Utah vs. BYU: Utes can tie longest-ever Holy War winning streak Thursday

Many college football fans residing in the Eastern Time Zone just don't pay attention to games played west of the Mississippi River because they are played so late at night. That's a shame because there are some terrific rivalries out west, and there are few more heated rivalries nationally than the Holy War between Utah and BYU. The No. 14 Utes open their season at the Cougars in the late game on Thursday's Week 1 schedule. It's a 10:15 p.m. ET kickoff with Utah as a 5-point favorite.

The longest winning streak by either school in the Holy War is nine games, which Utah accomplished from 1929-1937 and BYU did from 1979-1987. The Utes can match that winning run on Thursday as they are yet to lose to the Cougars this decade. Most of them were close, though. Last year, Utah was ranked 18th and beat BYU 35-27 near the end of the regular season. The Utes were down 27-7 late in the third quarter.

Utah's two best offensive players were out that game injured. Those would be quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss, both now seniors and both now healthy. Moss was one of five Utah players named preseason first-team All-Pac-12, most of any school. This team could be very good – it might have the nation's best defensive line -- after reaching the Pac-12 title game last year and losing a defensive slugfest to Washington.

The Utes were chosen by media as the favorite to win the 2019 Pac-12 championship. Utah's No. 14 AP ranking is the school's best ever entering a season. Keep in mind that the Pac-12 has missed the College Football Playoff each of the past two seasons.

BYU improved from 4-9 in 2017 to 7-6 last year and stomped Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Quarterback Zach Wilson returns; he missed all of spring ball and the start of fall camp with a shoulder injury but is being called 100 percent now. BYU's offense vastly improved in 2018 once Wilson took over for Tanner Mangum.

While BYU hasn't won in this series since 2009, it has covered the spread in the past four at home.