Those résumés tell you where the matchup sits. Utah was 5-0 heading into its trip to Colorado and gave up 14, 10, 0, 17 and 24 points in those 5 games, including a 33-0 shutout of Utah State and a 43-10 win over Arkansas. The Utes also scored 30 or more every time out. They took their only bye on October 3, so this is not a team grinding through its 8th straight week. That Colorado result is the one piece of Utah's October our board does not show yet, so treat the unbeaten record as a snapshot from before Boulder.
Houston's road record is the other thing to weigh. The Cougars' only loss was a 28-26 finish at Texas Tech, and they have won at Georgia Southern and beaten Kansas State 35-16 in Manhattan, so a hostile stadium has not rattled them. The worry is the defense. Oklahoma State scored touchdowns on 4 of its 5 second-half drives, and Georgia Southern put up 28 earlier in the run. A defense that leaky against offenses that move the ball is a problem when you visit a team that has scored 30-plus in every game on the board.
It comes down to Weigman and the Houston passing game against a Utah secondary that may or may not have Hart back. Early forecasts call for cloudy skies in the low 50s with barely any wind, so the weather should not take the passing game away from either side. If Houston can put together a full 4 quarters on defense, instead of a good half followed by a shootout, this is a real Big 12 test. If not, Utah's offense has spent all season punishing teams that give up yards.