Three takeaways from Utah Utes 2025 Football schedule

Kyle Whittingham and Utes will be challenged this year with a heavy slate of games
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The Utah Utes enter their second season in the Big 12 with high expectations, aiming to build upon their successful transition into the conference. Head coach Kyle Whittingham, entering his 21st season, will lead a team with a strong mix of returning talent and new additions. The schedule, released by the Big 12, features six home games and a challenging slate of conference matchups.

Exciting non-conference and first-time meetings

Utah’s 2025 campaign begins with non-conference play, featuring road trips to UCLA (Aug. 30) and Wyoming (Sept. 13), with a home game against Cal Poly (Sept. 6) sandwiched in between. The season truly gets underway with the Big 12 opener on Sept. 20, when the Utes host Texas Tech at Rice-Eccles Stadium. This marks the first meeting between the programs since 1973 and Texas Tech’s first-ever visit to Salt Lake City.

A road game at West Virginia (Sept. 27) follows, making Utah’s first trip to Morgantown an intriguing matchup. The two teams have only met in bowl games before, with Utah holding a 2-0 record. After a bye week, the Utes return home to face defending Big 12 champion Arizona State (Oct. 11). The rivalry with ASU has been competitive, with Utah winning six of the last eight meetings before last season’s loss.

Utah's rivalry games are must-win, especially the Holy War 

On Oct. 18, Utah renews its historic rivalry with BYU in Provo. The Utes have dominated the series, leading 62-36-4, but the in-state showdown is always a must-watch game. The Cougars were taken to the wire in a 22-21 loss for Utah, which sparked controversy between both schools. The following week (Oct. 25), Utah hosts Colorado, a familiar foe, having faced the Buffaloes every year since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. Utah has controlled the series, winning 13 of the last 16 meetings. The latest edition for the Rumble in the Rockies series will bring excitement and Deion Sanders back to Salt Lake City.  

November will be key for the Utes in 2025

November features a mix of home and road challenges. Cincinnati visits Salt Lake City for the first time (Nov. 1) in a historic first meeting. After a second bye week, Utah travels to Baylor (Nov. 15), looking to extend their winning streak in the young series, having won both previous meetings. The home finale comes against Kansas State (Nov. 22), another first-time opponent for Utah.

The regular season wraps up with a road game at Kansas on either Nov. 28 or 29. This will be just the fifth meeting between the two programs and the first since 1996. If Utah competes for a Big 12 title, this late-season matchup could be crucial for their postseason aspirations.


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Jason Jones
JASON JONES

Jason Jones is a writer and reporter for On SI. He has covered all major sports for the past two decades. Jones began his career in sports radio broadcasting, working for WKNR in Cleveland and KKML in Denver as show host, producer, and director of production. He previously worked as an NFL Draft analyst and reporter for Yahoo Sports Radio.