PROVO — "Big Noon Kickoff" returned to BYU for the second straight year, this time for the 15th-ranked Cougars' rivalry tilt with No. 23 Utah (6 p.m. MDT, FOX).
And just like last year, BYU's mascot, Cosmo, stole the show.
The athletic mascot, who rates among the top in Division I athletics, opened the show by riding a zip line off LaVell Edwards Stadium to the FOX set in the parking lot on the west side, then jumped over former BYU greats Jamaal Williams and Kyle Van Noy.
The fearless feline closed the show leaping off one of the trailers into a wading pool at the bottom. He was joined by Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram II, the former Alabama running back who is now a FOX Sports analyst, and host Rob Stone.
If that doesn't explain the energy in Provo in front of the likely over-caffeinated crowd as the sun was rising over the Wasatch Mountains, then we don't know what will.
COSMO JUST BELLY FLOPPED FROM THE TOP DECK 😱
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) October 18, 2025
And of course @markingramII and @RobStoneONFOX had to get into the pool too 🤣@BYUfootball | @TheCosmoCougarpic.twitter.com/gvSlA3BdFA
"There's been nothing like this ever, and I've done every Big Noon Kickoff for 7-8 years," the "Big Noon Kickoff" emcee said.
In between was the network broadcast news, features and plenty of "hot takes" from the overflowing pop-up studio that hosted several hundred BYU and Utah fans alike.
BYU fans booed every time former Utah coach-turned-FOX analyst Urban Meyer tried to speak, and Utah fans flashed their own U. from stage left as the former Utes head coach who went 22-2 in two seasons appeared on stage.
That included when Meyer was trying to interview BYU head coach (and former Utah defensive coordinator) Kalani Sitake live on set.
Kalani Sitake joins Big Noon Kickoff LIVE from Provo 🙌
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) October 18, 2025
The @BYUfootball Head Coach joins the crew to discuss today's matchup vs Utah ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/TYOKbxVGKL
There were also plenty of signs, including a BYU fan who printed a photo of church President Dallin H. Oaks — a BYU graduate and former president of the university — forming an upside-down U. with clearly photoshopped hands, and a Utah fan who compared BYU defensive tackle (and Utah transfer) Keanu Tanuvasa to Judas Iscariot from the Bible.
Other fun signs included:
- "The last time Utah beat BYU, Tom Brady was still on the Patriots"
- "This poster was stolen from me," with an image of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan
- Tusky (the new mascot for the NHL's Utah Mammoth) > Cosmo
- No booze, just business
FOX contributor Dave Portnoy — who made himself a lot of friends in Provo with positive reviews of local businesses, including the BYU Bookstore, Creamery on Ninth, and Nico's Pizza — also reconnected with employees from Swig, the "dirty" soda shop that brought free drinks on behalf of the Barstool Sports founder's 1.8 rating he left on his first trip to the drive-thru shop to buy a Coke.
Then Portnoy, who wore several BYU-themed ensembles over the two-hour program, put on Utah headgear to cap the show to delight of the Utah fans in the stands.
"I've had a great time in Provo," Portnoy said, "but Utah is going to win this game. ... 3.5 at home, BYU? Vegas knows; Utah rolls them."
Check out photos from the morning lid lifter on another college football Saturday by Deseret News photographer Rio Giancarlo below.
