College football is the greatest modern American sport for several reasons. Despite the best efforts of conferences and television rights negotiations, the rivalries created by generations of people living within close proximity of one another who wear different colors on Saturdays is my favorite.
Utah and BYU will meet this weekend for the 103rd time in the last 128 years. These dividing lines run deep, embodied by the evocative name of this ongoing clash: The Holy War. The Cougars have the home-field advantage in the latest battle of this longstanding conflict. Coach Kilani Sitake’s squad enters this contest undefeated and ranked 15th in the country, with victories over Colorado, West Virginia, and Arizona during the first half of the season. True freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier’s play has kept BYU in the conversation for the Big 12 title after the departure of Jake Retzlaff via the transfer portal. Bachmeier’s 7 touchdowns on the ground have powered the Big 12’s second-best rushing offense, while the defense ranks second in total yards and third in scoring in the conference.
Speaking of defense, the Utah Utes know a little something about that side of the ball. Coach Kyle Whittingham is overseeing the second-best scoring defense in the Big 12 during his 21st season in Salt Lake City. The lone blemish on Utah’s record in 2025 came from Texas Tech’s visit on September 20th, a 34-10 blowout in which the Utes never looked competitive. Since then, however, Utah has beaten West Virginia on the road and 21st-ranked Arizona State at home by a combined margin of 90-28, enough to convince poll voters to re-incorporate the team back into the top 25. Their loss to the Red Raiders appears to have infused Whittingham’s team with purpose and energy, both of which they’ll need when traveling to Provo on Saturday.
Utah owns the bragging rights overall, with a record of 62-36-4 in the series. After winning nine straight times from 2010-2019, Utah has dropped the last two meetings. As it stands on Friday afternoon, the visiting Utes are favored by 3.5 points over the Cougars with a point total of 49.5. Over the last five matchups in this rivalry, the average scoring was 44.4 points per game, with the highest tally coming in a 35-27 Utah victory in 2018. The two most recent editions of this game have produced 43-point results, including last year’s thrilling 22-21 Cougars’ victory away from home.
Best Bet Utah -3.5
BYU has escaped multiple upset bids during the first part of its conference schedule. The experience has, without a doubt, been useful for Bachmeier as the fresh-faced leader of the offense, but we estimate that falling behind at home to Utah is another challenge entirely.
The Utes are 17th in the country in offensive plays per game, controlling the ball as well as any team in the Big 12. They also complete 72.2% of their throws, seventh-best among FBS schools, when they need to air it out. The combination of skill and experience will lead Utah to a streak-breaking victory against BYU while covering the number.
The smartest 5 minutes in betting
Get the week's best offers, line moves, and data-driven picks — straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Join 240,000+ subscribers. 21+ only.
