SMU Announcement Allows BYU-Utah to be a Conference Game in 2024

On Monday, BYU announced a home-and-home scheduling agreement with SMU. The first game of the two-game series will be played in Texas in 2024. The return game will be played in 2027 in Provo. 2024 will be the first season in the ACC for SMU.

The SMU announcement has a direct impact on the BYU-Utah game in 2024. Prior to the SMU announcement, BYU had three nonconference games on the schedule: Southern Illinois, Wyoming, and Utah. BYU and Utah were scheduled to play each other as nonconference foes beginning in 2024 and extending through the rest of the decade. When Utah accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 in 2024 over the Summer, however, BYU had to start looking for another nonconference game.

It was possible (albeit unlikely) that BYU and Utah could have played each other on the originally scheduled date in a nonconference game. In that scenario, the game wouldn't have impacted the conference standings. There is a precedent established for scenarios like this in college football. In the past, conference peers have been given an exception to play each other in a nonconference game when both teams need a nonconference game.

That unique exception won't be needed. The SMU announcement all but confirms that BYU-Utah will be a conference game in 2024. It also means the game can be moved out of September and into November. When BYU and Utah shared a conference years ago, the two archrivals played each other every year at the end of the season. It has not been announced when the BYU-Utah game will be played in the Big 12.

Facebook - @CougsDaily

Twitter - @Cougs_Daily and Casey Lundquist at @casey_lundquist

Instagram - @cougs_daily

Add us as a preferred source on Google