No. 13 Utah (7-2, 4-2) at Baylor (5-4, 3-3)
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Kickoff: Saturday, 5 p.m. MST
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Venue: McLane Stadium (Waco, Texas)
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Series: Utah leads the overall series, 2-0. The Utes beat Baylor 20-13 in 2023 in their first meeting in Waco, then 23-12 last year in Salt Lake City.
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Weather: Clear skies with temperatures in the high 70s at kickoff, falling to the low 70s by end of game.
The trends
For Utah: The Utes, who were on a bye last week, have won two straight and four of their last five games since losing their Big 12 opener against now-No. 6 Texas Tech. In those four wins, Utah is averaging 47 points per game.
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The Utes are favored in ESPN’s analytic model in each of their final three games. The closest odds come in this weekend’s game at Baylor, though even then, ESPN gives Utah a 78.6% chance of winning.
For Baylor: The Bears won their last game, a 30-3 victory over UCF, before being idle last week, just like Utah.
The Bears do not have a conference win over a team with a winning record thus far — Baylor is 0-3 in Big 12 play against opponents who currently have a winning overall record, and 3-0 against teams with losing records right now.
What to watch for
With guys like Blake Cotton stepping up in the secondary, Utah is sixth nationally in pass defense, allowing just 156.8 yards through the air on average.
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This will be a new challenge for the Utes defense — Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson leads the Big 12 in passing yards (2,780, 308.9 per game) and touchdown passes (26), while he’s seventh in the league in pass efficiency (146.3).
Robertson has had six games with three or more touchdown passes, but the Utes have given up just six passing touchdowns all season.
The last time Utah faced one of the Big 12’s top quarterbacks, the Utes held Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby to 11 of 33 passing for 221 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 45-14 Utah win.
Can they disrupt Robertson as well?
Both Utah and Baylor are among the top four in the Big 12 in scoring offense and total offense. The Utes average 39.6 points and 477.2 yards per game, while the Bears average 33.8 points and 454 yards per game.
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There’s a notable difference, though, in the two teams’ defenses.
Utah ranks second in the Big 12 in both scoring defense (14.2 ppg) and total defense (301.1 ypg), while Baylor is 13th in both scoring defense (29.3 ppg) and total defense (383.3).
Utah running back Wayshawn Parker (1) runs the ball against Arizona State during an NCAA football game held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Key player
Wayshawn Parker, RB: Parker is coming off his best stretch as a Ute, and he appears to be primed to continue filling a bigger role in the Utah offense when the Utes travel to Waco.
Parker has run for 249 yards and two touchdowns in Utah’s last two games, while averaging 9.2 yards per carry. He eclipsed 100 yards rushing in both games — wins over Colorado and Cincinnati — for his first two 100-yard rushing games at Utah.
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Baylor is second-worst in the Big 12 in rushing defense, allowing 177.6 yards per game, while Utah is first in the league in rushing yards, at 267.1 per game.
When the Utes faced the worst rush defense in the league in a 53-7 win over Colorado, Utah ran for 422 yards, and Parker accounted for 145 of those rushing yards.
What can Parker and Utah do against Baylor?
Quotable
“We’ve got a big test ahead of us. It’s going to take our best to put up a challenge and get a win. I think they all recognize that.” — Baylor coach Dave Aranda
“Baylor’s a very talented football team. I can tell you right now, they’ve got a lot of good players, a lot of athleticism, length. They’ve had some good wins this year, some tough losses, but they’re a quality football team. There’s no doubt about it.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham
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