Holy War (Utah Vs. BYU)

Holy War (Utah Vs. BYU)

The Holy War is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the University of Utah Utes and Brigham Young University Cougars. The game is part of the larger Utah–BYU rivalry. In this rivalry context, the term "Holy War" refers to the fact that BYU is owned and administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and the University of Utah is a public university owned and administered by the State of Utah. Although many Utah fans are LDS members, the term "Holy War" also refers to the stark cultural differences of the respective fan bases. The proximity of the two schools, the athletic successes of the two teams, and the longevity of the series also contribute to the rivalry.

Both teams played in the same conference from 1922 to 2010, and the Holy War game often decided the conference title. Despite Utah moving to the Pacific-12 Conference in 2011 and BYU becoming an independent that same year, the two universities agreed to play in 2011 and 2012. A deal has been worked out to play the game in 2013 and 2016, but the game will not be played in 2014 and 2015. 2014–2015 will be the first interruption in the series since 1943 to 1945, when BYU did not field a team due to World War II.