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A Utah-BYU rematch in the College Football Playoff? Don’t rule it out.

The Utes climbed to No. 2 in Tuesday’s rankings, while BYU’s position at No. 10 could provide an added cushion for Utah.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah celebrates with Ute safety Nate Ritchie (6) after his interception with 2 seconds left on the clock, as Utes beat the BYU Cougars 28-20 in Big 12 football action at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah celebrates with Ute safety Nate Ritchie (6) after his interception with 2 seconds left on the clock, as Utes beat the BYU Cougars 28-20 in Big 12 football action at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.

By https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/sltrib/d23c9c3d-6a35-4583-8f7c-a59ca4e57a79.png The Salt Lake Tribune
 | Nov. 10, 2026, 8:14 p.m.

Can we interest you in a rivalry rematch in the College Football Playoff?

Well, if the season ended today, the college football world could be looking at exactly that.

Undefeated Utah climbed one spot to No. 2 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings. As for the Utes’ bitter rivals? Well, the committee hardly punished BYU for losing the rivalry game last weekend.

The Cougars dropped just one spot to No. 10, keeping them squarely in the playoff field with three games remaining.

If those rankings hold — unlikely as that may be — the Utes and Cougars could meet in the quarterfinals of either the Rose or Fiesta Bowl.

Fun stuff.

BYU’s small drop was one of the surprises of the rankings. But the decision is easy to justify, given the Cougars’ win over No. 5 Notre Dame and a one-score loss to the No. 2 team in the country.

And just as the Irish’s ranking is helping keep BYU in the top 10, the Cougars’ position should create a backstop of sorts for Utah.

The Utes may now be able to drop two games and safely remain in the bracket.

That’s a pretty enviable position.

But at this point, Utah isn’t just thinking about making the playoff. The Utes are thinking about winning the whole dang thing.

“This is a big one,” Utah head coach Morgan Scalley said after the Utes beat BYU. “It’s not the big one.”

Right now, the Utes can certainly dare to dream.

College Football Playoff rankings

  1. Georgia (8-1)

  2. Utah (9-0)

  3. Alabama (7-2)

  4. UCLA (9-0)

  5. Notre Dame (8-1)

  6. Texas (7-2)

  7. Miami (8-1)

  8. Tennessee (7-2)

  9. Indiana (8-1)

  10. BYU (7-2)

  11. Kentucky (7-2)

  12. Texas Tech (8-1)

  13. Wake Forest (8-1)

  14. Houston (7-2)

  15. Iowa (7-2)

  16. Oregon (6-3)

  17. South Carolina (6-3)

  18. USC (7-2)

  19. Ole Miss (6-3)

  20. Ohio State (6-3)

  21. LSU (6-3)

  22. Missouri (6-3)

  23. Arizona (7-2)

  24. Boise State (8-1)

  25. Oklahoma State (6-3)

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