And then there were three.
Utah used a punishing defense and the strong play of Devon Dampier to pull away from No. 14 Houston and post a 21-13 victory at home Saturday. That improved the Utes to 7-0 on the campaign and saw them join Miami and UCLA as the only unbeaten teams through Week 8 at the FBS level.
The marquee late-night contest was close the entire way, before Utah rose to the occasion in front of a raucous home crowd. A devastating blitz forced a crucial late turnover with the Utes clinging to a one-point lead, and the ensuing touchdown made the final margin eight.
THE UTES ARE COMING UP CLUTCH‼️ They force the fumble then score the TD 🔥 https://t.co/VSNBLVlxe1
— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2026
Dampier threw for 204 yards and added 150 and two touchdowns on the ground in the victory.
According to Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports, this is the first time since 1977 that we've hit Oct. 24th in a season with three or less remaining undefeated teams.
Utah's triumph also makes it the clear front-runner in the Big 12 after a day of carnage wrecked the other top teams in the conference. Texas Tech's road loss to Cincinnati and BYU's dramatic overtime defeat at UCF saw both programs notch their first loss of the season.
It doesn't get much easier for the Utes after the victory with the same trip to Cincinnati that the Red Raiders faced on deck next week. Following that is the rivalry game versus BYU in what should be one of the most anticipated matchups in the history of that series.
