Report: BYU, Utah to play in 2013 and 2016

By Kevin Kelley -

BYU-UtahAt a media luncheon today, Utah athletics director Chris Hill told reporters that the Utes will face BYU in Provo in 2013 and in Salt Lake City in 2016.

The two schools have played every year since 1946, but the future of the series has been in jeopardy ever since Utah joined the Pac-12.

Utah is concerned about making their non-conference schedule too tough. That’s why the series with BYU will take a break in 2014 and 2015, as the Utes are set to face Michigan in a home-and-home series those years.

“To say the rivalry is going to be the same, it’s not,” Hill said. “We need to take a reasonable approach to the season.”

Hill also said the 2013 game will take place in the “fourth week” of the season. However, that would put the game on September 21, a date which is currently occupied by a home game against Boise State on BYU’s 2013 schedule.

Earlier today, we confirmed that Boise State was in fact set to travel to BYU on September 21, 2013. But football schedules are fluid and there’s always the possibility that the Boise State-BYU game could be on the move once more.

Regardless of the dates, BYU’s 2013 schedule is set to be one of their toughest ever. The Cougars will host Boise State, Georgia Tech, Texas, and Utah and travel to Hawaii, Houston, Notre Dame, Utah State, and Washington State.

BYU’s 2013 season-opener could be at Washington State. As VanquishTheFoe points out, Pac-12 scheduling rules currently state that non-conference games be played in the first three weeks of the season.

Utah is set to open the 2013 season at home vs. Utah State on Aug. 29. With the addition of BYU, the Utes only need one more non-conference game to complete their schedule.

Pac-12 games for the Utes in 2013 tentatively include Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, and Washington at home and Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, and USC on the road.

Football Schedules:

Comments (19)

I’m pretty peeved about this decision. This rivarly is a great one and has been my whole life, and now that Utah is to scared to play BYU because of their conference schedule, that shows their true colors in my opinion. BYU has got a hard schedule this year and will have some rough ones further down the road, but still want to continue the tradition. Very disappointed.

“…Utah is to scared to play BYU because of their conference schedule, that shows their true colors in my opinion.”

You are delusional if you believe taking a two year hiatus from BYU in order to play a home and home with THE WINNINGTEST PROGRAM IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL is evidence that Utah dropped BYU to have an easy OOC schedule. Michigan is head and shoulders a tougher and more prestigious opponent than BYU no matter which way one looks at it. Like a scorned lover, you are lying to yourself to ease your pain.

Utah has won 7 of the last 10 with all three BYU wins requiring miracle last second heroics, Utah won 54-10 last year in your stadium, and you think Utah is taking a break out of FEAR? LOL! “Delusions of grandeur” doesn’t even begin to describe the jealousy-driven insanity coming out of Provo these days. Your refusal to accept reality does nothing to change it. Good luck finding another power conference team to play you home and home in 2014 and 2015; we’ll be too busy playing our 9 game PAC-12 schedule and the Michigan Wolverines.

@PaulB –

12 regular season games. 9 PAC games + Michigan + one patsy = 11 games. 12 – 11 = 1. If that one remaining game is used to schedule BYU, Utah is left with zero schedule variety and no flexibility from year to year. With 9 conference games per season and the multi-decade B1G agreement on the horizon, the PAC is in a unique scheduling situation. If there were only 8 conference games per year I have zero doubt that Utah and BYU would continue to play uninterrupted.

Utah had a chance to schedule a home and home with a top 5 all-time program and the winningest team in history; a team that hardly ever travels outside of Michigan to play an OOC game against opponents not named Notre Dame. When Michigan comes to RES, it will be the first time in over a decade that Michigan has traveled out west during the regular season. Michigan is coming to Utah for the first time in state history.

I’m sorry, but BYU is not worth passing on an opportunity like that. You don’t get it because an independent BYU is in the opposite situation from Utah – a ton of open dates on the schedule and a difficult time finding marquee opponents willing to fill them. (Your 2013 home schedule is looking strong, though.)

Utah is doing what is objectively best for Utah in spite of the fact that it is not what is best for BYU. I don’t see how you can blame us for that and I expect BYU would do the same thing if they were fortunate enough to be in our situation.

That’s a real nice idea, but the fact is that your A.D. Dr. Hill said it himself. I think I’ll believe him instead of you.

It’s not about a single slot that could only fit BYU or Michigan. And it’s not about who is better BYU or Michigan. It’s about job security. After another 4-5 season in the mediocre pac, if Utah should add losses to Michigan and BYU, it’s bye bye Whittingham. The Ute fans would hate to see Brian Johnson as head coach.

I as a BYU fan, and a fan of Utah collegiate sports in general will miss this rivalry. I understand why Utah is setting it aside, which as far as I can tell is because they respect BYU as an opponent, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy with the outcome. At the very least Boise State makes for a decent replacement, better then Colorado.

Awesome move scheduling Mich over BYU. Rivalry games make for good ticket sales, but tougher schedules make for even better down the road (aka national championships).

Another note, Utah will be playing Stanford and Oregon one or both of those years, in addition to Wash and USC, in addition to now Mich or any other PAC12 team that has a good season those years. That’s one tough schedule. BYU should take it as a compliment that Utah doesn’t consider them a push-over school and dropped them for an easier team (although after last year, not sure why…)

Your argument doesn’t make sense. BYU played Utah in 1984 and won the National Championship. So Maybe if Utah was the best team in the nation, they should be able to beat BYU and win the National Championship. But it hasn’t happened in over 100 years. I’m sorry.

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What do you mean that Rich’s argument doesn’t make sense. Of course BYU played Utah in 1984, they were in the same conference and had to play each other.

One can only hope that the new TBA on Utah’s website for the 2013 BYU date means we will see Stanford-Notre Dame, BYU-Utah (and Colorado-Cal) on the final week of the season. We will see in an hour.

If I recall correctly, last year the Pac-12 only released the conference schedule and then the schools released their full schedules after that. We will see.

I am a byu fan but I respect each team. I really wish the rivalry will hold strong I can’t remember who said it but they where saying byu has an easy schedule compared to utah and a that is false. I’m not sure if they know but they played the runner up for national champions notte dame and oregan state and plenty of hard teams. I mean I guess utah fans are just jealous that byu can beat utah state an utah can’t.

I also forgot to add that some utah fans think that they are in the PAC 12 so there better but oi would like to ask them if they could make it individually I mean I’m positive they can’t. One more thing its bit cool to be in the pac12 if ur gonna lose every game. I say this laughing but its true.

I am a South Carolina Gamecocks Fan and I love college football in general. I am planning on moving to Orem-Provo area and hope to watch BYU and Utah play. The SEC is in the same position as the Pac-12 with adding a another SEC game (or hearing rumors of it) in inturn will kill our instate rivially. I think Utah want a tougher schedule to get a chance have a top 25 program, not to mention they are playing in a tough conference. My personal opinion, if you want to be the best, play the best. I wish the SEC will play more PAC-12 teams and not play these easy schools. I know it about money. I wish BYU will schedule some tougher opponents some SEC schools as well as Utah.