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Utah football fans show out in full-force for Big Noon Kickoff

University of Utah students came ready for Saturday's showdown against Texas Tech
Cole Forsman|
Utah Utes students were encouraged by Fox to line up for its Big Noon Kickoff show from campus at 4 a.m. local time.
Utah Utes students were encouraged by Fox to line up for its Big Noon Kickoff show from campus at 4 a.m. local time. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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There was a lot of chatter online claiming Saturday's 10 a.m. start time for a top-20 showdown between Utah and Texas Tech in Salt Lake City was too early for a game of its magnitude.

Apparently, University of Utah students didn't buy into that sentiment.

As Fox's Big Noon Kickoff prepared to host its pregame show from Utah's campus, the crew was greeted by a massive crowd of rowdy college students who couldn't have gotten much sleep ahead of Saturday's contest from Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Fox encouraged Utah students to line up for its pregame show at 4 a.m., though many of them were ready to go well before that. Some claimed to have been in line since 2:15 a.m., which would explain the giant group of students who were seen rushing to campus to be a part of the game day experience.

"First off, though, the most impressive Big Noon Kickoff crowd has been the Utah Utes right here," said analyst Joel Klatt when asked which team has been the most impressive to start the 2025 season. "Death, taxes and Utah football, baby; those are the constants."

The Big Noon Kickoff show didn't start until 8 a.m. local time, but it didn't seem like Utah students minded the wait.

As one of three ranked-on-ranked matchups featured on Saturday's loaded college football schedule, the Utes and Red Raiders will go toe-to-toe during Fox's prime viewing window. Some fans have found ways to grumble over the 10 a.m. MT/12 p.m. EST kickoff time, but it doesn't seem like those who'll be at Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Big 12 showdown are complaining about it.

The Utes enter their league opener looking to remain unbeaten after taking care of business in nonconference play. Junior quarterback Devon Dampier, who threw for a season-high 230 passing yards in the win over the Cowboys, has gotten off to an efficient start to the 2025 campaign. Heading into Week 4, he's the only Big 12 signal-caller with at least 85 pass attempts and zero interceptions on the season, while his completion percentage (73.0%) ranks second in the league to TCU's Josh Hoover.

On the other side, the Red Raiders cruise into the matchup following three blowout victories to start the 2025 campaign. In fact, Texas Tech's 139-point differential heading into Week 4 checks in at No. 1 in the country. Albeit, its strength of schedule to this point ranks last (136 out of 136) in the country according to ESPN FPI.Still, the Red Raiders have taken care of business with wins over Arkansas Pine-Bluff (67-7), Kent State (62-14) and Oregon State (45-14).

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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