Welcome to the calm before the storm. The week of anticipation before BYU vs. Utah. The Holy War is one of college football's most celebrated rivalries -- this is the case every season -- but this year's edition of the Battle for the Beehive Boot may be the most highly anticipated one ever scheduled.
That's all thanks to the success of both programs, currently leading the way for the ultra-competitive Big 12 Conference.
Despite the contest against Arizona State getting a little too close for comfort down the stretch, BYU football approaches their ninth game of the regular season with a 7-1 record, the 7th overall ranking in the AP Poll (first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings pending), and a marquee win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Utah, meanwhile, has no blemish on thier resume. A perfect 8-0 under first-year head coach Morgan Scalley has lifted them to the number-3 ranking in the country, making this the first top-10 matchup in series history (assuming BYU isn't knocked too harshly for their loss to UCF).
BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/cdJZpzqMVJ pic.twitter.com/Pt6uIS0f8u
— On3 (@On3) November 1, 2026
As I've mentioned, BYU already has a season-defining win to their name. A win that earned the team immense national respect, if only for a moment. The Utes didn't make their fortune by leapfrogging giants -- their season is propped up by a home win against an excellent Houston team, but besides a win against the red Coogs, their meeting with the blue Cougs has been prefaced primarily by Big 12 bottomfeeders.
They thrashed Iowa State, Kansas, and Cincinatti to varying degrees, even scoring 42 points against the Bearcats in just one half of football last week.
But this team has not been invincible.
They just scraped past Isaac Wilson and the Colorado Buffaloes a few weeks ago, and their win against Houston was conclusive, but not comfortable.
But into Rice-Eccles Stadium come the BYU Cougars. A team that began the season with unprecedented national respect and the expectation of a Big 12 Conference Championship appearance, if not a College Football Playoff appearance. The Utes can potentially squash those hopes with a win this Saturday.
BYU effectively stamps its ticket to the CFP if they can take down another top-10 team. So long as they avoid embarrassment in the final three weeks.
Here's everything you need to watch these two sides duke it out for control of the Beehive State.
Game information: how to watch BYU vs Utah
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM, MT
Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: ABC
Odds: Utah -3
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