Bringing back one of college football's fiercest rivalries: BYU vs. Utah

When Tom Holmoe arrived in Provo to play football in 1978, he had little understanding of the BYU-Utah rivalry.

At that time, he wasn't yet a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and having grown up in Southern California, his perspective was shaped by the USC-UCLA rivalry, where his brother played for the Bruins. So, when the Cougars' bus pulled into Rice Stadium in Salt Lake City for his freshman year, Holmoe was curious to see how the atmosphere would compare. Although he was redshirting and BYU had already clinched the WAC title, the intensity he felt on the sidelines was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"It was a cold day, but it was hot on the field," Holmoe recalled, who has served as BYU's athletic director since 2005.

That game ended BYU's six-game winning streak in the rivalry, and while the Cougars would go on to play in the inaugural Holiday Bowl (a significant achievement at the time), the loss to Utah was a bitter one. Holmoe remembered a local newspaper cartoon that downplayed the bowl bid because of the rivalry loss.

"It was not a great feeling, and that was my first experience," Holmoe said.

Holmoe later won all four games he played in against Utah, including three with current Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham as a standout on defense. Over the years, Holmoe has become convinced that the "Holy War" is one of the most intense rivalries in college football.

"I love college football," Holmoe said. "And I think one of the greatest things about college football is the rivalries. I don’t know where BYU-Utah ranks, I just know it’s one of the great rivalries of all time."

The rivalry began in 1896, with the two schools playing as conference rivals through various league changes. They moved together from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1938) to the Skyline Conference (1962), the WAC (1962), and finally to the Mountain West (1999). However, Utah’s move to the Pac-12 before the 2011 season broke up their conference rivalry, and BYU's subsequent independence further complicated the matchup.

In the past 13 years, despite the lack of conference stakes, the rivalry remained heated. Utah's departure to a Power 5 conference added a layer of tension, with some Utah fans downplaying the importance of the game while BYU fans took offense. Val Hale, former BYU athletic director and lifelong fan, recalled the friction: “Utah was trying to say, ‘Oh, this game isn’t that important to us anymore.’ So, I think there was a little bit of offense taken on the part of BYU fans.”

When BYU moved to the Big 12, the rivalry faced new challenges, especially with fewer opportunities for nonconference games. But in an unexpected twist, Utah joining the Big 12 after the collapse of the Pac-12 has reunited the two schools as conference rivals. This Saturday, Utah hosts No. 9 BYU in a game that could be the most consequential in years, with a conference title and College Football Playoff berth on the line.

One unique aspect of this game: both teams will wear their home uniforms—Utah in red and BYU in blue—a tradition Holmoe introduced in 2011. Inspired by the UCLA-USC rivalry, where both teams used to wear their home uniforms, Holmoe proposed the idea to Utah's athletic director, Chris Hill. The tradition has since become a fun and visually striking part of the rivalry.

For players like BYU captain Tyler Batty, the rivalry is a deeply ingrained part of their identity. "My earliest memory was probably in elementary school," Batty shared. "Just me and a bunch of friends getting together at someone's house and watching the game. It’s pretty legendary."

Over the years, the rivalry has been punctuated by unforgettable moments—such as the 1999 incident where a BYU fan jumped from the stands and tried to tackle a Utah cheerleader, only to be pummeled in return. There was also the infamous 2012 game where Utah fans rushed the field three times during a tense 24-21 upset win over BYU.

The rivalry took a significant turn in 1972 when Lavell Edwards became BYU’s head coach, transforming the series in BYU’s favor for the next 29 years. However, with Utah’s rise under coach Urban Meyer in the early 2000s, the Utes gained the upper hand, including a dramatic 3-0 win in a blizzard in 2004 that shut out BYU’s 361-game scoring streak.

The rivalry continued to be fiercely contested, with BYU's "Beck to Harline" game in 2006—a last-minute touchdown pass that became known as the "Answered Prayer"—offering some measure of revenge. Yet, following Utah's move to the Pac-12 in 2011, BYU struggled to match Utah’s success.

With Utah's recent move to the Big 12, the rivalry is set to become a consistent and crucial annual event again, with both teams vying for conference supremacy and national recognition.

"This game is the single biggest sporting event in the state of Utah every year," said Whittingham, recognizing the renewed intensity now that both teams are in the same conference.