Utah coach Morgan Scalley made it clear he’ll be watching when No. 2 Notre Dame travels to No. 8 BYU this weekend.
In a visit with Sirius XM’s College Sports Radio, Scalley shared his thoughts on the upcoming Big 12 test for BYU and why he’s rooting for the conference to succeed. Utah officially joined the Big 12 in 2024; That same year, the league fined Utah athletic director Mark Harlan for his comments following a 22-21 loss to BYU, then the No. 9 team in the country, in Salt Lake City.
Scalley, the head coach in waiting behind Kyle Whittingham, now at Michigan, had a different tune on the Big 12 this week:
"The better the Big 12 is, the better it is for us." @Utah_Football HC Morgan Scalley explains to @NicoleAuerbach & @EJManuel3 why he’s locked into everything in the @Big12Conference including rival BYU’s big showdown with Notre Dame. #GoUtes | @RSNBUtes https://t.co/7yjOUVaPsN
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) October 15, 2026
THE STAKES FOR BYU THIS WEEKEND
BYU and Utah are two of the leading forces in Big 12 football right now, but this weekend’s home bout with Notre Dame – aside from being a nationwide ratings draw – is a major evaluation for the Big 12 going up against the No. 2 team in the land.
Marcus Freeman has the Fighting Irish (6-0) undefeated entering this road test 4,549 feet in Provo, Utah, on Saturday night. A loss at BYU could certainly hurt Notre Dame’s postseason resume moreso than BYU’s considering the Irish haven’t chalked up ranked win yet this season (the Cougars haven’t either), and you still have two big home dates vs. Miami (FL) and SMU, both ranked.
If you’re BYU, you certainly want this win but the Big 12 road ahead includes multiple opportunities to rewin favor against a No. 11 Utah team and ultimately the conference title should they keep a clean sheet the rest of the way. The oddsmakers already like Notre Dame by 10.5 points.
A BYU WIN WOULD STRENGTHEN THE HOLY WAR
Should BYU knock off the Irish on Saturday, the Holy War with Utah becomes a bigger marquee event than it already is.
Utah, coming off a 44-21 home win over Kansas, travels to Colorado this week before a heavy Big 12 slate with No. 20 Houston at home, Cincinnati on the road and the BYU matchup in Salt Lake on Nov. 7. Should BYU and Utah be one-loss teams when the in-state rivalry game rolls around, the implications could be even greater for the Big 12.
