Upcoming Utah Utes Football dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Utah football in brief: from BCS Buster to the Big 12
The Utah Utes play home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, with a regular season that runs from early September through November. The program began in 1892, and football has been played on the current stadium site since 1927.
Utah built its national reputation as an outsider. As a Mountain West Conference member, a league whose champion had no automatic place in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS, the system that set the major bowls from 1998 to 2013), Utah became the first such team to reach a BCS bowl, beating Pittsburgh 35–7 in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Four seasons later the Utes finished 13–0 by beating Alabama 31–17 in the 2009 Sugar Bowl and ended that season No. 2 in the AP poll, the highest finish in program history.
Utah joined the Pac-12 in 2011, won back-to-back conference titles in 2021 and 2022 and played in the Rose Bowl after both seasons. The Utes moved to the Big 12 in 2024, which put them back in the same league as BYU. Head coaches change, so check the team's official site for the current staff and roster.
Where to sit at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Rice-Eccles is a compact, steep stadium that was almost entirely rebuilt in less than a year after the 1997 season, then used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The field runs north to south at 4,637 feet above sea level. The south end zone, rebuilt as the Ken Garff Red Zone and opened in 2021, enclosed that end of the stadium and holds most of the premium inventory: suites, loge boxes, club seats and terrace seating.
Sideline vs. end zone
Sideline seats between the 30-yard lines give the best view of how plays develop, and mid-level rows usually beat the front rows, where the bench area and sideline crews block the near side of the field. End-zone seats cost less and put you close to goal-line action, but the far end of the field flattens out. The south end now offers more comfort and amenities; the north end is the simpler, value option.
Sun and shade
With a north–south field, the afternoon sun moves into the western sky, so fans on the east sideline face it during day games while the west sideline has it behind them. Early-season afternoon games can be hot and bright at this altitude; November night games get cold quickly once the sun drops. Check the kickoff time before choosing a side.
Students and visitors
The Mighty Utah Student Section (the MUSS) is the organized student section, and seats near it are loud and on their feet all game. If you want to sit down and watch, choose a section farther along the sideline. Visiting fans are spread through resale seats; check the seat map at purchase if sitting near the opposing team's fans matters to you.
BYU, Colorado and the Utah games that sell first
The rivalry with BYU, often called the Holy War, is the signature game in the Rocky Mountain region. The schools first met in 1896, and the series ran almost every year from 1922 to 2013. Utah leads it 62–37–4 through the 2025 season. With both schools in the Big 12 since 2024, the game is expected to be played annually again, and a home BYU game is the hardest Utah ticket to find.
- BYU: the rivalry game, with the strongest demand on both sides and a heavy share of visiting fans in the stands.
- Colorado: the Rumble of the Rockies, revived when both schools joined the Pac-12 in 2011 and now a Big 12 matchup.
- Utah State: the Battle of the Brothers, the state's oldest series, dating to 1892 and now played only occasionally.
- Ranked Big 12 opponents and night kickoffs: high-profile conference games and prime-time starts draw the fullest crowds.
Early-season nonconference games against smaller opponents are usually the easiest and most affordable way to see a game at Rice-Eccles.
Gameday at Rice-Eccles: the MUSS, Ute Thunder and the Moment of Loudness
Utah's traditions are built around noise and a few local characters.
- The Third Down Jump: before an opponent's third-down snap, a MUSS member runs up the aisles with a sign, and the student section holds up three fingers and jumps. The rest of the stadium usually joins in.
- Ute Thunder: since 1968, an Army ROTC crew has fired a 1904 cannon on the sideline after every Utah score.
- The Blues Brothers theme: just before the third quarter, the band plays "I Can't Turn You Loose" while a longtime fan known as Crazy Lady dances in front of it.
- The Moment of Loudness: between the third and fourth quarters, the stadium honors Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, two Utah players who died, along with Utah fans who have passed away, then makes as much noise as it can. Fans hold up their phone lights at night games.
Reserved tailgating is sold through a third-party operator on the athletics site, and parking around campus is limited on game days. As of the 2026 season, Utah's gameday page advertises free rides on UTA's TRAX light rail, buses and FrontRunner commuter rail for football ticket holders; confirm on the Utes' official football site before you go, because transit arrangements can change.
How Utah football tickets work
Utah sells season tickets, single-game tickets and student tickets. Season ticket holders and donors to the Crimson Club, the athletics fundraising organization, get priority for the best sideline seats, and that priority structure means the most desirable seats rarely reach the public sale. Students buy through a separate allotment tied to the MUSS.
That leaves the resale market as the main route into big games. For BYU, ranked conference opponents and late-season games with title implications, resale prices tend to rise as kickoff approaches and the weather forecast firms up. For early nonconference games, resale often trades at the lowest levels of the season. Every order on GoodSeats is backed by a 100% guarantee.
As of the 2026 season, Utah's stadium information page lists a clear-bag policy (bags must be transparent and within size limits). Check the stadium's current venue policies before you go.
Notable moments in Utah football history
- 1964: Utah beat West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl, the first major bowl game played indoors.
- 1998: the rebuilt Rice-Eccles Stadium opened with a 45–22 win over Louisville.
- 2002: the stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics; it is expected to do so again in 2034.
- 2005: the Utes beat Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl to finish an unbeaten season, and quarterback Alex Smith was the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
- 2009: a 31–17 Sugar Bowl win over Alabama completed a 13–0 season.
- 2021 and 2022: back-to-back Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl appearances.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the Utah Utes play home football games?
Utah plays at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The stadium was rebuilt for the 1998 season and expanded with the south end zone project in 2021, bringing capacity to about 51,444.
What conference is Utah football in?
Utah joined the Big 12 Conference in 2024 after playing in the Pac-12 from 2011 through 2023 and in the Mountain West before that.
Which side of Rice-Eccles Stadium is shaded?
The field runs north to south, so during afternoon games the west sideline has the sun at its back and the east sideline faces it. Night games remove the issue but get cold late in the season.
What is the Utah vs. BYU rivalry called?
The game is often called the Holy War. The teams first met in 1896, and Utah leads the series 62–37–4 through the 2025 season.
Can I take public transit to a Utah football game?
As of the 2026 season, Utah's gameday information advertises free rides on TRAX, UTA buses and FrontRunner for football ticket holders. Confirm the current arrangement with Utah Athletics or UTA before gameday.
Does Rice-Eccles Stadium have a clear-bag policy?
Yes. As of the 2026 season, Utah lists a clear-bag policy for stadium entry. Check the stadium's current venue policies before you go.