Utah kicks off the Morgan Scalley era against an FCS opponent that just finished 4-8 — this one's about the Utes shaking off rust, not about the final score.
Bush’s Picks
IDHOUTAH
IDHOUTAH
OverUnder
Best BetUtah
Utah's the clear side here — a Big 12 team a year removed from 11 wins against an FCS opponent that lost 8 games last season. This is about as safe a moneyline lean as the sport offers; the only question is how early Utah's backups get run onto the field.
Idaho
+Joshua Wood returns as starting QB
+Cruz Hepburn anchors defense, program buzz building
+Portal additions targeted pass-rush weakness
−Finished 4-8, 2-6 in Big Sky last year
−New OC installing scheme from scratch
−Massive roster/talent gap vs a Big 12 program
Utah
+Coming off 11-2 season, finished 14th in AP poll
+Devon Dampier healthy after injury-plagued 2025
+Big talent and depth edge over FCS opponent
−Replacing 5 starters on the offensive line
−New OC Kevin McGiven installing new offense
−First real test of Morgan Scalley's full-time staff
This is as close to a controlled scrimmage as a real game gets. Utah is coming off an 11-2 season that ended with a Las Vegas Bowl blowout of Nebraska, has a Big 12 title chase circled on the calendar, and opens against a Big Sky team that won 2 conference games a year ago. The gap in roster talent between a Power 4 program and an FCS opponent is always the story in games like this, and there's nothing in either team's profile that suggests Idaho closes it.
The bigger intrigue for Utah is internal. Devon Dampier is back and says he's the healthiest he's been in his career after playing through a sports hernia and ankle injury last season — a real deal, since he threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 835 yards and 10 more scores on the ground even banged up. He's also breaking in a new play-caller in Kevin McGiven, who arrives from Utah State, and an offensive line replacing 5 starters. A Thursday night opener against overmatched competition is about as low-risk a proving ground as that group could ask for.
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IDHO Idaho
UTAH Utah
Idaho's counter is Joshua Wood, the junior quarterback who returns to lead an offense now running new coordinator Ian Schoemaker's scheme, with linebacker Cruz Hepburn anchoring the defense. The program has genuine buzz building — three ESPN broadcasts this season, including this one on ESPNU — but buzz and a 4-8 finish with a bottom-tier Big Sky defense don't translate into hanging with a team that finished 14th in the final AP poll.
Idaho Vandals
Utah Utes
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Watch for how quickly Utah's new-look offensive line settles in. Five new starters up front against a defense that gave up plenty last season should still open room for Wayshawn Parker and company to establish the run, which is exactly the low-stakes rep this staff wants before Big 12 play starts biting.
For Idaho, the value of Thursday isn't the scoreboard — it's game reps for a defensive front that added portal pieces this offseason specifically to fix a pass-rush problem. If Wood and that offense can stay competitive into the second quarter before the roster gap takes over, that's a real building block heading into Big Sky play.
