A Complete History Of Utah Football’s Matchups With Wyoming
Sep 12, 2025, 3:51 PM
Utah wide receiver DeVonte Christopher (15) stiff arms Wyoming running back James Davis (25) during a NCAA college football game of Utah Utes vs. Wyoming Cowboys at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, Saturday, Oct., 31, 2009. Utah defeated Wyoming 22-10. (Photo courtesy of Chen Wang, Deseret News)
(Photo courtesy of Chen Wang, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – This weekend, Utah football will face its most-played out-of-state opponent in program history: the Wyoming Cowboys.
The Utes and Cowboys have played 81 times, dating back to 1904. That is the third most games against any opponent, only trailing Utah State and BYU.
The last time the schools met was 15 years ago in October 2010. Prior to that meeting, the longest they had gone without matching up was seven years back in the 1930s.
The Last Meeting
On October 16, 2010, Utah football traveled to Laramie to face Wyoming for the final time as conference foes. The Utes would join the Pac-12 Conference the following season.
In the game, quarterback Jordan Wynn threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns, running back Matt Asiata rushed for 109 yards, and both Eddie Wide and Reggie Dunn punched in TDs on the ground.
The 30-6 win kept Utah undefeated at 6-0. The Utes finished that season with a 10-3 record, were ranked 23rd in the Coaches Poll, and played Boise State in the Maaco Bowl.
Bringing the ⭕️🪶 to Laramie!#GoUtes | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/OswYC4gGGO
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 11, 2025
Utah Vs. Wyoming: Full Timeline Of Matchups
Early Independent Matchups
From the schools’ first matchup in 1904 to 1909, the University of Utah was not a conference member.
Utah and Wyoming played three times in this period, with the Utes winning all three in shutouts. 23-0 in 1904, 31-0 in 1905, and 75-0 in 1908.
Joe Maddock was Utah’s head coach at this time. His stint was the program’s first taste of success, going 28-9-1 before he retired in 1910.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Era
Utah joined the RMAC, then known as the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference, in 1910. Wyoming scheduled games against schools in the conference, but didn’t become an official member until 1921. From then on, both schools remained in the conference until 1937.
The Cowboys were still unable to best Utah during this period, with the Utes winning 10 of the 11 games. In 1920, they played to a 0-0 tie in SLC.
From 1910 to 1924, Utah had three head coaches — Fred Bennion, Nelson Norgren, and Thomas Fitzpatrick — each succeeding the last. The Utes won their first conference championship in 1922 under Fitzpatrick.
Ike Armstrong took over in 1925 and was Utah’s head coach until 1949. Under Armstrong, Utah had a record of 141-55-15 and won 13 conference championships. This includes six in a row in the RMFAC from 1928 to 1933.
Mountain States Conference Era
In 1937, Utah, Wyoming, and five other schools left the RMFAC to create the MSC, also known as the Skyline Conference.
The Utes and Cowboys played 21 more games in this period, and Wyoming was finally able to make the games competitive. They won their first match in 1949 and went on to win nine of the next 13 games.
Still, Utah held the upper hand with a 12-9 record against Wyoming in the Skyline.
The Utes had two coaching changes at the end of this era. Jack “Cactus” Curtice coached from 1950 to 1957, Ray Nagel took over in 1958, and coached Utah into its next conference.
Western Athletic Conference Era
Similar to what happened almost three decades earlier, Utah, Wyoming, and four other schools left their respective conferences to form the WAC in 1962.
Of any era, the Utes and Cowboys would play their most games against one another in the WAC. The 35 games were the most even of any era, and actually saw Wyoming get the edge on Utah for the first time ever. The Cowboys won 20 of the games, which included a streak of five wins and two streaks of three wins.
From 1973 to 1985, the schools traded wins each year.
After Nagel stepped down in 1965, Utah football failed to keep a head coach for more than five years. Mike Giddings, Bill Meek, Tom Lovat, Wayne Howard, Chuck Stobart, and Jim Fassel passed the torch to one another over a 25-year period.
Finally, in 1990, the Utes found the guy who would end up turning the program around. Ron McBride.
Mountain West Conference Era
For the last time, Utah and Wyoming would jump ship and create a new conference, the Mountain West.
After McBride led Utah to multiple bowl game appearances and winning seasons in the 1990s, he was succeeded by Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham, and the Utes quickly ascended into a national brand.
Utah regained control of the series against Wyoming during this period, winning eight of the ten matchups before joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
Also of note, it was during this time that Kyle Whittingham’s father, Fred, coached alongside him in the early 2000s. Fred Whittingham’s pants caught on fire on the sideline in a game against the Cowboys, a moment that Kyle Whittingham reflected on ahead of the 2025 game.
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What Is Utah Football’s Record Against Wyoming?
Across over a century of games and four different conferences, Utah holds the all-time series advantage over Wyoming, winning 49 of the 81 matchups.
The Utes are 31-12-1 in Salt Lake City and 18-19 in Laramie.
The 2025 week three game isn’t just the first game between the schools in 15 years; it’s the first time they will face off as members of different conferences since 1920.
