It didn’t take long for the grumbling to begin. Maybe a few minutes. At most, an hour. Utah and BYU fans were not happy when the Big 12 announced the 2025 football schedule last winter and placed the Holy War on the middle Saturday of the middle month of the season: Oct. 18. What in the world was the conference thinking?

Why not slot the rivalry at the end of the year, alongside so many other storied matchups?

Why not place it in the same early-November window as last year?

Or make it the conference opener for both schools?

Instead, the Big 12 and its TV partners slotted the rivalry into the most nondescript spot on the 14-week schedule.

Because the conference and its TV partners know what they’re doing, that’s why.

We’re 10 days from the 103rd installment of the Holy War, and the ev

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