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The No. 3 Utah Utes (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) take on the No. 9 BYU Cougars (7-1, 4-1) in a top-10 Big 12 battle on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. ET on ABC.
The Holy War is one of the best rivalries in college football, and this year, it takes on a whole new meaning. The 2026 edition features a top-10 matchup with major College Football Playoff and Big 12 Championship implications.
Utah has run the table thus far and enters this game at 8-0. BYU, meanwhile, enters at 7-1 with a win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame before losing to UCF in a tough situational spot.
Interestingly enough, this game also features two of the top dual-threat signal callers in the country in Utah's Devon Dampier and BYU's Bear Bachmeier.
Playing in a hostile environment like Rice-Eccles Stadium, Utah enters as a -4 favorite with the over/under sitting at 48.5 total points. So, who holds the advantage in this top-10 conference clash?
We polled 12 of our college football experts to get their takes on the spread and total, so let's dive into our Utah vs. BYU picks and college football predictions for Saturday, November 7.
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Utah vs. BYU Spread Pick
Our Staff's Pick: BYU +4
By Joshua Nunn
The Holy War game is an incredible matchup this year with direct College Football Playoff implications. The Cougars have won the last three in the series, one that's notorious for tight, highly contested games that come down to the wire.
Our staff believes BYU will keep this game close again, with 75% of our writers looking the Cougars' way.
BYU really needs running back LJ Martin to come back from injury, and there's a chance that he returns this week. You can make the argument that BYU has been rather unimpressive the last five games outside of the home victory over Notre Dame.
The Cougars haven't gotten the turnover luck they did last season, and the offense hasn't run the ball with consistency the last two weeks.
Still, they've been good on third down and could find some success on the ground against Utah, much like Cincinnati and Colorado in recent weeks.
Utah will have to run the football here, but BYU has shut down opposing ground games (outside of the UCF game, where it was in a terrible situational spot).
The Cougs rank 35th nationally in creating Havoc on defense. If BYU can stop the run and put a little pressure on Devon Dampier, the Utes could end up in unfavorable third-down situations.
Utah was unimpressive against Kansas, Colorado and Houston, and found the win column anyway. While the Utes are undefeated, this will be a major test. This game going down to the wire is not out of the question at all.
Utah vs. BYU Over/Under Pick
Over 48.5 | 6Â Picks |
Pass | 3Â Picks |
Under 48.5 | 3Â Picks |
Our Staff's Pick: Over 48.5
By Joshua Nunn
This total has ticked up slightly, as many people are expecting explosive plays and plenty of scoring opportunities. Our staff is fairly split here, with half of our writers leaning to the over and many undecided.
BYU will run the ball plenty, and the Cougars do rank 28th nationally in Rushing Success Rate.
Cincinnati ran the ball against Utah in the second half of a blowout, but the Utes have been stout against the run this season.
BYU will have to throw the football in order to register explosive plays, and BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier has improved as a passer this season. He's completing 63% of his passes with a 12:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Utah has played uninspired at times on defense four weeks in a row, and while I don't think that will be the case here, the defense will give up explosive play. Both teams will move the football.
Utah will also be able to throw the ball a little bit here, but the Cougs have been excellent in preventing explosives through the air.
The game script is key here. If Utah gets BYU playing on its heels early without having time to settle in, I think the Utes can find some early success and score a decent amount of points in the first half.
The matchup is good-on-good, bad-on-bad, as Utah does give up a decent amount of big plays in the secondary, and BYU has struggled to find the pass explosives this season, ranking just 115th nationally.
Bachmeier has to be able to throw the ball here, and when BYU gets into the red zone, it needs to cash in for touchdowns.
The Cougars have scored touchdowns on 77% of red-zone trips, and the production has been good in every game except the Iowa State game in early October.
Utah has an excellent red-zone defense that has allowed just nine touchdowns all season inside its own 20-yard line. Good on good.
I agree with our staff’s sentiment that this total is a coin-flip. I would personally wait for the feeling-out process to run its course. This is such a spirited rivalry, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some tight play in the first quarter.
Utah vs. BYU Odds
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | -190 |
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | +155 |
