BYU, ASU schedule home-and-home football series

PROVO, Utah — Brigham Young University and Arizona State University today announced a future home-and-home football series for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. 

Former Western Athletic Conference rivals, BYU and ASU renew their series history with a matchup at Sun Devil Stadium/Frank Kush Field in Tempe, Ariz., on Sept. 19, 2020 followed by a contest at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Sept. 18, 2021. 

"BYU-ASU is a great regional matchup that dates back to the 1930s," said BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe. "As charter members of the Western Athletic Conference, we’ve enjoyed a rich football rivalry. We look forward to playing in Tempe again, where we have a lot of Cougar fans and alumni. It will also be exciting to have ASU back in Provo."

The two universities have met 27 times previously with ASU leading the series 20-7 with a 12-3 advantage in Tempe and an 8-4 edge in Provo. The Cougars and Sun Devils last played a series in 1997 and 1998 with BYU winning both games. The last meeting was on Sept. 12, 1998 in Provo, where the Cougars defeated the Sun Devils 26-6.

The inaugural game between the two programs was played on Nov. 23, 1935 in Tempe with BYU winning 13-0. From 1962 to 1977 the two programs were both members of the Western Athletic Conference. During that 16-year stretch, either ASU or BYU won the conference title during 10 seasons, including a shared championship in 1977. The Cougars captured WAC football titles in 1965, 1974, 1976 and 1977, while the Sun Devils won conference titles in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1977.

"This football series with Brigham Young University renews one of our oldest and most interesting rivalries,” said ASU Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson. “These two institutions and the communities they represent enjoy a long, rich history and a lot of common bonds between them. Also, it fulfills a need for us to schedule home/home series with institutions that are located in the Western portion of the United States.”

Kick times and television coverage for the two games will be announced at a future date.