Biggest storylines surrounding Utah football's 2026 schedule

The Utah football program unveiled its 12-game schedule for the 2026 campaign on Wednesday, shedding light on the opponents Morgan Scalley will face in his first season as the Utes' head coach.

Utah is expected to contend for a Big 12 title after putting together an 11-win season in 2025. Scalley and his first-year staff have retained several key players from that squad, in addition to reeling in experienced players via the transfer portal to fill in the holes created by some of the notable departures.

Time will tell how all the pieces end up fitting together; what's clear, at this point in the offseason, is that Utah will have little room for error if it wants to earn a trip to Arlington, Texas, and play in the conference championship game on Dec. 4 (and subsequently, a spot in the College Football Playoff).

Let's take a look at some of the most important stretches and storylines associated with Utah's 2026 schedule.

Holy War Isn't On Rivalry Week... Again

The next installment of the Holy War rivalry game could once again have major implications on the conference title race, much like last season's matchup in Provo, Utah, did.

Even so, the impact the Utah-BYU game might have on the rest of the landscape — along with the geographical, religious and coaching ties that help make it one of the best rivalries in college football — didn't force the Big 12's hand at moving the Holy War to the last weekend of the regular season, otherwise known as "rivalry week" around the sport.

Instead of playing the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Utes and Cougars will go toe-to-toe on Nov. 7 in Salt Lake City.

Admittedly, the Holy War has been played after Thanksgiving just twice since 2011. But with the two schools sharing a conference once again, the rivalry game can play out alongside the other major rivalries in the sport, much like it did in the early 2000s when both were part of the Mountain West.

Now it's up to the Big 12 to decide when the league's biggest rivalry game — and one of it's most important matchups, period — takes place.

Home Sweet Home

From a travel standpoint, the front half of Utah's schedule plays out favorably for the Utes.

Utah will play five of its first seven games from the comforts of Rice-Eccles Stadium, including three straight nonleague contests to open the season. That means the Utes will have to leave the state just twice before Halloween rolls around (at Iowa State on Sept. 26 and at Colorado on Oct. 17).

For reference, Utah altered between being at home and playing on the road for the first seven games of the 2025 season. The Utes went 5-1 at home, with its only loss coming to Texas Tech. Those two schools won't see each other during the 2026 regular season.

Saving The Toughest For Last

If the first two months of the schedule are viewed as beneficial to the Utes, the back-half of their Big 12 slate balances everything out.

A week after its Halloween game in Cincinnati, Utah will be back in Salt Lake City for its rivalry game against BYU. Then the Utes will head to Tuscon, Arizona, for a matchup against the Wildcats in the desert, followed by a trip to Forth Worth, Texas, for a bout with TCU.

Put it another way, the Utes will face three teams, including two away from home, that won nine or more games in 2025 over a three-week stretch (Nov. 7-21) before closing the regular season against a retooled West Virginia squad on Nov. 28. And they'll have to do that while playing eight consecutive games after their bye week in October.

Old Friends, New Places

Utah's nonconference schedule has been known for some time now, but the hiring of Kevin McGiven as offensive coordinator and addition of wide receiver Braden Pegan have added intrigue to the Utes' Sept. 19 game against Utah State.

McGiven and Pegan were key components of the Aggies' offense last season, with the former calling plays that often resulted in the latter making big plays on the receiving end.

Pegan was the No. 1 receiving option for an Aggies team that ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West in scoring (31.8 points per game) and No. 3 in total offense (422.4 yards per game), leading Utah State with 60 receptions for 926 yards and five touchdowns, including three games with 100-plus receiving yards.

McGiven, who was hired to be on Scalley's first-year staff in January, will be tasked to assemble a game plan to beat Utah State defensive coordinator Nick Howell's unit. Howell has experience coaching against Utah from his days on Bronco Mendenhall's staff at BYU, serving as the Cougars' play-caller on defense from 2013-15.

QB Who?

Amid all the player movement going on around the country, quarterbacks have been shuffling in and out of the Big 12. In fact, 11 of the league's top 16 passers have either changed schools or graduated, including a couple who switched jerseys but stayed in the conference (Brendan Sorsby to Texas Tech and Zane Flores to Iowa State).

As such, a majority of the opponents on Utah's schedule will likely face the Utes with a quarterback in their first season with the team; Iowa State, Kansas, Colorado, Cincinnati and TCU are expected to have someone different under center. West Virginia could join that group at some point depending on Scotty Fox Jr.'s role with the Mountaineers as a sophomore.