No. 4 Utah Defeats No. 8 BYU to Maintain Undefeated Season

I think as we looked at those two teams and evaluated them while watching their games, felt like Utah was above UCLA and just a better team when we watch them play, CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said as the first College Football Playoff rankings set the stage for a loaded Saturday slate.

Utah Outlasts BYU in Holy War as Top Ten Matchups Shape Playoff Picture

The first-ever meeting of the Holy War featuring two teams ranked in the AP Top 10 lived up to the billing on Saturday. Behind Devon Dampier and a relentless defense that intercepted BYU four times, No. 4 Utah survived a frantic comeback bid to defeat No. 8 BYU 28-20.

Across the country, the inaugural 12-team playoff rankings released earlier in the week collided with a full slate of marquee matchups. No. 5 UCLA improved to 9-0 with a 34-20 road win at Minnesota behind quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, maintaining pressure at the top of the board. Meanwhile, three-loss Ohio State absorbed a convincing home loss to Oregon, sliding out of the Big Ten title picture and facing an uphill battle for the postseason.

For BYU, the loss in Salt Lake City marks another tight chapter in the storied rivalry, with Utah having won 14 games in a row since dropping a 24-21 decision to the Cougars last season. The game kicked off at 10 a.m. local time, drawing massive attention with Bear Bachmeier scoring a 50.6 on the RallyFuel NIL database compared to Dampier’s 49.9, marking the tightest top-versus-top comparison on the board.

Cornerback Leonard Moore Details Routine Before Prime Time Rematch

For Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore and his teammates, the week brought a deliberate shift in routine. Use it as a reminder to win this moment, and how you do that on a Tuesday night is you take care of your academics, you take care of your body and you force yourself to go to bed, to turn your phone off. … Because we’ve got good early morning meetings on Wednesday.

The prime-time contest broadcast on NBC carried the highest individual RallyFuel NIL score of the day, led by Miami’s Malachi Toney at 65.0. With Toney sidelined by injury, the Hurricanes leaned on Cooper Barkate—who stepped in after leading Duke in receiving the previous year—alongside standout tight end Elijah Lofton to command the offensive attack under quarterback Darian Mensah.