It's not November, yet here we are

Is the Holy War really upon us?

Hard to believe, but Utah and BYU, participants in the most underrated rivalry in college football, will do battle this Saturday, September 17. Instead of a chance of cold, blustery weather, there is an almost guarantee of perfect weather. Instead of Thanksgiving being around the corner or just concluded, Labor Day was two weeks ago and school is only three-four weeks into the semester. Instead of both teams having 11 games under their belts, both squads are still trying to establish and offensive identity. The additional prize of conference/bowl implications has been replaced by nothing. Both sides are playing for pride only.

It is harder than usual to make any predictions about how the game will go.

- I would like to say the BYU has the clear advantage in quarterback play, but I can't. While Heaps is a better QB overall than Jordan Wynn, his play thus far is not enough for me to declare him an x-factor in this Saturday's game. The BYU offense has struggled in both of its games thus far. The second half struggles Heaps experienced in the Texas game was unnerving simply because BYU had had offensive success in the first half. Did Texas figure BYU out? Was Heaps rattled by the pressure and the crowd? In this upcoming game, if I was forced to choose I would much rather have Heaps under center than Wynn.

- A lot of fans have pointed the finger at Brandon Doman's play-calling decisions, rather than Heaps, for the lack of offensive production in the second half. I won't defend either side of the argument, but I will say that both Heaps and Doman are relatively young and inexperienced. This is Doman's first year as an offensive coordinator and there were bound to be some lumps along the way. Perhaps too much was expected right away? This is one situation that Utah can take advantage of. Utah's defense is a product of Kyle Whittingham's  mind and wealth of experience. A few defensive wrinkles here or there could tip the scales in Utah's favor.

- Both defenses are highly skilled and well-coached. BYU proved it on the road in SEC and Big XII country. Utah's defense was good in their first game against Montana St, but was really put to the test against USC and third year starter Matt Barkley. They held and were able to pressure Barkley a few times. The defense kept Utah in that game and gave them a chance to win. At this point, it's a push as far as who possesses the better defense. Both defenses will make it hard on the opposing offense to move the ball.

- Utah has an edge in the running game. John White IV made some tough runs against USC. He was not able to gain much yardage and only averaged 2.8 yards per carry, but there is little doubt who is Utah's stud running back. For BYU, both DiLuigi and Quezada are good weapons who have the ability to burn most defenses. Unfortunately, neither has shown the ability to bust or fight through that tackle and get those extra 2 yards. Essentially, neither of them is Harvey Unga. At this point, Utah seems to be in a better position to establish the run game. That being said, both if Quezada gets his timing back and if DiLuigi can get into space, this could change the whole game.

This link is my prediction for the rivalry game.