BYU, Wisconsin announce 2017-18 football series

By Kevin Kelley -
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Wisconsin will visit LaVell Edwards Stadium in 2018. Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

BYU will face Wisconsin in a home-and-home football series in 2017 and 2018, BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe announced today.

Brigham Young will host the first game of the series at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo in 2017 before traveling to face Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison in 2018. Exact dates were not announced.

“We are exited to announce this series with the Badgers,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “We’re always looking for opportunities to schedule storied football programs like Wisconsin. It will be a great experience for our coaches, players and fans to visit Big Ten country and have Wisconsin play at LaVell Edwards Stadium.”

Back in July, Wisconsin announced that they had added BYU to their 2013 football schedule. That announcement came on the heels of a rumor that a home-and-home series was in the works.

So essentially what you have with today’s news is a two-for-one agreement in favor of Wisconsin, except that the single game was announced first followed by the home-and-home contract.

The two schools first and only meeting was on Sept. 20, 1980 in Madison. The Cougars, led by All-American quarterback Jim McMahon and future Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards, won that game 28-3.

“I’m excited to play three games against BYU,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “As we continue to strengthen our non-conference schedule it’s great to have a team with the history of success that BYU has come to Camp Randall Stadium. It also provides an opportunity for our fans to travel to one of the great venues in college football, LaVell Edwards Stadium.”

BYU now had games scheduled against Boise State, East Carolina, and Wisconsin for both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The Badgers also host Virginia Tech in 2017 and travel to Washington in 2018.

Football Schedules:

Comments (12)

This Wisconsin-BYU series is looking like 2-1 deal. Not a H-H like rumored/announced a while back.

So BYU signs a one and done to play at Wisconsin and then a week later announces a “home and home” with Wisconsin, but they don’t think anyone will realize that it’s basically a 2 for 1 deal? Great PR trick by BYU. Weird…but clever.

So it’s a 2 for 1 with Wisconsin instead of a real home/home. And the problem with that is….?

Does it really matter if it’s H/H or 2-for-1? I don’t think Cougar fans are really planning to revolt if they find out the hidden truth. When you’re an independent not named Notre Dame then this sort of comes with the territory.

Unfortunately for BYU, Independence isn’t all of what it is cracked up to be, particularly with Notre Dame making the football scheduling/Olympic Sport membership deal recently made with the ACC. Notre Dame and all but 2-3 B1G schools (Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana & Iowa would likely be home & homes) will demand a 2 for 1 deal with a school like BYU.

The big problem for BYU in getting into a conference isn’t so much the LDS Church rules witrespectsts to “no Sunday play” as many like to jump up and down about on various boards and forums…beating it like a dead horse, but rather it’s resistance on the part of some in the LDS Church governance (a small but VERY high ranking few) who think BYU being in the Big 12 along with Utah already in the Pac-12 would be highly unfair to Utah State.

But sadly for BYU fans until they join a league like the Big 12, deals like this will be a sad reality along with playing less stellar Sun-Belt, C-USA or MWC opponents whom BYU could buy out return games against rather inexpensively.

I like watching BYU every week, for me independence is working because I can actually enjoy watching them and not simply be stuck with the box scores. Is independence the best, probably not. But as of right now it’s the best they’ve ever had.

As a BYU fan, I have no problem with 5 to 15 years of 2 for 1s as BYU establishes itself.

I love BYU independence. I love games on Thursday and Friday night.

Back when BYU was being considered by the Big 12, when TCU joined instead, reports came out that the Big 12’s television partners said no to BYU, due to no Sunday play. College sports are run by television, and with most conferences starting 24/7 networks, a school not playing on Sunday does not fit into a 24/7 network. I could not disagree more about the “unfair to Utah State” comment…that’s from out in left field. When high ranking LDS officials meet to talk…I cannot imagine a scenario where they would discuss anything in regard to Utah State athletics, ever. And finally, have you seen BYU’s schedule for 2013? It does not match up with your description of “less than stellar” teams. You are right about a lot of programs demanding 2 for 1’s from BYU…and to that I say, so what? It would be nice to get home/home, but I don’t see how it hurts much.

I think Greg nailed it. It’s far from certain that the B12 even wants BYU, but the BE certainly does. However, as an independent with their ESPN TV deal, BYU gets a decent amount of money and every home game is shown on an ESPN network (with 1 game on BYUTV). The B12 would provide better exposure, but would a BE TV deal? BYU could get HaH deals with any current BE school already, so that wouldn’t be a reason to join.

BTW, in the B10, Minnesota would be far more willing to do a HaH with BYU than Iowa, though I think both would do it.

Well since Notre Dame is going with the more ACC games now this will open more chance for BYU to play big 10,and PAC 12 teams that are being left open by Dame.