BYU Cougars and Utah Utes are set for a huge rivalry matchup on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
This is a highly anticipated Top-10 matchup, as Utah enters ranked No. 3 and BYU is No. 9 in the first 2026 College Football Playoff rankings that were released earlier this week.
It's the first time in history that both BYU and Utah are ranked in the Top-10 entering the Holy War.
Utah is undefeated with an 8-0 record, which included a 5-0 mark in Big 12 play. On the other side, BYU is 7-1 with a 4-1 record in conference play.
With kick-off slated for Noon ET on ABC, it's time to break down the odds and go over the best bets to make for this Big Ten clash.
BYU vs. Utah betting picks and predictions
Utah -4.5 (-110)
Both teams have a unique scheduling dynamic on their hands in this one, as kick-off is slated for 10 a.m. local time. That presents challenges for both teams, but could make home field advantage even more valuable for Utah.
The Utes are absolutely rolling right now. Utah has won its first eight games handily, with just one game (at Colorado on Oct. 17) being decided by one score.
On the other side, the Cougars pulled off a major upset by taking down Notre Dame on Oct. 17, but have looked shaky ever since.
BYU lost to UCF the following week and defeated Arizona State 27-20 last week in a game in which they managed just 283 yards of total offense.
The Utes steamrolled Cincinnati last week 49-25 and the 1-2 punch of Devon Dampier and Wayshawn Parker in the backfield continues to be a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Parker is averaging a strong 6.7 yards per rush, while Dampier is putting up 4.7 yards per carry and also completing 69.6% of his passes.
Utah's edge in the running game could be the difference in this one, especially when considering the fact that BYU leading rusher LJ Martin hasn't played since suffering a leg injury on Oct. 3 against TCU.
The Cougar rushing attack has struggled in his absence and managed just 47 rushing yards last week against Arizona State.
Playing with plenty of momentum and home field advantage, look for Utah to win this rivalry game and cover the 4.5-point spread.
Over 48.5 (-113)
Both of these teams are capable of lighting up the scoreboard enough to take this one over the listed total of 48.5.
On the season, Utah ranks 2nd in the Big 12 by averaging 38.9 points and 485.4 total yards of offense per game.
The Utes rank in the Top-10 nationally when it comes to EPA/play and success rate and, as previously mentioned, have an extremely effective running game that can pick up chunks of yards at any time.
The BYU running game is hurting without Martin in the mix, but QB Bear Bachmeier is talented enough to lead a successful outing.
Bachmeier is a dual-threat playmaker who has racked up over 2,100 yards of total offense and accounted for 19 total touchdowns with just four interceptions.
The Utah defense has been solid, but they haven't faced a QB with Bachmeier's skill set.
So, with a total of 48.5, look to the over.
Read more college football picks and predictions on site.
BYU vs. Utah odds
BYU | +163 |
Utah | -196 |
Spread | Utah -4.5 |
Total | O/U 48.5 |
BYU vs. Utah player props
Anytime touchdown
Wayshawn Parker (Utah) | -170 |
Sione Moa (BYU) | -125 |
Devon Dampier (Utah) | -125 |
LJ Martin (BYU) | -120 |
Bear Bachmeier (BYU) | -110 |
Braden Pegan (Utah) | +100 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
