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Utah football reveals the Utes' 2026 schedule

The Utes' 12-game schedule for next season has been revealed
Cole Forsman|
Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley leads the program into its third season as a member of the Big 12.
Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley leads the program into its third season as a member of the Big 12. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The first look at Utah's Big 12 schedule arrived Wednesday, as the league revealed each member's nine-game conference slate in a special on ESPNU.

Morgan Scalley, who took over for Kyle Whittingham at the end of the 2025 campaign, will lead the Utes into their first Big 12 game as the head coach on Sept. 26 in a road game against Iowa State, which will also be led by a new face in Jimmy Rogers.

The Cyclones are one of five Big 12 programs that finished with eight or more wins in 2025 on the Utes' schedule for next season. Utah will face two of those teams — Arizona (Nov. 14) and TCU (Nov. 21) — in back-to-back road games in November.

Conversely, Utah will host a pair of 10-win squads at Rice-Eccles Stadium, including in-state rival BYU. The next installment of the Holy War rivalry is set for Nov. 7.

Utah will also take on Houston in a pivotal showdown on Oct. 24. The Utes won't see the reigning Big 12 champion, Texas Tech, or Arizona State in the regular season, though they'll still face six of the top nine teams from last season's standings.

Utah will kick off the season on Sept. 3 against Idaho at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes return to action Sept. 12 to host Arkansas, then round out nonconference action with an in-state clash featuring Utah State on Sept. 19 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In total, Utah will play seven games at Rice-Eccles Stadium, including four league contests, and five road games.

Here's a look at the Utes' complete schedule.

Utah's 2026 Schedule

  • Sept. 3 vs. Idaho
  • Sept. 12 vs. Arkansas
  • Sept. 19 vs. Utah State
  • Sept. 26 at Iowa State
  • Oct. 3: BYE
  • Oct. 10 vs. Kansas
  • Oct. 17 at Colorado
  • Oct. 24 vs. Houston
  • Oct. 31 at Cincinnati
  • Nov. 7 vs. BYU
  • Nov. 14 at Arizona
  • Nov. 21 at TCU
  • Nov. 28 vs. West Virginia

Kickoff times for each conference game are typically revealed 12 days in advance. A majority of Utah's league games in 2025 got underway around 5 p.m. MT or later.

The Big 12 decided to move its conference championship game to the Friday before the first Saturday in December, putting next season's league title game from AT&T Stadium on Dec. 4.

In addition to bringing back key pieces from an 11-2 squad that ended the 2025 campaign on a six-game winning streak, the Utes have spent the past few weeks retooling parts of their roster with experienced players Morgan Scalley and his coaching staff have been able to acquire out of the transfer portal.

From the junior college level to the power conference ranks, Utah's net in the portal has been cast far and wide as it looks to fill the voids that were created by the departures of notable starters and depth pieces on both sides of the ball. Only time will tell how Scalley and company fit all the pieces together for his first season at the helm of his alma-mater.

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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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