The 103rd installment of the Utah-BYU rivalry carries the anticipation you would expect from a collision of ranked teams that happen to despise each other. The stakes start with positioning in the conference race and the playoff chase but include the legacy of one participant in particular.
Kyle Whittingham first grabbed a whistle four decades ago this fall, when he accepted a graduate coaching position with BYU, his alma mater. All but six of the subsequent 40 years have been spent coaching in Utah. All but nine have been spent coaching at Utah.
Since taking command of the Utes in December 2004, he has 172 wins, 11 bowl victories and three conference titles. He has 17 winning seasons and has beaten BYU 11 times (and lost just five). Eventually, Whittingham will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The outcome of a single game shouldn’t materially impact his legacy.
And yet, well …. here we are.
The Holy War always matters exponentially more than standard Saturday affairs. But this Holy War matters more to Whittingham’s legacy than perhaps any of the previous 30-something in his career (as a player and coach).
Because it might be the last.
Because of what it could unlock.
And because of what it could close off.
Utah’s formal designation of defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley as coach-in-waiting in the summer of 2024 was a clear indication that Whittingham planned to coach one last season and ride his motorcycle into retirement.
Then his quarterback lost a fight with a water cooler, the season imploded, the Utes blew a late lead against BYU and Whittingham realized he could not depart on the lowest of notes.
“I’m back,” he announced on Dec. 8.
He didn’t come back to lose to the Cougars for the second consecutive year and spend his holidays in the Sun Bowl or the LA Bowl or the Crappy Season Bowl.
He came back to take a run at the conference title, win the Holy War and produce a season worthy of his career standard.
And those things are deeply interconnected: The showdown Saturday marks the tipping point for the 23rd-ranked Utes.
Win, and there’s an open road to 10 wins and the Big 12 championship game.
Lose, and Whittingham’s mission this season — this final season? — becomes vastly more difficult to accomplish.
One look at Utah’s remaining schedule offers all the explanation necessary.
After they drive home from Provo on Saturday evening, the Utes (5-1) host struggling Colorado and surprising Cincinnati. They visit Baylor, host Kansas State and conclude the regular season at Kansas.
Only one of those teams is ranked (No. 24 Cincinnati).
None of them is as talented as Texas Tech, which thumped Utah in September.
None of the locations and environments will be as challenging as what the Utes will face in Provo.
If they are victorious Saturday, an 11-win season comes into focus. Along with a spot in the Big 12 championship. And a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Everything Whittingham wanted when he made the decision to return for 2025 is within reasonable reach.
What if the Utes lose to BYU?
We’d argue that if they aren’t good enough to beat the Cougars, the Utes might not be good enough to handle Cincinnati and win at Baylor and Kansas.
If they aren’t good enough to beat the Cougars, the Utes might not be good enough to win eight games, much less nine or 10.
Lose to BYU, and the path to the Big 12 championship narrows to the point of being impassable.
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If this becomes Whittingham’s final season, he would depart with a three-game losing streak to BYU and a regular season that did not meet expectations — his expectations.
To be clear, the Utes should win.
They are favored by 3.5 points and are the more complete team.
BYU’s defense is stout, but the 15th-ranked Cougars (6-0) have feasted on second-rate opponents. They needed overtime to beat Arizona, which is the best team BYU has faced but not in Utah’s class.
The recipe isn’t simple, but it’s obvious: Limit turnovers and drive-killing penalties, avoid third-and-long, mix in a few big plays in the passing game, don’t get beat by BYU’s special teams and force the Cougars’ freshman quarterback, Bear Bachmeier, to win the game from a collapsing pocket.
Utah was minutes away from winning the 2024 Holy War but couldn’t close it out. These Utes are an order-of-magnitude better than those Utes.
It should be close, but not down-to-the-wire close.
If the Utes manage their business, they will take a long stride toward reaching the Big 12 championship and sending Whittingham into retirement with a season that meets his standards.
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