BYU, Utah football: Best. Matchup. Ever.

Before the season began, many local fans, pundits and observers harbored dreams of both Utah and BYU being undefeated with a combined 22-0 record for their showdown Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

They dreamed of both teams being ranked in the top 10 and playing in a colossal winner-take-all for a Bowl Championship Series berth and a Mountain West Conference championship.

As it turned out, those dreams were dashed in October, when the Cougars fell to TCU.

Still, this week's annual grudge match is The Biggest BYU-Utah Game of All Time — a Beehive State Super Bowl. This marks only the second time ever both teams are ranked going into the contest, let alone this highly ranked. And the two teams' combined record, 21-1, has never been better.

For No. 8 Utah (11-0), which has already secured at least a piece of the MWC title, there's a BCS berth on the line. For No. 16 BYU (10-1), which moved up to No. 14 Sunday in the latest BCS standings, there's a shot at a share of the conference championship and an opportunity to shake up the postseason landscape on a national scale.

Funny thing is, just a year ago, a Deseret News headline proclaimed last year's rivalry game as the biggest ever, as both teams were riding seven-game winning streaks and had a combined 16-5 record.

In terms of records, rankings and national implications, that one pales in comparison to this year's battle, which features two teams with a combined winning streak of 16 (Utah 12, BYU 4).

Here's a look at other big games in rivalry history, in chronological order:

1984

Combined records:16-4-1 (BYU 10-0, Utah 6-4-1)

National rankings: BYU No. 3, Utah unranked

Combined winning streaks: 24 (BYU 21, Utah 3)

What was at stake: The undefeated Cougars were looking to keep their national championship hopes alive.

Result: BYU 24, Utah 14. Two days after vanquishing the Utes, the Cougars jumped to the No. 1 spot in the polls for the first time. After a Holiday Bowl victory over Michigan, they claimed the national title.

1994

Combined records: 17-4 (BYU 9-2, Utah 8-2)

National rankings: BYU No. 20, Utah No. 21

Combined winning streaks: 2 (BYU 2, Utah 0)

What was at stake: Ironically, even though this was the first time that both teams were ranked going into the game, there was no conference championship hanging in the balance. Colorado State had already all but wrapped up the title.

Result: Utah 34, BYU 31. The Utes went on to win the Freedom Bowl while the Cougars won the Copper Bowl. Both teams finished the season ranked in the top 10 in the UPI poll.

1996

Combined records: 19-3 (BYU 11-1, Utah 8-2)

National rankings: BYU No. 8, Utah unranked

Combined winning streaks: 10 (BYU 9, Utah 1)