BYU Announces 2013 Football Schedule

PROVO, Utah — Brigham Young University today announced its 2013 football schedule. The 12-game schedule includes fellow independent Notre Dame and teams from eight conferences, including Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Big East, Conference USA, Mountain West and Big Sky.
 
“I really like the way this schedule came together,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “I like the balance of home and away games and the opportunity to play in different regions of the country. It’s one of the best schedules in program history.”

View 2013 schedule page
 
BYU opens the 2013 season on the road, Aug. 31, at Virginia of the ACC. The two schools have met three times previously with the Cavaliers holding a 2-1 advantage after the Cougars won the last meeting 38-35 in Charlottesville in 2000. The following week on Sept. 7, BYU will host Texas of the Big 12. It is the fourth meeting between the two schools. BYU has a 2-1 series record against the Longhorns, with Texas winning the last meeting 17-16 in Austin in 2011.
 
BYU has two byes on the 2013 schedule with the first coming on Sept. 14. The Cougars resume action the following week versus rival Utah of the Pac-12 on Sept. 21 in Provo. Following the 2013 game the long-standing rivalry takes a two-year hiatus before resuming again in 2016 in Salt Lake City. The Cougars and Utes have met 88 times since the Deseret First Duel began in 1922. Winning 34 of the first 40 meetings, Utah holds a 53-31-4 advantage in one of the great rivalries in college football.
 
BYU welcomes Middle Tennessee State to Provo for a Friday night game on Sept 27. After going 8-4 and finishing second in the Sun Belt in 2012, the Blue Raiders are set to join C-USA for the 2013 season. The two schools have never met in football. A trip north to Logan on Oct. 4 will see BYU face new MWC member Utah State on Friday night in the 82nd meeting between the two in-state schools. The Cougars and the Aggies first met in 1922 in Provo. BYU holds a 45-34-3 advantage in the series.
 
BYU returns to LaVell Edwards Stadium on Oct. 12 to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Cougars downed the ACC Coastal Division champions 41-17 in Atlanta last year and hold a 2-1 series advantage. The following week BYU travels to Houston for a first-ever meeting between the two schools. Houston is slated to join the Big East in 2013. BYU rounds out its October schedule at home versus Boise State of the MWC on the 26th. The Broncos lead the series 3-0 after defeating the Cougars 7-6 in an epic defensive battle in 2012.
 
After the second bye of the season on Nov. 2, BYU returns to the road when it travels to Madison to face Big Ten power Wisconsin on Nov 9. The Cougars and the Badgers have previously met just once. Led by College Football Hall of Famers Jim McMahon and coach LaVell Edwards, BYU earned a 28-3 victory on Sept. 20, 1980 at Camp Randall Stadium.
 
The Cougars are back home on Nov. 16 to host Idaho State at LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU is 4-0 all-time versus the Bengals of the Big Sky.
 
The Cougars finish the year with back-to-back road games at Notre Dame on Nov. 23 and Nevada on Nov. 30. BYU is 2-5 all-time versus the Fighting Irish, including a hard-fought 17-14 loss at South Bend in 2012. The Cougars own a 4-2-2 record against the Wolf Pack dating back to the first game in 1929. BYU and Nevada of the MWC have finalized a three-game series that includes the 2013 game in Reno and two games at LaVell Edwards Stadium in 2014 and 2019.
 
The MWC recently announced that its football championship game would be played on Dec. 7, 2013. This announcement necessitated dropping the BYU versus Hawaii game from the 2013 schedule. The two schools also determined to cancel the 2014 game that was part of a previously contracted series. BYU and Hawaii have agreed to look at scheduling a future series.
 
In all, the Cougars will play six home games and six road games in 2013. Ten of the 12 games are currently scheduled for Saturday, with Friday night matchups against Middle Tennessee State on Sep. 27 and Utah State on Oct. 4. The 2013 schedule includes opponents from nine different states.
 
BYU will face seven teams that participated in bowl games last season, including Texas, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Boise State, Utah State, Nevada and Notre Dame, which played Alabama for the BCS National Championship. Four teams finished the 2012 season ranked in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, including Notre Dame (No. 4/No. 3), Utah State (16/17), Boise State (18/14) and Texas (19/18).
 
Eight of the 12 opponents on the Cougars 2013 schedule finished last season with a winning record. FBS opponents combined for an 87-54 (.617) record in 2012. In addition to Notre Dame playing for the national championship, three teams captured conference titles (Wisconsin, Boise State and Utah State) and a fourth won a divisional title (Georgia Tech).
 
BYU is coming off an 8-5 season in 2012, including a 23-6 victory over San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl. In eight seasons under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, the Cougars have been to eight bowl games and rank No. 12 in total victories. BYU is one of just seven programs to win six bowl games since 2005.

In addition to 12 regular-season games, BYU will travel to San Francisco for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in late December 2013 if bowl eligible and not selected by a BCS bowl. 

Additional details including broadcast plans, game times and ticket information will be released as the information becomes available.
 
2013 BYU Football Schedule
Date             Opponent
Aug. 31        at Virginia
Sept. 7         Texas
Sept. 14       BYE
Sept. 21       Utah
Sept. 27       Middle Tennessee State
Oct. 4           at Utah State
Oct. 12         Georgia Tech
Oct. 19         at Houston
Oct. 26         Boise State
Nov. 2          BYE
Nov. 9          at Wisconsin
Nov. 16        Idaho State
Nov. 23        at Notre Dame
Nov. 30        at Nevada