The Big 12's Game of the Week: No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah
I never imagined my first sports article in thirteen years would come AFTER a monumental win for BYU over Notre Dame.
It would have been easy to follow that win with a piece imagining what it's like for Notre Dame fans to sit through a bye week, stewing over an outcome they can't change — only to lose to a 2-4 Navy team two weeks later because they're still dissecting a last-second play against BYU that will never change, not even with a plea from the Pope.
But no. There is nothing easy in journalism unless you're a podcast that copies and pastes its scripts from ChatGPT. So I've decided to focus this week on what is an even bigger game for the Big 12 Conference in general: No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah.
Both programs are coming in with their highest ranking since joining the Big 12, and in what is shaping up to be a monumental season for the conference. Right now the Big 12 has three programs in the Top 10 and five teams in the Top 25, though I could personally argue for Oklahoma State as a sixth. Arizona finally cracked the Top 25, with its only loss coming to No. 2 BYU.
Oklahoma State is a story in itself for another time.
Utah's Devon Dampier
While the SEC is having a meltdown, Notre Dame hides in the closet, and Miami with a possible lose to Pitt this Saturday, the Big 12 could have its first consensus No. 1 since those Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2011 — if BYU doesn't have one of its historical collapses after a brain-draining win. UCF will not bend so easily.
If the BYU win over Notre Dame and Texas Tech's run in 2025 says anything, it's saying that maybe the Big 12 is better than the "experts" give it credit for, top to bottom. The age of NIL has literally evened the playing field. The SEC is rapidly losing its "we're good just because we play each other" vibe, and not even Disney's propaganda can help them anymore.
Is there a shift in college football coming? It's already here, and the latest Top 10 is all the evidence necessary.
This Saturday night in Salt Lake City, with College GameDay making its second of three — yes, there will be three in Utah this season — appearances, will go a long way in determining who will still be standing for a shot at the Big 12 Championship. You can't even guarantee BYU a spot right now. Texas Tech is going to have a lot to say about that.
The Big 12 is tighter than Aaron Rodgers' chinstrap.
I'm pretty sure only Utah and BYU fans thought Morgan Scalley would accomplish much this season, yet he has the best defense in the Big 12, and this isn't a first. Everybody talks about how bad the Minnesota Vikings are this season because they don't put up 40 points per game. Guess what? The Vikings are 5-0 and only allow 12.8 points per game. Utah only allows 13.0.
Unlike the Vikings, Utah has one of the most explosive run games in the Big 12 to go along with that run-stuffing defense. They talk down on Utah as "who have they played?" It's safe to say now, "They play in the Big 12."
I'll say it: Morgan Scalley has rejuvenated Utah football.
Utah loved Coach Whit, but honestly, two years ago they should've retired him to the folk music section. Put him on the cover of a Peter, Paul and Mary album and call it "Blowin' In The Wind."
Now Michigan is blowing in the wind, and Utah is 6-0.
Utah has not exactly been bad either, building an overall record of 83-41 (.669 winning percentage) with two Rose Bowl appearances in the last 10 years. Now, I'm the farthest thing from a Utah fan, but I know good programs when I see them. Anything over .500 over a 10-year span in the current landscape of college football is noteworthy, especially when all but three seasons of that were in the Pac-12.
Houston? Be careful, Houston fans, because you might just find HOUSTON FOOTBALL at the top of your search results when you Google HOUSTON BASKETBALL. The glory days of Bill Yeoman in the 70s are upon you again. Houston holds its highest ranking since 2015 when it finished 8th and 1st in the AAC.
The Cougars are No. 12 in the nation in total offense with 481.8 yards per game. Conner Weigman ranks 2nd in the FBS with 20 passing touchdowns. He leads all Power Four quarterbacks nationally with those 20 scores. He is coming in off a career-high 343 yards and five touchdowns against a very stout Oklahoma State defense. He has big-game Austin Powers mojo, having come over from Texas A&M a few years ago. We're talking about a guy who was thrown into a major game as a freshman in the SEC against No. 15 Ole Miss and went off for 338 yards and 4 TDs in 2022, when the SEC was still in the back pocket of the committee.
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THIS WEEKS PICKS:
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Houston's Connor Weigman
I'm focusing on defense for this game, but then, I'm a defensive guy. Just ask any of my five divorce attorneys.
Utah relies heavily on a physical run game behind Wayshawn Parker paired with dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier to average 5.5 yards every time they carry the ball. The Utes are ranked Top 25 in rushing at 220 yards per game. Houston ranks 6th nationally in rush defense at 82.6 yards per game with Khalil Laufau, Myles Parker, and De'Marion Thomas.
Running the ball against Houston for Utah might seem a little like trying to use a sledgehammer against a rubber wall, and this rubber bounces back HARD. Opponents have lost 160 rushing yards against that wall.
Utah will have to throw it to win on Saturday. The Utes are 5th in the Big 12 at 259 passing yards per game and Houston is sitting at No. 130 in pass defense.
Sounds perfect, right? Except Houston played Oregon State — the No. 1 passing offense in the country with two Heisman candidates — and Oklahoma State — the No. 1 passing offense in the Big 12 — and beat them BOTH. That No. 130 might be the most dangerous No. 130 in college football.
Utah doesn't necessarily have a bunch of Jaxon Smith-Njigbas running downfield, and I haven't seen anything in six games from Utah in the passing game that strikes fear in my heart. They want to run. When it's in your DNA, you tend to stick with it — unless you're BYU's Aaron Roderick, who suddenly discovered passing works when you can't run it... after five years.
It is so hard to determine this one because both teams are literally on par in every category with one another. Strength of opponents favors Houston.
I haven't covered a meaningful football game in thirteen years, let alone write about one. I swore I'd never do this again after I was forced to spend two nights in Vegas eating $28.99 footlong Subways, covering Mountain West media days in 2013.
Here's how I get down to the nitty-gritty. If you want to stop the run, Houston and Utah have the most physical defensive fronts in the Big 12. Neither Houston nor Utah has exactly the best rushing attack. That honor goes to "Take Me Home, Country Roads" — my favorite song of all time. Houston comes in 4th in the Big 12 with 220.3 rushing yards per game. Utah is right behind them by a whopping 220.2.
With the hype around this game, in Salt Lake, a possible upcoming Top 5 matchup with BYU, Utah's defense is going to be lights out. Their offense can't do any better than what they have even at home, under the lights, with 70,000 screaming... "enthusiasts."
Houston is always the underdog in football. No respect.
"We've watched this program go through different conferences, coaching changes, and the challenges of building something sustainable," says lifelong Houston fan Jeremy Burrage. "Getting into the Big 12 was a major accomplishment, but simply being invited wasn't the ultimate goal. Competing for championships is. That's what makes this Utah game so important."
There is one notable, overlooked fact in this series: Houston is 5-0 all-time against Utah, and four of those weren't even close. Granted, this is a very different Utah program. Houston only won 17-14 in 2024. Houston will not be afraid of Utah in Salt Lake City. The Cougars don't shy away from the College GameDay spotlight either.
Utah gets to ride the red wave at Rice-Eccles — 20-7 at home over the last five seasons — while Houston gets to ride what they love most: the underdog role. Weigman is a much more proven passer than Dampier, and Houston has Amare Thomas (36 for 487 and 6 TDs). It's only fitting Halloween is this week, because Thomas is an absolute nightmare in the red zone.
But if this turns into a full-blown shootout over Rice-Eccles — which I don't think it will — look, I love the Utes (hardly, but I have to sound impartial for the neighbors), I just don't think they've got enough under the hood to win a dogfight in the clouds with Houston's passing attack.
As much as it pains me to say this, wanting a possible Top 5 or Top 6 BYU-Utah matchup, Houston wins this one 23-14.
Houston defeated Utah 17-14 in 2024
Article by Eric Purdy 10/23/26
