No. 21 Utah vs. Idaho: 2026 Week 1 college football preview

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The Morgan Scalley era officially begins Thursday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

No. 21 Utah opens the 2026 season against Idaho at 7 p.m. MT on ESPNU, giving Morgan Scalley his first regular-season game as Utah's head coach after leading the Utes to a 44-22 Las Vegas Bowl win over Nebraska last December.

Idaho already played a game last week and lost 38-34 to Cal Poly, but the Vandals still put up 482 yards of offense and averaged over eight yards per play.

Quarterback Joshua Wood threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, while receiver Tony Harste finished with nine catches for 180 yards and two scores.

So this is not an Idaho offense Utah can completely sleep on.

The other side is a different story.

Cal Poly put up 516 yards, 29 first downs, and 38 points against the Vandals, so this is a good time to get the offense out there and let new offensive coordinator McGiven cook.

Three Keys

Get after Joshua Wood

Wood is the guy Utah has to worry about.

He was efficient against Cal Poly, made plays outside the pocket, and consistently pushed the ball downfield. Utah cannot let him sit back and get comfortable.

Make him play under pressure, take away the explosives, and force Idaho to put together long drives.

This will be a great opportunity to see the rotation pieces on the defensive line, and to get some quality reps in for the younger guys.

If the Utes do that, the talent difference should show pretty quickly.

Air it out

This is the perfect game for Utah to let Devon Dampier push the ball downfield.

Idaho just gave up 516 yards to Cal Poly, 300+ through the air, and Utah has a major advantage at receiver.

We already know what Dampier can do with his legs.

Thursday should give us more of the passing game, especially the deep ball and how quickly he can build chemistry with this receiver room.

Utah doesn't need to get cute, but I want to see them be aggressive.

Take some shots.

Let Dampier air it out and make Idaho defend the whole field.

Don't let Idaho hang around

Idaho has enough offense to make things annoying if Utah starts slow.

The Vandals trailed Cal Poly by double digits and still fought back to take a late fourth-quarter lead.

Utah cannot give them life with turnovers, penalties or busted coverages.

Get up early and make Idaho chase.

Utah should control this game from the start.

What to Watch

Kevin McGiven’s offense

We have heard all offseason about the different personnel packages, formations and ways Utah plans to use Dampier.

We probably will not see the entire playbook Thursday, but we should at least get our first real look at what this offense is supposed to be.

More than anything, I want to see how aggressive McGiven is early and how much Utah lets Dampier operate as both a runner and passer.

Utah’s offensive line

This is another big one.

Utah is replacing a lot up front, and Thursday will be the first real look at how the new group works together.

Against Idaho, the Utes should have the talent advantage. What matters is how clean it looks.

Can they consistently move people in the run game? Does Dampier have time? Are there communication issues?

With Arkansas coming to Salt Lake City next week, Utah needs this group to get comfortable quickly.

How quickly does Utah put it away?

This is still Week 1.

There will be some mistakes.

But Utah should not be playing a four-quarter game with Idaho.

The biggest thing is how quickly the Utes settle in, take control and start getting younger guys and backups meaningful reps.

Prediction

Idaho is better offensively than the average FCS team.

Wood can play, Harste can make big plays, and the Vandals already have a game under their belt.

But giving up 516 yards and 38 points to Cal Poly is hard to overlook.

Utah will be able to run the ball, control the line of scrimmage, and eventually wear Idaho down with depth.

Maybe the Vandals hit a couple early.

After that, Utah takes over.

Prediction: Utah 62, Idaho 7.

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