Utah and Utah State renew the state's oldest rivalry with the Utes riding an 11-win season into Big 12 play and the Aggies just getting their feet wet in the Pac-12.
Bush’s Picks
USUUTAH
USUUTAH
OverUnder
Best BetUtah
Utah is the far more proven roster walking into this one — an 11-win Big 12 season, a healthy Dampier, and a coaching transition that didn't skip a beat under Morgan Scalley. Utah State went 6-7 in 2025 and is turning to a first-year starter in a brand-new conference. The talent gap here is real, and it should show up on the scoreboard.
Utah State
+New OC Robert Anae ran a top-3 national offense at Virginia
+Extra motivation with a rivalry game and a lost receiver
+Two more wins than 2024 under Mendenhall already
−Finished 6-7 in 2025, still no winning season since 2021
−First-year starter Hillstead has limited experience
−Brand-new conference, unproven vs Big 12-caliber talent
Utah
+11-2 in 2025, Dampier won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
+Dampier now fully healthy after playing hurt
+Several key injured starters are back for fall camp
−Replacing five starters on the offensive line
−First season for new head coach Morgan Scalley
−Early-season timing means chemistry still forming
The headline storyline here is health. Devon Dampier played through more than half of 2025 with a sports hernia and still won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, so a fully healthy Dampier entering his second year in Salt Lake City is a scary proposition for the rest of the conference. Utah State counters with McCae Hillstead, back in Logan for a second stint after two years at BYU, now handed the keys after Bryson Barnes moved on. Saturday's meeting kicks off at 2:30 PM ET in Salt Lake City, an early-season measuring stick for both programs.
Utah gets a wave of key pieces back off injury heading into fall camp, including safety Rabbit Evans, Nate Ritchie and defensive end Paul Fitzgerald, along with tight end Hunter Andrews, who matters plenty to Dampier's passing game. Utah State, meanwhile, is breaking in new offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who ran one of the country's most productive offenses at Virginia, and doing it without leading receiver Braden Pagen — who left for Utah this offseason, adding a little extra sting to a rivalry game.
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2:30 PM CT
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USU Utah State
UTAH Utah
This is the Battle of the Brothers, and Utah has dominated it, leading the all-time series 80-29-4. The programs only recently agreed to keep the series alive with a run of games through 2031, and this one lands in Salt Lake City as part of that deal. Utah State hasn't beaten Utah since 2015, and everything about the current trajectories — Utah in the Big 12, Utah State just landing in the Pac-12 — makes this feel less like a rivalry renewal and more like a gap check.
