- No. 21 Utah opens Thursday against Idaho. On Saturday, No. 14 BYU hosts Utah Tech and Weber State visits Southern Utah, putting two all-Utah games on the same day while Utah State begins Pac-12 membership.
- Will Burns, Utah Football, BYU Football, Utah State Football, Weber State Football, Southern Utah Football, Utah Tech Football connect back to Utah Homegrown and the wider football picture.
- The story is backed by 13 sources and a visible last-verified date.
September 2, 2026
September 2, 2026
4 min / 874 words
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Utah's Division I football programs open the 2026 season across a four-day window that includes two games between in-state schools. No. 21 Utah starts it on Thursday, September 3. Three more programs play Saturday, September 5, and two of those games are all-Utah matchups.
The state now carries programs across three different competitive tiers: Big 12 (Utah, BYU), Pac-12 (Utah State), and FCS Big Sky (Weber State, Southern Utah, Utah Tech). If you are working out which schools sit where, our breakdown of Utah college sports divisions and conferences maps all eleven.
Thursday: No. 21 Utah vs. Idaho
Utah opens at home against Idaho at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, September 3, at 7 p.m., ranked No. 21 in the preseason AP poll.
It is the first season opener of the Morgan Scalley era. Scalley, long the program's defensive coordinator, was named Kyle Whittingham's successor and took over as head coach after Whittingham stepped down. A succession that was announced well before it took effect finally shows up on a field this week.
Idaho arrives having already played. The Vandals lost 38-34 to Cal Poly in Week 0, giving up the winning touchdown on a 34-yard pass with nine seconds remaining.
Saturday: No. 14 BYU vs. Utah Tech
BYU hosts Utah Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+, the first of the weekend's two all-Utah games. The Cougars open the year ranked No. 14.
BYU enters at 0-0. Utah Tech arrives at 0-1 from a difficult opening weekend: the Trailblazers, in their third season under head coach Lance Anderson and newly arrived in the Big Sky, lost 54-0 at home to Montana State on August 29 at Greater Zion Stadium in St. George. It was Montana State's first season-opening shutout since 2004, and it came as the Bobcats opened a title defense.
Saturday: Weber State at Southern Utah
The weekend's second all-Utah game sends Weber State to Southern Utah at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City at 6 p.m. MT. Both are Big Sky programs, but this one does not count in the league standings: it is a non-conference holdover from a six-game series the schools scheduled before Southern Utah joined, and the Big Sky's expansion to 13 teams left Southern Utah playing eight conference games in 2026 rather than nine.
Weber State is 1-0 after winning 30-29 at Northern Colorado on August 28, a result decided when freshman linebacker Zach Smith blocked an extra point with three seconds left. It was Eric Kjar's first win as a college head coach. Southern Utah is 0-1 after losing 28-21 at No. 2 Montana on August 29, with quarterback Will Burns throwing for 251 yards and also leading the Thunderbirds in rushing. We break the matchup down in full in our Weber State at Southern Utah preview.
Saturday: Utah State begins Pac-12 membership
Utah State hosts Idaho State at 5 p.m. MT in Logan in its first game as a Pac-12 member, having completed the move on July 1, 2026. McCae Hillstead starts at quarterback in Bronco Mendenhall's second season, and the program announced last week that the stadium becomes Jim Laub Family Stadium on January 1, 2027. Our full preview covers Utah State's Pac-12 opener.
The Week 0 pattern worth noticing
All three of Utah's FCS programs opened against Big Sky opposition in Week 0, and the results split three ways. Weber State beat Northern Colorado by a point. Southern Utah lost to No. 2 Montana by seven. Utah Tech lost to Montana State by 54.
That is a 55-point gap between the best and worst margins, and it matters for what the Big Sky race looks like from here. Weber State already has a league win banked, Southern Utah a league loss, and Utah Tech has to rebuild confidence from a shutout before its own conference schedule gets serious.
Key facts: Utah college football Week 1, 2026
- Thursday, September 3, 7 p.m. — No. 21 Utah vs. Idaho, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City
- Saturday, September 5, 5 p.m. MT — Idaho State at Utah State, Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium, Logan (first Pac-12 season)
- Saturday, September 5, 6 p.m. MT — Utah Tech at No. 14 BYU, LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo (ESPN+)
- Saturday, September 5, 6 p.m. MT — Weber State at Southern Utah, Eccles Coliseum, Cedar City (Big Sky)
- All-Utah matchups: two (BYU vs. Utah Tech; Weber State at Southern Utah)
- Week 0 results involving Utah teams: Weber State 30, Northern Colorado 29; No. 2 Montana 28, Southern Utah 21; No. 1 Montana State 54, Utah Tech 0
- New head coach debuts: Morgan Scalley (Utah), Eric Kjar (Weber State, already 1-0)
What's next
The in-state calendar tightens quickly after this weekend. Utah State goes to Rice-Eccles to face Utah on September 19. Southern Utah visits Utah Tech in St. George for the Battle for the Ax on October 3. Weber State closes its regular season at home against Utah Tech on November 21. And the state's biggest fixture, BYU at Utah, lands at Rice-Eccles on November 7.
Between now and then, the two games on Saturday are the first chances to see how the state's programs measure against each other rather than against the rest of the country.
