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SALT LAKE CITY — It almost seems surreal.
The state's most heated rivalry picks up again this Saturday when Utah and BYU compete in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.
"I'm definitely excited for the matchup. We're going to treat it like any other game and prepare so we're ready to play," said Utah quarterback Travis Wilson.
In a season when the teams weren't scheduled to play each other, this game is now the talk of the town. Here are some storylines before Saturday's competition.
Hello, again
The Utes and Cougars are no strangers to the Las Vegas Bowl.
It's the second consecutive year the Utes, who are 14-4 in bowl games, will play their postseason game in Las Vegas. This postseason trip to Sam Boyd Stadium marks the fifth time Utah accepted a Las Vegas Bowl invite.
"We had a great time there last year," said Utah kicker Andy Phillips.
"We're excited because it's a rivalry game. There's a lot of emotion involved, but for the most part we're just excited to be playing another bowl game."
The Utes won their first Las Vegas bowl game, defeating Fresno State 17-16 in 1999. Utah also beat now fellow Pac-12 rival USC 10-6 in 2001 and Colorado State 45-10 last year. Boise State gave Utah its only Las Vegas Bowl loss to date in 2010 when the Broncos denied the Utes a touchdown, 26-3.
It will also be the sixth trip to the bowl for the Cougars, who are 13-19-1 in bowl games. They have a 3-2 record at the Las Vegas Bowl. From 2005-09, BYU went to five consecutive Las Vegas Bowls. It defeated Oregon, UCLA and Oregon State. The last time BYU appeared in the Las Vegas Bowl was in 2009 when the Cougars sealed a 44-20 victory against Oregon State.
Bronco bids adieu
This competition will be the last with the Cougars for head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who will resume his head coaching career next season at the University of Virginia. Under his leadership, BYU is 6-4 in its bowl games.
Not only is this game monumental for the sake of the departure of a coach who has led the team for a decade, but Mendenhall has an opportunity to carry out 100 career wins.
"It's very encouraging for us to see how much energy, poise, focus and excitement the team has to play and to get this last win for coach Mendenhall," said BYU receiver Mitch Mathews.
"I'm excited to do my part as a coach and I'm really excited to help the players on our team achieve a strong finish," said Mendenhall.
'The Holy War'
In the 98 times the teams have played against each other since 1896, Utah has won 57 times, BYU has won 34 and there have been four ties.
The Utes won the past four games, which took place from 2010 to 2013. The rivalry has been on hiatus since, excluding this postseason surprise, and will resume in Rice-Eccles Stadium during Week 2 of next season.
"I've never played in the rivalry, but it's big around here and we'll be ready to play," said Utah linebacker Gionni Paul.
"(My teammates) told me its a game to remember. We're always talking about leaving a legacy, being one of the top teams in Utah history, and playing BYU could help us do that."
The Las Vegas Bowl is Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MST and will air on ABC with Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor as commentators.
