The BYU-Utah rivalry has always meant a lot to the state of Utah. Ever year, it's the biggest sporting event in the state. Now that both teams are in the Big 12 and fighting for playoff positioning, however, the stakes have never been higher. The Cougars are 7-1 and going into Rice Eccles Stadium to take on 8-0 Utah. It's the first time the two teams have matched up as top 10 teams.

In this article, we're breaking down the stakes of this game from both the perspective of the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff.

The Big 12 Title Race

The two teams that play for the Big 12 championship game will have no more than two losses in conference play. Going into this weekend, that means there are seven Big 12 teams fighting for two spots in the title game: Utah, BYU, Texas Tech, Arizona, Houston, Baylor, and Oklahoma State.

Only two teams control their own destiny: BYU and Utah. If BYU wins out, the Cougars will be in Arlington no matter what happens around the conference. The same goes for Utah. Utah has some wiggle room. Even if the Utes lose to BYU, they will control their own destiny if they finish 8-1 in conference play.

BYU, on the other hand, would lose control of its path to the Big 12 title game with a loss to Utah. A loss to the Utes would give BYU its second loss in conference play. At that point, BYU would need three things to happen to make it to Arlington:

1. BYU would need to win out
2. Texas Tech would need to lose at least once
3. Houston would need to lose at least once

In terms of potential tiebreakers, the most important outcome last week was Iowa State's win over Oklahoma State. That win by the Cyclones great increased BYU's chances to reach the title game with two losses. Let's assume BYU wins out. In that scenario, there would be a 48% chance that both Texas Tech and Houston lose at least one game. Let's call it a coin flip. If BYU loses to Utah, there is about a 50/50 chance it goes to Arlington assuming BYU wins out and finishes the season 10-2.

For a team that was ranked no. 2 in the AP poll just two weeks, having a 50/50 chance to make it to the title game - and that's assuming BYU wins its last three - would be a letdown.

The Cougars must beat Utah to maintain control of their own path. Utah could be in danger if it loses to BYU as well. Just one week after taking on BYU, the Utes have to travel to Tucson to take on a dangerous Arizona team. If Utah loses back-to-back games, they would be on the outside looking in at the Big 12 title game. Utah would lose most tiebreakers with two losses.

The College Football Playoff Race

In terms of BYU's at-large CFP hopes, this game against Utah could be the difference between soaring up the rankings and potentially earning a first-round bye or dropping out of the CFP entirely.

This is one of the best weekends, if not the best weekend, of the college football season. Look at the slate of games on Saturday:

• #3 Utah vs #9 BYU
• #1 Miami vs #11 Notre Dame
• #2 Georgia vs #10 Ole Miss
• #5 Alabama vs #14 LSU
• #6 Kentucky vs #13 Tennessee
• #7 Texas vs #18 Missouri
• #12 Ohio State vs #23 Oregon

The long list of heavyweight matchups creates a massive opportunity for Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program. There is a non-zero chance that BYU could beat Utah, Notre Dame could beat Miami, and Ole Miss could be Georgia. While that three-game parlay is unlikely, a 9% chance according to FPI, it's not impossible either. In that scenario, there is a real chance BYU could be ranked no. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings this time next week.

Even if just two of those games go BYU's way, let's say BYU beats Utah and Notre Dame beats Miami, BYU would find itself ranked inside the top five of next week's rankings. As far as CFP stakes, this game couldn't be bigger for the BYU football program.

With a loss, BYU would drop out of the projected playoff field. There is a small chance BYU could earn an at-large spot with a 10-2 record, but BYU's track record with the CFP committee suggests that is highly unlikely. It's more likely that a three-loss SEC team would leapfrog the Cougars. If BYU loses, it would probably need to win the Big 12 to make the playoff.