SALT LAKE CITY — Happy rivalry game week.
The University of Utah and BYU will play a football game for the 103rd time Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo; and, well, people have some takes.
Frankly, same.
We’ll start this Utes mailbag right there.
Q: “What do you make of the Holy war and the lofty expectations of it on both sides? It almost feels like the game gets so overwhelming/overthought/overanalyzed that it can’t properly be played like two simple football teams.” – @UteChap
We’ll be here until next month if I give all my thoughts on this game, so let me try and streamline some of this stuff.
It’s a longstanding rivalry game that, personally, I find to be criminally underrated compared to a lot of other rivalry games.
It matters, and I completely disagree with fans on both sides wanting you to believe it does not.
Sure, the game lost something when both schools left the Mountain West, but it has gotten a shot in the arm with the schools again sharing space in the Big 12. You can’t tell me this game doesn’t matter with both programs jockeying for a spot in the Big 12 championship game. Saturday night in Provo absolutely matters.
There is trash talking. Some of it is very dumb, and I’m talking about both sides. As I sit here late Tuesday night, I think we’re about at the point where the social media discourse coming from both sides has reached peak stupid. Let’s just play this thing.
It is not a secret that Kyle Whittingham and Kalani Sitake are close friends. That means there is less public vitriol coming from the two programs. That’s a good thing. How fans choose to quantify that is their business.
On topic, Whittingham balking Monday at a question about Bear Bachmeier? Respectfully, BYU fans, find something else to get mad about, because that’s not worth the energy it’s received.
On a personal note, I only got to cover one rivalry game, the infamous 2021 game in which it started to become clear that maybe Charlie Brewer shouldn’t be starting for Utah.
I wish I got to cover more of them. I hope I somehow get to cover more of them down the road, because it matters.
Q: “If you got to design a signature hot dog for SLC, what would you put on it? Also, how would you rank the current city-signature hot dogs?” – @ngde09
I thought I had this question nailed.
My immediate instinct for a Salt Lake City hot dog was funeral potatoes and fry sauce. It’s not getting more SLC than that, right?
It has come to my attention that when the Utah baseball team played in the NCAA Tournament Oxford Regional in 2016, Ole Miss had the “Ute Dog” as a concession stand option, complete with funeral potatoes and fry sauce.
Well played, Ole Miss.
After giving this some more thought, my signature hot dog for Salt Lake City would include hot honey (Beehive State? Get it?) and jalapenos (there is obviously a ton of Mexican influence in Utah’s culinary offerings).
I don’t really do jalapenos, but that combination actually sounds awesome.
I can’t believe I just gave that away for free.
Ranking the city-signature hot dogs (that I’ve had)
- 1 – New York: Classic, no frills. I will take it with onion sauce (Google it)
- 2 – Chicago: I used to think this thing was too much, too crowded, but I was wrong.
- 3 – Seattle: Cream cheese and sautéed onions. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
- 4 – Sonoran Dog: Not a city, but synonymous with Arizona and the Southwest.
- 5 – D.C. half-smoke: It’s technically a sausage, but whatever.
- 6 – Ripper (North Jersey): Essentially, a deep-fried hot dog. If you’re ever that way, go to Rutt’s Hut.
Q: “Where does the Holy War rank among college football rivalries?” – @MrSmokinUte
I was really going to dive in here, but then I realized that would be too heavy a lift.
Earlier this year, The Athletic ranked college football’s 100 best rivalries. Utah-BYU checked in at No. 28. Immediately, I thought that was low, so here’s what we’re going to do.
Let’s look at the list and decide the first spot in which we can argue to place Utah-BYU. I would be curious to hear your thoughts if you choose to do this exercise.
Ohio State-Penn State is a fairly new phenomenon, only about 40 years. No. 8 feels too high.
USC-UCLA at No. 14? Michigan-Notre Dame at No. 18?
Talk to me, people.
Q: “Will Dampier and Merriweather ever get on the same page?” – @BusinessofRuss
Utah has now played half its regular-season schedule. What reason have I been given to believe that Devon Dampier and Tobias Merriweather are going to become a thing?
In six games, the redshirt junior wide receiver has all of seven catches on 16 targets, which means he is averaging 2.67 targets per game. What that number indicates is, Dampier is not looking for Merriweather.
The possibility always exists that there is an anomaly somewhere down the stretch and Merriweather busts loose for a big game, but six games is a large sample size.
Big picture, Merriweather is not a significant piece of the equation, and frankly, I would classify Utah’s transfer-heavy wide receiver room as a collective disappointment at this juncture.
Outside of Ryan Davis’ team-leading 39 receptions, no wide receiver has more than Merriweather’s seven.
Utah quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) calls to a player before the snap during an NCAA football game against Arizona State held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo: Isaac Hale, Deseret News)Q: “After the Devon Dampier era, who is next on deck? Isaac Wilson or Byrd Ficklin?” – @samwinderart
First, let’s make an assumption.
We assume Dampier returns to Utah in 2026, right? Whatever bag(s) offered this offseason gets turned down in favor of playing his senior season for the Utes, regardless of who the head coach is, right?
Fine, that’s out of the way.
Next thing: Either Ficklin or Wilson is going to transfer this winter.
I’m not breaking any news there. That is simply the nature of the sport, not to mention that particular position, where only one player can be on the field at a time.
Remember, assuming Dampier returns in 2026, that means another season in which neither Ficklin nor Wilson is the starter. These guys want to play, they don’t want to sit.
If you want me to choose between Ficklin and Wilson, I’m choosing Ficklin, and some of that is definitely because he is earlier in his eligibility clock, and therefore has more time to grow and mature in offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s system.
While we’re here, one more question: Is Dampier the unquestioned starter in 2026?
Hear me out.
Ficklin has never faced a first-team defense in a game, but you have a large-enough sample of what he’s capable of. If you believe Ficklin is your future starter, do you make Dampier re-earn his job this spring?
I may be floating a full-blown QB competition here. That is not my intention, but if you think Ficklin might eventually be the guy, it’s a good idea to act on that instinct come springtime.
Q: “Utah doesn’t have to leave the state of Utah for six straight weeks in the middle of this season. Unprecedented in my memory. Is this an advantage down the stretch?” @Jusorenson
Great call, I didn’t realize this at all.
Utah played at West Virginia on Sept. 27, then had an open week. The Utes played Arizona State off the open week, will play at BYU Saturday, then host Colorado and Cincinnati before its second and final open week.
They do not hit the road again until Nov. 15 at Baylor, meaning they are in the state of Utah for 48 days (assuming Nov. 14 travel to Waco), which is almost seven weeks.
Yes, I would call that an advantage.
Your only road game during that stretch does not require a plane, which is a plus. You’re in your facility, your weight room, your practice fields, your dorm, your off-campus, your bed, your everything for almost two months.
I am not a sports scientist, but all of that feels like a net positive to me in terms of limiting wear and tear on your body. If you’re limiting wear and tear, maybe you’re fresher down the stretch?
Of course, the trade here is you’re on the road a bunch at the end.
Aside from Baylor on Nov. 15, Utah closes its regular season on Nov. 28 at Kansas. Circle that trip to Lawrence, because that could be a wonky deal.
Black Friday on the road, which means they’re traveling on Thanksgiving, and an 11 a.m. local kickoff. That’s quite the set of circumstances, especially if the Utes need that one to qualify for the Big 12 championship game.
Q: “Why are we playing the Holy War in October? Why doesn’t Utah have enough sway that that game is the last game of the season? Or, why not have the Colorado game as the last game? KU to end the season on a Friday is lame.” – @Ute_in_Texas
I don’t remember if I actually wrote this at some point, but I’m sure we all talked about it on Twitter.
When Utah accepted its Big 12 invitation in Aug. 2023, the rivalry game immediately became the conference’s best college football rivalry. If you want to argue it’s actually Baylor-TCU, I would listen, but you would ultimately be wrong.
With the Utes beginning Big 12 membership last season, the conference should have showcased this game. Specifically, I was adamant the Big 12 should have made that the conference opener for both teams.
Instead, the league crammed it in the middle of the schedule on Nov. 9. That struck me as the Big 12 making it just another game, which it isn’t.
The Big 12 has not taken advantage of having Utah and BYU at its disposal.
As for Utah-Colorado, I’ll say this for the millionth time: That is not a rivalry game. “Rumble in the Rockies” is manufactured, non-organic nonsense.
Yes, Utah-Kansas on Black Friday morning feels lame. You’ll get no argument from me there.
Q: “Favorite part of the trip back to Salt Lake City? Least favorite part of the trip back to Salt Lake City? What’s changed that you like, and what’s changed that you haven’t?” – @GlassHalfUte
Good to be back over the weekend. That was not my first time back in town since I left, but it was the first time back with a ton of leisure time in between responsibilities, which was nice.
Favorite part: I was really able to make the rounds and see a lot of people I wanted to see, both on campus and off. I left Salt Lake City with a lot of good relationships, and I’m happy most of them have stayed intact.
Least favorite part: We used to live in Sugar House. I rolled through the neighborhood Friday afternoon, and sadly, it was devoid of much character. It was already headed that way when we left, but between the amount of small businesses shuttered (a byproduct of all the construction), and the amount of building that’s gone on, it’s definitely not the place we came to in 2019.
What’s changed that I don’t like: See above
What’s changed that I like: Fiddler’s (formerly Fiddler’s Elbow) reopened; heck yes. Fiddler’s Elbow was my favorite spot, and I was crushed when I learned it had changed over. I was equally pumped to learn last week that it had reopened as Fiddler’s. I went there twice. Judge me.