The Provo Council Chambers will be splashed in red if Brigham Young University loses the big football game this Saturday to the University of Utah.

It's not blood, but it might as well be -- the councils of both Provo and Salt Lake City are laying their very dignity on the line for this weekend's contest. If the Cougars prevail, the council from up north has agreed to drop by a Provo meeting and sing the BYU fight song in public. The Provo council has agreed to do the same in Salt Lake should their team lose -- but that's just a formality, said Council member Steve Turley.

"I want to be a good host when they come," he said. "I'll bake their blueberry humble pie for them."

Turley said the last two football matchups -- in which BYU pulled out victories on the last plays of the game -- give him nothing but confidence a hat trick is in order.

"I just don't think the folks in Salt Lake have a very good memory. We can win no matter how far we are down," said Turley, a BYU English grad. "Needless to say, I'm not worried about voice lessons."

The challenge came via phone call Tuesday night before the regular Provo council meeting. Salt Lake's vice chairman, Carlton Christensen, is the originator of the idea. He said rather than spending their time learning the lyrics to "Rise and Shout," his council has been dreaming up ways to welcome the Provoans to the big city.

"I think it's a good opportunity for us to involve the general student body at the University of Utah," he said, without elaborating.

Christensen attended BYU for his freshman year, but later transferred to Utah. In his words, he "saw the light ... that was red."

Provo's vice chairman, George Stewart, graduated from Arizona State University but has lived here since the 1970s. He said he doesn't even follow ASU football anymore, the Cougars having won his heart years ago.

"I really believe BYU has a good chance of winning if they play the way they played at Air Force," he said. "We're willing to go. I am supremely confident that we won't have to."

Utah leads the all-time series, nicknamed the "Holy War" because of BYU's church affiliation, by a margin of 53-33 with one tie. But in the past 35 meetings, BYU has racked up an impressive 24-11 record. The last 10 games have been a wash, with each team taking five wins. The teams' combined record and rankings have never been higher than they are this year.

In 2005, the Wall Street Journal rated the rivalry as the fourth-best in the nation based on lead changes, margins of victory, team records, box scores, number of upsets and overall quality.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.