A top-15 Big 12 game under the Rice-Eccles lights
Utah is 6-0 and home for Homecoming night against a 6-1 Houston team — with the Big 12 race and a series Houston leads 5-0 in the background.
Utah's Oct. 24 game is a Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium, kicking off at 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPN. Utah is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12. In the polls published Oct. 18, Utah is No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and No. 9 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. The visiting team, Houston, is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play, ranked No. 14 by AP and No. 16 in the Coaches Poll in the same Oct. 18 polls, which makes this the only game on the statewide slate matching two AP Top 25 teams.
Utah's most recent result was a 27-24 win at Colorado on Oct. 17. Devon Dampier threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and Braden Pegan caught eight passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns, both scores coming as Utah recovered after Colorado scored 17 straight third-quarter points. The official Utah game center lists Dampier at 1,412 passing yards and Pegan at 422 receiving yards as the team's season leaders entering this week.
Houston's quarterback is the matchup problem on the other side. Conner Weigman threw for 343 yards and five touchdowns in Houston's Oct. 17 win over Oklahoma State, per the ESPN box score. There is also a historical note in Utah's official game materials: Houston leads the all-time series 5-0, including a 17-14 win in the most recent meeting in 2024. Saturday night pairs the conference race with that history, in a late kickoff on national television.
Sources
Utah Athletics, kickoff announcement (Oct. 18) — verifies Oct. 24, 8:15 p.m. MT, Rice-Eccles Stadium, ESPN, and the 5-0 series history including the 2024 meeting. Note: that announcement was published before the Oct. 18 polls and carries the prior week's ranks (No. 11 / No. 20) and Houston's prior record; the ranks and records in the piece above are taken from the Oct. 18 ESPN polls and scoreboard instead.
Utah Athletics game center, Houston game — verifies Homecoming / Parent & Family Weekend designation, venue, and team leaders (Dampier 1,412 passing yards; Pegan 422 receiving yards).
Utah Athletics recap, at Colorado (Oct. 18) — verifies the 27-24 result, Dampier's 278 yards and three touchdowns, and Pegan's eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
ESPN AP Top 25 / AFCA Coaches Poll, Week 8 (Oct. 18) — verifies Utah AP No. 10 / Coaches No. 9 and Houston AP No. 14 / Coaches No. 16.
ESPN scoreboard, Houston at Utah (gameId 401856837) — verifies Utah 6-0 / 3-0, Houston 6-1 / 3-1, venue and ESPN broadcast.
ESPN box scores, Utah at Colorado (gameId 401856833) and Oklahoma State at Houston (gameId 401856831) — Cross-check the Dampier/Pegan lines and Weigman's 343 yards and five touchdowns. (One discrepancy flagged in the draft: Dampier pass attempts 40 vs. 41 between sources; the piece uses only the agreed yardage and touchdown figures.)
Matchup
Houston at Utah
When
Saturday, Oct 24, 2026 — 8:15 PM MT
Watch
ESPN
Where
Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City