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What’s at Stake for BYU in the Holy War Game Against No. 3 Utah
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- What’s at Stake for BYU in the Holy War Game Against No. 3 Utah
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The BYU Cougars were sitting in an advantageous position following the win over Notre Dame. A week later, BYU dropped an almost trap game to Central Florida, 39-31. Currently, UCF sits in 10th in the Big 12 after losing to Baylor 41-9. Adding insult to injury for the Cougars.
The Cougars remaining schedule is not impossible. There are winnable games the rest of the way, but they cannot afford to misstep. Cincinnati, Kansas and Baylor are all teams outside the top four. Baylor is the only team within any range of concern. That's also a program that recently fired their head coach.
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Outside those three games, the only significant concern for BYU is Utah. A concept that has been true many times throughout the Holy War rivalry. Utah sits atop the Big 12 as the lone remaining unbeaten team. The Utes have also beaten most of their opponents by wide margins. Outside a confusing Colorado game, the only game any team has played Utah close to was the only ranked team they have faced to this point.
The Holy War game was always going to be one of BYU's most important this season. However, that dynamic looks very different today than it did two or three weeks ago. The expectation going in was that both BYU and Utah were on a collision course for the best team in the conference. After BYU's eight-point loss to Central Florida, the need to win that game is even stronger.
There are more than bragging rights on the line
On paper, this Holy War game is already in the conversation for the biggest in history before it's even been played. This game will mark the first time both BYU and Utah are ranked in the top 10 in the country. When BYU was undefeated, the narrative was that the winner of this game had the inside track to win the Big 12 conference.
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Winning the conference has even more incentive in the playoff era than it did in previous eras. The conference winner earns a first-round bye in the playoff. Like any tournament, the first round bye should also include a favorable draw. There is no reality where BYU should settle for an at-large bid at this juncture in the season.
This game presents two very distinct eventualities. If BYU wins, there is no undefeated team in the Big 12. Creating a three-way tie heading into week 10 between BYU, Utah and Texas Tech. BYU's win over Utah would be viewed as more impressive than Utah's win over Houston. Then this becomes a race to the finish line.
What happens in the Big 12 title picture?
Only two teams can make the title game with three teams in the hunt. As long as BYU and Utah can outperform Texas Tech, it should lead to a "Holy War Big 12 Title Game" for the first time in history. If both BYU and Utah are one-loss teams viewed as above Texas Tech, there becomes a real possibility that both teams could make the Playoff.
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The second eventuality is less promising. If BYU loses to Utah, Utah is the clear favorite to win the Big 12. A two-loss BYU team would have a significantly more difficult road to a playoff berth and Utah winning the Holy War should be a thought no Cougars fan should be apathetic to.
There is potentially great news for the Cougars. According to Yahoo Sports, star running back LJ Martin is expected to be a game-time decision. After Martin's injury, the prevailing hope was that BYU could play well enough in his stead to hold down the fort until he returned. A healthy LJ Martin changes the Utah game significantly. It would take some of the pressure off Bear Bachmeier and lead to a more balanced offensive attack.
BYU heads to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Utes in the 103rd Holy War. Kickoff is at Noon ET and will broadcast on ABC .
