There are five college football rivalries that are spoken about above all others.

“The Game” between Ohio State and Michigan. “America’s Game” between Army and Navy. “The Red River Shootout” between Texas and Oklahoma. “The Iron Bowl” between Alabama and Auburn. Finally, and most importantly, “The Holy War” between BYU and Utah.

There are years when Ohio State and Michigan are battling for a national title position. Some years, the Red River Shootout or the Iron Bowl have provided instant classic games. However, in 2026, there is no rivalry with more riding on it than this year’s Holy War.

A week ago, the BYU Cougars was the No. 2 team in the country and Utah Utes was looking to gain ground from the No. 11 spot to a top 10 ranking prior to the Holy War. This past Saturday was full of upsets. In the Big 12 alone, BYU and Texas Tech lost games; almost no one expected them to. In week 9, Utah leapfrogged BYU and is the highest ranked Big 12 team at No. 6 overall. While BYU’s loss to Central Florida dropped them to No. 8.

The Holy War that could have a 2026 sequel

The Holy War is without question the biggest rivalry in Utah and, depending on the year, is the best rivalry in the sport. There have been several Holy Wars that have included both BYU and Utah as highly ranked teams. 2008 saw No. 8 Utah vs No. 16 BYU. In 2009, it was No. 18 BYU vs No. 22 Utah. Last year, there was No. 15 BYU vs No. 23 Utah.

Never in the history of the rivalry has it produced a top 10 BYU team vs a top 10 Utah team. Utah was the only top Big 12 team to not take a loss last week, beating No. 14 Houston 21-13. However, their next opponent, Cincinnati, just defeated No. 8 Texas Tech. BYU is coming off an unexpected loss to UCF, with a scrappy Arizona State left to play before the Holy War.

If both teams can win this week, it will set up the first top 10 matchup in a Holy War rivalry game ever. If that was all that was on the line, that would be enough to consider the 2026 Holy War, the greatest Holy War matchup ever. However, that is not all that is riding on this game.

Beyond the bragging rights of winning the rivalry game, there are two massively important goals that could be impacted by the result of that game. The Big 12 championship and college football playoff seeding.

We will begin to get answers to those questions on November 7, when No. 6 Utah welcomes No. 8 BYU for what will hopefully be the first of two Holy War games this season. Kickoff from Salt Lake City will be at Noon on ABC or ESPN.