Introducing The Big 12 To The BYU-Utah Football Rivalry: Brief Rundown Of The Series

Nov 3, 2024, 9:00 AM

SALT LAKE CITY - NOVEMBER 22: David Reed #16 of the Utah Utes scores a touchdown against Brendan Bradley #5 of the BYU Cougars at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 22, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

BY STEVE BARTLE

Utah Insider

SALT LAKE CITY— The BYU-Utah football rivalry, also known as the “Holy War,” is among college football’s most intense and storied rivalries. This matchup spans over a century and captures the passion and pride of two institutions deeply rooted in Utah.

The proximity of the two schools in the state—just 45 miles apart—combined with cultural and religious factors has intensified the competition.

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As Brigham Young University and the University of Utah prepare to compete as conference foes in the new Big 12, this rivalry takes on new significance. It offers fresh stakes while honoring its rich history, and Big 12 fans deserve a good introduction.

This is the first in an intro series that will highlight the important dynamics of the BYU-Utah rivalry. We’ll highlight key figures and memorable moments within the rivalry’s history. In this one, we’ll provide a brief rundown of the series.

Utah’s Early Dominance In The Rivalry

Given that this game is yet again a conference game, it’s worth noting that these two teams competed in the same conference for most of their history, which spanned from 1922 to 2010.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1922–1937)
Mountain States Conference (1938–1961)
Western Athletic Conference (1962–1998)
Mountain West Conference (1999–2010)

The rivalry began with the Utes dominating for nearly half a century. Utah won or tied in 20 straight games, a streak that spanned two decades from 1922 to 1942 before the first BYU win in the series.

The rivalry then took a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 because BYU did not field a team due to World War II. When the series resumed in 1946, the Utes again took control of it. They went on to a record of 21-5 between 1946 and 1971.

During this period, Utah and BYU changed conference affiliations three different times: they started in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, then the Mountain States Conference, and finally the Western Athletic Conference.

At this point of the rivalry, including the six contests Utah includes against the Brigham Young Academy, the Utes held a 41-8-4 series advantage.

LaVell Edwards, BYU Flipped The Rivalry Upside-Down

When Lavell Edwards took over the BYU program, he seemingly turned the rivalry on its head. His hiring ushered in a new era of football for the Cougars and a run of dominance in the series.

Edwards’ tenure began with six straight wins in the rivalry before Utah was to get back in the win column. Then, BYU ripped off nine more consecutive victories before the next Utah win in 1988. He then led BYU to four straight wins between 1988-1992.

Overall, Edwards coached the Cougars to a 19-2 record in the rivalry between 1972 and 1992. Utah cycled through four more head coaches (six) than the number of wins they earned during this period. Utah head coaches went as follows: Bill Meek (’72-73) went 0–2 against Edwards, Tom Lovat (’74–76) was 0–3, Wayne Howard (’77–81) was 1–4, Chuck Stobart (’82–84) was 0–3, and Jim Fassel (’85–89) was 1–4.

Then, Utah hired Ron McBride in 1990, bringing a little more balance to the rivalry. After starting out 0-3 in the series against Edwards, McBride led Utah to its first winning streak in over twenty years in the rivalry. McBride finished with a 5-6 record against Edwards and 6-7 overall in the rivalry, with his final win coming in 2002.

The two programs had some incredible moments in what would become their final years together in the Mountain West Conference. Between 2003 and 2010, Utah won six, and BYU won three. More on these specific contests are coming soon.

After nearly 90 years of rivalry history as conference foes, Utah owned a 51-31-4 record (54-34-4 overall).

Utah Reasserted Their Dominance Over The Last Ten Contests

Because these two programs spent 88 years together, Utah’s move to the Pac-12 Conference in 2011 was met with much criticism and disdain. That same invitation to the Power Conference level was not extended to BYU; accordingly, they elected to take the path of independence.

Despite losing conference affiliation, the two universities agreed to maintain an annually scheduled game. That was until Utah took a break in 2014 and 2015 to play a home-and-home series with Michigan—the first interruption in the series since 1945.

Interestingly, the rivalry game has been played in three locations—Salt Lake City, Provo, and Las Vegas. That’s because in 2015, when the annual scheduled rivalry game was shelved for a Michigan series, the two teams met in Las Vegas, NV, in the Las Vegas Bowl.

With Kyle Whittingham at the helm, Utah earned eight straight victories as a Pac-12 member in the rivalry and nine consecutive overall. Then, in 2021, BYU ended Utah’s nine-game winning streak with a 26-17 victory.

That win also marked the last game played between the two programs before they each joined the Big 12 Conference.

Utah and BYU enter Saturday’s rivalry game with the Utes holding a 62-35-4 advantage in the series. According to BYU, the Utes hold a 59-32-4 lead over the Cougars all-time because Utah counts six games against the Brigham Young Academy, while BYU does not.