Three games, three wins, and not one of them away from Rice-Eccles. That changes Saturday. No. 15 Utah opens Big 12 play at Iowa State at 1:30 p.m. MT on FOX, in a White Out at Jack Trice, with rain in the forecast. It is the first road game of the Morgan Scalley era.
Utah has been dominant so far: 66-14 over Idaho, 43-10 over Arkansas and a 33-0 shutout of Utah State. The Utes rank ninth nationally in scoring (47.3 points per game) and sixth in scoring defense (8.0). The fair caveat is that Idaho is FCS, Utah State is winless, and Arkansas is the only real test so far.
Iowa State is the surprise of the conference. Matt Campbell left for Penn State, and Jimmy Rogers arrived from Washington State with 22 scholarship players and zero returning starters. The Cyclones were picked last in the Big 12. They are 2-1 anyway, and their only loss was 16-13 at No. 21 Iowa on a field goal with 15 seconds left.
Also worth remembering: Iowa State leads this series 5-1, and the last meeting was a 31-28 Cyclone win in Salt Lake in 2024, sealed when Utah missed a 54-yarder with eight seconds left.
So who actually has the better roster? We went group by group and gave every one of them an edge. No pushes allowed.
Quarterback: Edge Utah
Devon Dampier is completing 72 percent of his passes for 690 yards, 7 touchdowns and 1 interception, and he has added 114 rushing yards and 2 scores. Behind him, Byrd Ficklin has thrown 2 touchdowns and run for another, and Kevin McGiven keeps finding ways to use both. Give Jaylen Raynor his credit: 39 career starts and 8 fourth-quarter game-winning drives, the most of any active FBS quarterback. But Iowa State ranks 124th nationally in passing yards per game, and Utah's quarterback room is the best unit on either sideline. Vegas still has Utah's win total at 8.5, and if you think that's too low with Dampier playing like this, our partner Underdog is the place to put your football opinions to work. Link at the bottom of this article.
Running Back: Edge Iowa State
This one hurts to write, but it's honest. Aiden Flora is the best individual back in this game: 328 yards and 3 touchdowns, including 194 yards and 2 scores against Bowling Green, plus a punt return touchdown. Cameron Pettaway brings speed and Arnold Barnes brings the hammer. Iowa State has rushed for 100 or more yards in 20 straight games, the longest active run in the Power 4. Utah counters with Wayshawn Parker (154 yards, 3 touchdowns) and LaMarcus Bell, and the Utes have more total depth. Flora tips it.
Wide Receiver: Edge Utah
Braden Pegan has been exactly what Utah paid for out of the portal: 15 catches, 235 yards and 3 touchdowns through three games. Iowa State's leading receiver, O. Hayes, has 6 catches for 101 yards, and Jamal Polite Jr. scored against Bowling Green. Some of that gap is scheme, since the Cyclones haven't needed to throw much. Utah still has the deeper and more dangerous room.
Tight End: Edge Utah
Noah Bennee's 113-yard, one-touchdown day against Arkansas was the best tight end performance of either team's season. If Iowa State stacks the box to slow Parker, the middle of the field opens up for Bennee.
Offensive Line: Edge Utah
In August we ranked this group dead last on the roster. Five new starters, zero returning snaps, nothing but questions. Three games later, Utah is running for 232.7 yards per game and has allowed the second-fewest sacks in the Big 12. Iowa State's front deserves respect too, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and powering that 20-game streak. The tiebreaker is pass protection, where Utah has been close to perfect.
Defensive Line: Edge Utah
Utah has 9 sacks in three games after losing roughly 16 sacks' worth of production in the offseason. Iowa State's front is legitimate, holding opponents to 83.3 rushing yards per game, and defensive end Isaac Terrell, a Lehi native, has 3 sacks and will be fired up to see Utah. One thing to watch: starting nose tackle Karson Kaufusi, who opened the season with a sack against Idaho, is listed as questionable. Utah's pass rush still wins it by a hair.
Linebacker: Edge Utah
Sullivan Schlimgen is a tackling machine for Iowa State at 7.7 stops per game. Utah has Johnathan Hall, the returning tackle leader and All Big 12 honorable mention, and Cyrus Polu, who already has 1.5 sacks and has been the breakout piece we predicted in August. Elijah Elliss is also second on the team with 13 tackles. Utah's group has more ways to hurt you.
Secondary: Edge Iowa State
This is where Iowa State's rebuild looks most impressive. A defense with no returning starters is allowing just 143 passing yards per game. Utah's secondary has been sharp too, with Nate Ritchie leading the team with 15 tackles, but neither group has seen a good passing attack yet. Injuries cut both ways here. Cyclone corner Jaheim Singletary, who was hospitalized after a collision against Bowling Green, is in concussion protocol and was moved to out on Thursday's availability report. Utah safety Marcus Wimberly is also out. Even with Singletary missing, the numbers so far give the Cyclones the slight edge.
Special Teams: Edge Iowa State
Not close. Iowa State is the only FBS team this season with a 50-plus-yard field goal, a kick return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. Kicker Kyle Konrardy owns a school-record six career makes from 50 or more, including a 63-yarder that is the longest field goal in Jack Trice Stadium history, and Flora has four career punt returns of 50-plus yards. Utah has to win the field position battle and cannot hand Flora a clean return.
The Tally
Utah 6, Iowa State 3. Utah has the better quarterback, the better skill players and a line that has turned from a question into a strength. Iowa State has the best back in the game, a stingy secondary and a special teams unit that can steal points. That's closer than the ranking gap suggests.
Prediction
This is the best defense Utah has faced, in the loudest building it has played in, likely in the rain. The market has noticed: Iowa State opened as an 11.5-point underdog, and that number is down to 7.5. Expect Iowa State to do what it did at Iowa: run Flora, shorten the game, win the kicking battle and hope Raynor can close in the fourth quarter. For a half, that probably works.
The difference is that Utah can beat you more ways. Parker and the line lean on the Cyclones until their 100-yard rushing streak against them finally breaks, Pegan wins a couple of one-on-ones, and Dampier or Ficklin pops the big run that turns a one-score game into a two-score game. If Iowa State falls behind and has to throw, that is the least proven part of its roster.
Our pick: Utah 31, Iowa State 17. That covers the 7.5 and lands just under the 48.5 total.
Our breakout players: Wayshawn Parker, Braden Pegan and Cyrus Polu for Utah, with Aiden Flora and Isaac Terrell keeping Iowa State in it.
Underdog Corner
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Go Utes.