Scalley and Sitake hope to add intrigue to Holy War rivalry

College Football is full of rivalries. Army vs. Navy, Ohio State vs. Michigan, Oklahoma vs. Texas lead the list. Add BYU vs Utah as one that's always great.

The Holy War rivalry takes a back seat to no one. A mere 48 miles separates the two largest Beehive State institutions with a rivalry that goes far beyond the existing athletic departments and their coaches.

While almost no one expects this heated match-up to go away, the two respective head coaches hope to turn down hate and hostility while increasing mutual respect. An interesting idea that would usually be met with resistance. Rivalries are good. Rivals are not supposed to like each other. Consistent disdain is good for rivalries. However, there comes a point where reassessing how that rival behavior manifests, is worth considering.

BYU and Utah typically do not like each other. In a normal rivalry setting, that should be expected. In normal rivalry settings, both teams would almost be expected to lean into that dislike. However, Kalani Sitake and Morgan Scalley are on the right side of this particular rivalry course correction.

Rivalries can be healthy as long as they stay firmly within certain parameters. As of late, the Holy War rivalry has reached concerning levels. In 2024, a Utah fan was arrested for throwing a water bottle that struck a BYU cheer coach. In 2025, a man was arrested for threatening gun violence towards opposing fans.

The impacts of the rivalry are not small. This isn’t stealing a mascot or a cleverly worded sign. In the world landscape we all currently live in, when sports factors become headlines in conventional news, it's time to take a step back and re-evaluate.

At the Big 12 Media Days held this past week in Frisco, Texas, both Sitake and Scalley took to the main stage separately, yet both were united on one front. Returning the rivalry to a healthy place built on mutual respect. What happened in Frisco began to feel like evidence of a ‘bromance’ but turned into serious words that demand consideration.

“Well, I think the Utah-BYU rivalry is one of the best in the country," Scalley said. "Honestly. I have so much respect for (BYU coach Kalani Sitake) and his staff, a lot of his staff I’ve worked with. But it’s definitely a mutual respect."

Scalley then talked about the history with Sitake.

“You’re always going to have the extremes. That’s the unfortunate part is you’re going to have those extremes where people are doing stuff that you’re not proud about,” Scalley said. “I just think the way Kalani and I model our relationship with one another and the respect we have for each other and our programs should lead the way.”

Sitake sees this as a friendship being divided. Scalley and Sitake have history in Holy War that won't fade.

“Morgan Scalley is a good friend of mine," Sitake admitted. "We worked together for a decade at Utah when I was coaching there. I was great friends with Kyle Whittingham, too. Kyle Whittingham leaves, and another great friend of mine is the head coach at Utah. Nothing has really changed there."

He went on to say, “I have family members that graduated from Utah and family members that graduated from BYU. That’s what actually makes it intense and fun is that it affects households,” he continued. “You know what I mean? The respect level and the love, I mean, I don’t know if there’s going to be anything different. We’ve always respected and loved our rivals. I think they feel the same way about us. I know I was there. I think that’s what makes it even more fun.”

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BYU and Utah are a great example of having more in common than not. More unites these programs than just the state of Utah. Like so many real world conflicts, what divides these two groups is somewhat small from a macro standpoint. While BYU is almost completely built by an LDS population, Utah still boasts over 13,000 students who belong to the religion. With many students and alumni having ties to both in one way or another.

Even down to how both programs play football. These two programs are a perfect example of what unites us more than divides us. If the respective leaders of their programs can embrace the rivalry and differences, while accentuating the positive aspects of the rivalry and hoping to stave off many negative or harmful impacts, all parties will be better off.

This did not play like two coaches hoping to downplay an intense rivalry. Both coaches want to continue to embrace the rivalry, while hoping to be the example that dramatically diminishes regrettable actions and headlines. The Holy War should remain intense and very serious. While sticking to the essence of the football game and not allowing escalation to reach "arrestable levels."

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