Dampier’s numbers suggest Heisman-level production, but his impact through the air has been limited at Utah. Much of his yardage comes after the catch, thanks to a standout pass-catching group highlighted by Dallen Bentley and Ryan Davis .
First year OC Jason Beck has ensured the bulk of Dampier’s throws are designed as quick releases, masking an ongoing weakness in deep passing that carried over from the pair’s time at New Mexico. If BYU consistently brings seven and forces Utah’s offensive line on its heels, the Utes could find themselves in serious trouble, staring down a repeat of the Texas Tech outcome.
This year’s matchup is especially compelling because as I’ve laid out, Utah and BYU share the same blueprint for victory: bring relentless pressure, force the opposing quarterback to win through the air, establish the run and rely on playmakers to create yards after the catch.
For Utah, offensive success hinges on the production of their running backs and tight ends. If Buchanan and Bentley get involved early, BYU’s linebackers will be forced into coverage, opening up lanes for the Utes’ ground game.
What BYU can’t do is let Utah execute the west coast offense and spread the ball around resulting in clock-eating scoring drives. What Utah needs is to limit Bachmeier’s deep passing with a clean pocket. The Stanford transfer has shown impressive timing and placement on his deep balls which could expose Utah’s secondary, the thinnest unit on the team.
Both of these teams are going to need to get to the quarterback in this one and the winner will have a real shot to make the playoff. I predict Utah wins this one ugly, 23-20.
mitchlinsley.com 
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