Why Devon Dampier will be key to Utes' Big 12 title shot in 2026 season
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The Utah Utes have plenty of reasons to feel confident about the rest of the 2026 football season. After the bye week, there are a pair of tough matchups for Morgan Scalley's team. They'll hit the road to face the Houston Cougars before returning home two weeks later for a Holy War rivalry contest with the BYU Cougars.
This is the point of the season where we will find out what this Utah team is made of. One of the biggest factors will be the play of quarterback Devon Dampier. The elusive dual threat quarterback has played outstanding so far this season, and will continue to be the conductor of Kevin McGiven's scheme. Dampier is battle-tested as one of the most experienced signal callers in the Big 12. He keeps taking steps towards putting Utah in the conversation for a conference championship.
The Utes started the season as an outside contender. Five weeks into the season and it's clear Utah can't be ignored. The games against both sets of Cougars will be the most interesting as the season winds down. Houston has earned a spot in the Top 25 for their outstanding play thus far. They came within inches of forcing overtime against Texas Tech, which was their only loss this year. As for BYU, all bets are off with the Holy War.
The Big 12 knew what they were doing when they added Utah to the conference two years ago. To have one of the biggest rivalries in college football is similar to what the SEC has with the iron bowl between Alabama and Auburn. Two teams who carry a disdain for one another regardless of where they rank nationally. There's a possibility both BYU and Utah will be ranked in the top 10 when they meet each other on November 7th.
Dampier going up against the Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier will feel like a revenge game for the Utes passer. BYU edged Utah 24-21 in Provo with Bachmeier scrambling for a 22-yard touchdown run with 4:22 left. Expect the same close game near the end for this year's matchup. This year could have the opposite result, with Dampier lifting the Utes to victory on the ground.
Utah is averaging 491.3 yards per game this season. Dampier's ability to lead the offense has been a major factor in the Utes' success. He has also been able to take care of the ball, throwing just one interception in 101 passing attempts thus far. Dampier is also completing 70.3% of his passes with 11 total touchdowns in four games.
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