No. 3 Utah hosts No. 9 BYU in the biggest iteration of the Holy War rivalry on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Utah enters 8-0 with six wins by at least two touchdowns, most recently a 49-25 victory over Cincinnati. BYU, despite a double-overtime loss to UCF and a narrow win over Arizona State, boasts wins over Arizona and Notre Dame.
Historical context: BYU dominated the LaVell Edwards era (19 of 21), but since 2002 Utah leads 14-3. BYU has won three straight since 2021, both as Big 12 members by a combined four points.
Team Outlooks
Utah's offense, revamped by new coordinator Kevin McGiven from Utah State, ranks No. 9 nationally in total offense and No. 2 in the Big 12. The Utes employ a two-quarterback system featuring backup Byrd Ficklin. However, left guard Kelvin Obot is out for the season, and the offensive line lost five starters to the NFL.
BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier, a sophomore, has thrown for 1,750 yards, rushed for 336 yards, and scored 19 touchdowns. He passed, rushed, and caught touchdowns in the upset of Notre Dame, but his rushing has been limited recently (15 yards on 16 carries vs. Arizona State).
How to Watch
The game kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on ABC, with a live stream available on Fubo.
Predictions and Picks
Analysts are split. The spread is Utah -5.5, but the rivalry has been decided by an average of 2.0 points over the past two years. Several experts pick BYU +4.5, while others favor Utah. SportsLine's model has simulated the game 10,000 times.
