No. 3 Utah hosts No. 9 BYU on Saturday in Provo… wait, Salt Lake City, in a top-10 Big 12 matchup that carries real College Football Playoff weight. Kickoff is set for 12:00 ET.
BYU enters at 9th in the country with a 7-1 record overall and a 4-1 mark in Big 12 play. The Cougars opened the season with six straight wins, knocking off Utah Tech, Arizona, Colorado State, TCU, Iowa State and Notre Dame. Only the TCU and Notre Dame games were decided by one score, and BYU won both.
Then came the letdown. After the marquee win over Notre Dame, BYU dropped a double-overtime game at UCF the following week. The Cougars bounced back last week with a seven-point win over Arizona State, but it wasn’t dominant.
Utah, ranked third nationally, is 8-0 and positioned for a bye if the current playoff standings hold. The Utes’ record is unblemished, but their schedule hasn’t been brutal — Cincinnati is the only ranked opponent they’ve faced all year. Their signature win came against Houston, a 21-13 home victory that wasn’t exactly a statement game.
Utah’s next two games are against BYU and Arizona. Win both, and the Utes are likely coasting into the Big 12 Championship and, from there, the playoff.
This game is expected to hinge on quarterback play. BYU’s Bear Bachmeier is a true dual-threat passer and runner. Utah counters with Devon Dampier, also mobile but more effective from the pocket than Bachmeier. The expectation is a tight, patient game — Utah loading the box to stop the run, BYU looking to bait Utah into running more than it wants to. The betting line favors the under at 49.5 points.
